Methodology

Eurythmy therapy is a treatment method of Anthroposophic medicine, where conventional medicine is extended by an Anthroposophic approach.Through movement exercises inherent healing forces of the organism are addressed and the activity of the Self, the essential kernel of the individual, is thereby supported in taking hold of the irregularity in question. A holistic understanding of the body-mind-spirit relationship in the human being forms its therapeutic basis.

Eurythmy therapy is used in a broad spectrum of clinical situations including the regulation of metabolic and nerve-sense processes and the harmonization of cardiovascular and respiratory activity. All organ functions can be specifically addressed by the exercises which are based on the physiology of the human organism, on language and music.  The exercises improve body awareness, coordination and dexterity, which leads to relaxation or revitalisation and thus to an individual inner balance.  The systemic approach guides patients to the body's own energy resources as the basis for health.

Ideally, a doctor and eurythmy therapist cooperate, however the specific medical training for a eurythmy therapist allows for independent work. The diagnosis by the physician is complemented by the movement diagnosis and a treatment plan is developed on this basis.

The multifaceted nature of eurythmy therapy is holistically oriented. Movement is to be experienced and attention paid ‘right into to the tip of the smallest toe’. There are specific movements of the body, especially of the arms and legs. The exercises are modified to suit the individual needs and capacities: they can be performed in seating, in lying or moving at increased speed or deliberate deceleration even jumping- even simply performed in the presence of the individual. They may be supplemented by rhythm exercises and movement meditations. In contrast to comparable movement therapies, the correct implementation of the exercises here requires the outer movement to be filled with intention and soul. In this way, pathological processes in the organism are helped towards a new and sound arrangement. By active formative structuring by the patient, the symptoms are not changed from the outside, rather the individual willingly and consciously participate in the change towards health. The approach is often experienced as self-empowering by children and adults alike. The change in how one ‘sits’ in oneself may enable lifestyle changes hitherto not achieved. Please find the key areas of work in eurythmy therapy here.

The patient receives systematic instruction in the treatment sessions. Practice and rest are an integral part of the therapy: what has been learned is integrated by independent practice at home as well as through the rest phase. The therapeutic encounter is an interactive process which pays close attention to the patient’s need for autonomy, along with their need for safety and understanding with the aim that the patient develops their own therapeutic remedy for themselves.

Read more about the treatment here.

Anthroposphic medicine employs eurythmy therapy as part of the treatment of a wide range of mainly long-term conditions. The CARE themes of anthroposophical medicine form a basic framework. The following list is intended to give a rough overview and does not claim to be complete.

Success – even if “only” In terms of improved quality of life is often recorded for conditions that have proven resistant to conventional treatment.

Should you have concerns, please discuss these with your eurythmy therapist or doctor. The address is available from the professional association of the country.

CARE I

Pregnancy, birth and early childhood. Living with disability. Especially here:

• Prenatal and postnatal care.
• Postpartum care (especially in the clinic)
• Treatment of children with inclusion status (children with disabilities or special needs)

CARE II

Managing fever and infectious diseases against the background of antimicrobial resistance (respiratory diseases, urinary tract infections). Here in particular:

• Allergies
• Chronic and recurrent infectious diseases

CARE III

Sleep disorders, common forms of anxiety and depressive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, further:

• stress/burnout/exhaustion syndromes in treatment and prophylaxis

CARE IV

Oncology. Especially here:

• Cancer related fatigue
• supportive care

CARE V

Palliative medicine, pain management, end of-life care

• Ophthalmology
• Gynaecology (e.g. cycle disorders, menopausal symptoms)
• Geriatrics (also: senior fitness (e.g. for fall prevention and age-related depression)
• all fields of internal medicine (e.g. rheumatology, diabetology, gastroenterology, cardiology, pneumology
• Prophylaxis and health care (e.g. prevention care for backs, high blood pressure and burnout)
• Neurology (e.g. migraine, tinnitus, vertigo)
• Orthopaedics (e.g. spinal problems, posture and movement disorders)
• Psychiatry (e.g. personality disorders and addictions such as alcohol or substance abuse, eating disorders)
• Rehabilitation (e.g. after strokes, heart attacks, tumour diseases)
  Urology
• Anomalies in position of teeth and orthodontics

Areas of practice where eurythmy therapy is offered

Clinics: Some clinics allow participation in anthroposophical therapies. The eurythmy therapist carries out the therapy in an appropriate room or in the patient's room with the bedbound patient (https://anthro-kliniken.de)

Kindergarten and school: The working methods in the institutions are very individually organised. Not all institutions can offer eurythmy therapy.

Special Needs education and social therapy: In anthroposophically run curative schools and homes eurythmy therapy is an integral part of the care and is usually carried out as individual therapy (https://inclusivesocial.org/en)

Health classes: these are mainly aimed at preventing illness, but also at promoting general well-being. The courses in small groups are popular, e.g. on the topics of back health, blood pressure, exhaustion, burn-out, stress management or general everyday fitness, e.g. for senior citizens.

The procedure in private practice is usually as follows:

Your doctor has prescribed eurythmy therapy for you or eurythmy therapy has been recommended to you. In the following you will find some basic information about the treatment setting in private practice. We would like to point out that this is general information which may not always do justice to the individual context or country.

Duration: as a rule, a treatment session lasts 30 minutes plus an additional rest period, which serves to integrate the newly acquired experience. Some therapists offer a separate rest room, others use the time for documentation, while you can rest in the same room in a screened area.

Doctors usually prescribe 6-12 sessions, which usually take place once a week. But eurythmy therapy can also be done without a prescription (in certain countries).

Costs: The professional associations of the respective countries make cost recommendations, which are often based on the reimbursement modalities of the health insurance funds.

Therapists: Lists of therapists in each country are available from the respective professional associations. Some therapists carry the international quality seal Anthromed

Clothing: easy, loose everyday clothes in which you feel comfortable is appropriate. You do not need sportswear. Clothing that is too tight can restrict your freedom of movement. Some therapists have gymnastic shoes (eurythmy shoes) in all sizes, others will ask you to bring your own. Socks, barefoot or sturdy shoes are not suitable.

General procedure: As a rule, the therapist will conduct a short history taking, supplemented by a movement diagnosis. The therapeutic goal and a treatment concept are derived from both. In many cases, initial exercises (warm-up) and a final exercise, frame the so-called main exercises, which are usually performed standing or sitting. In some practices you will be asked to fill out a patient questionnaire for documentation reasons. Sometimes these are part of an anonymous survey within a study. Your consent will be sought if this is the case.

Exercises: These are performed with the arms and legs. The exercise can be done vigorously, even including jumps or in tiny versions with the fingers and every version in between. There are rhythmic exercises, which are sometimes accompanied by poems, verses and musical elements. Movement meditations can be included in the treatment.

Individuality in the treatment process: The therapy sessions are tailored to the patient's individual prerequisites, movement possibilities and general circumstances.

Materials: Copper balls, rollers and rods are widely used as standard in eurythmy therapy practice. Balls made of gold, silver, iron and lead or different types of wood are also used. Furthermore, soft balls, silk cloths, balancing cushions or bars are used especially in the treatment of children.

Practice at home: eurythmy therapy stimulates the inherent healing forces of the organism addressing the kernel of the individual. This activity of the Self is greatly supported by independent practice and this usually forms an important part of the healing process. You will be instructed by the therapist on how to perform the exercises.

In 1911-1912 Rudolf Steiner and his first student Lory Mayer-Smits developed eurythmy as a new art of movement. During the 2nd eurythmy course in Bottmingen in the autumn of 1912 Steiner had already formulated the first therapeutic indications for certain exercises.

In 1920-21 Elisabeth Baumann-Dollfuß and Erna van Deventer-Wolfram, among the first eurythmists, recognized a eurythmy element in a scientific lecture by Rudolf Steiner. They asked Steiner whether one could use eurythmy therapeutically. Steiner took up the question and developed eurythmy therapy during the 2nd Doctors' Course in April 1921, with specific indications of the effects and use of the sound gestures. Steiner crucially modified the well-known eurythmy gestures for therapeutic eurythmy, already in the first lecture. In June of the same year Ita Wegman opened her clinic in Arlesheim. There Steiner frequently attended rounds and suggested specific eurythmy therapy exercises for individual patients. Margarete Kirchner-Bockholt put eurythmy therapy into practice at the clinic alongside Julia Bort. It is thanks to her diligence that the transcripts from this time have been carefully preserved. They form the basis for current eurythmy therapy, together with the lectures on education for special needs and various indications given at the teacher conferences of the first Waldorf School. Development is ongoing by the collaboration of doctors and eurythmy therapists. From 1924 onwards the first training courses in eurythmy therapy were developed. These matured over the decades into training programs:

Every second month we will present eurythmy therapy work from different countries and areas in this diversity section. In this way we would like to bring the abundance of eurythmy therapy into visibility.

• Part I: Schweiz
• Part II: Armenia
• Part III: Taiwan-CzechRepublic
• Part IV: Birthday wishes
• Part V: Hospitals
• Part VI: Chile-SouthKorea-Brazil