Offering from the Conscious Body: The Discipline of Authentic Movement - Hardcover

by Janet Adler (Author)

The exploration of the direct experience of healing and of the divine through the witnessing of movement becoming conscious.

- Uses sample sessions and descriptive theory to explain the discipline.

- Based on the author's 35 years of movement work.

Offering from the Conscious Body reveals both the theory and practice of a unique body-based process that is cathartic, creative, healing, and mystical--as presented by Janet Adler, the presiding voice in the field. This Western awareness practice encourages the individual to experience the evolving relationship with oneself, another, the collective, and the divine through the natural impulses of conscious movement, compassionate witnessing, and clear articulation of experience. Through the vivid examples taken from her own practice, Adler demonstrates that physical movement can invite direct experience of spiritual truths. The reader is led through the multiple layers within the discipline--moving and witnessing in dyads and then groups, in the presence of a witnessing teacher--to develop a comprehensive and experiential understanding of this innovative way of work. Designed for professionals and laypersons interested in psychology, bodywork, mystic traditions, or personal transformation, the discipline of Authentic Movement is at the cutting edge of emerging Western healing practices.

Front Jacket

PSYCHOLOGY / SPIRITUALITY In Offering from the Conscious Body, Janet Adler, the presiding voice in the field of Authentic Movement, presents both the theory and the practice of this unique body-based discipline that concerns psychological healing, artistic impulse, and experience of the numinous. This Western awareness practice invites the experience of a person's evolving relationship with oneself, another, the collective, and the divine through compassionate witnessing of movement becoming conscious. With vivid examples taken from her own practice and teaching, Adler leads the reader through the multiple layers within the discipline--moving and witnessing in dyads and then groups, in the presence of a witnessing teacher--to develop a comprehensive and experiental understanding of this innovative way of work. Designed for professionals and laypersons interested in psychology, bodywork, creative exploration, mystical practice, or personal transformation, the discipline of Authentic Movement is at the cutting edge of merging Western healing practices. JANET ADLER, with a Ph.D. in mystical studies, teaches the discipline of Authentic Movement internationally and was the founder and director of The Mary Starks Whitehouse Institute, the first school devoted to the study and practice of Authentic Movement. She is the author of Arching Backward and of two films: Looking for Me, documenting her work with autistic children, and Still Looking, reflecting her work in the discipline of Authentic Movement. She lives in northern California, where she also works as a hospice chaplain.

Back Jacket

Janet Adler's shaping of Authentic Movement is a significant response to a widely felt need for a spiritual practice that is both embodied and non-authoritarian. Offering from the Conscious Body gives a lucid description of each element of the discipline of Authentic Movement and its impact on the soul. It is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in this area of human development. --Don Hanlon Johnson, Ph.D., professor of Somatics, California Institute of lntegral Studies and author of Bone, Breath and Gesture: Practices of Embodiment "Janet Adler's Offering from the Conscious Body is an outstanding contribution--beautifully written, rich with information, scholarly, and deeply moving. Her definitive work on the origins, theory, and practice of Authentic Movement is a great gift t us all." --Joan Chodorow, Ph.D., author of Dance Therapy and Depth Psychology and editor of Jung on Active Imagination "A remarkably subtle guide to discovering who we are in the present moment through the spontaneous movements of our bodies." --Rosemarie Anderson, Ph.D., professor of Transpersonal Psychology, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology "Offering from the Conscious Body is a tour de force for exploring the further realms of our essential human development." --Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D., coauthor of The Feminine Face of God and The Cultural Creatives "In the richness of her offering, Janet embodies the mystical journey present in all of humanity. Her writing inspires us from the soul of antiquity." --Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Founder and Educational Director, The School for Body-Mind Centering "An unusual book--a novel approach to self-discovery through movement and careful observation . . . a slowing down to step into Presence." --Edward Espe Brown, Zen priest and author of The Tassajara Bread Book

Author Biography

Janet Adler, with a Ph.D. in Mystical Studies, teaches the discipline of Authentic Movement in the United States and Europe and was the founder and director of The Mary Starks Whitehouse Institute, the first school devoted to the study and practice of the discipline. She is the author of Arching Backward and of two films: Looking for Me, documenting her work with autistic children, and Still Looking, reflecting her work in the discipline of Authentic Movement. She lives in northern California where she also works as a hospice chaplain.