Psycho-physical: Blanch Evan / Methods

 

 

Unit: Psycho-physical

Theme:  Blanch Evan / Methods

 

I 

 Mindfulness Research

Body Scan

You will engage in a body scan practice. This practice involves directing your attention to each stated part of your body, and becoming aware of whatever sensations may arise as you direct your attention to this body part. When the mind wanders to internal or external distractions that are not this body part, you will be instructed to redirect your attention right back to this body part. If at any time you feel uncomfortable or agitated, know that you can always choose to stop the practice.

Post-practice

Now that the practice has finished, I'd like to hear from two students. Please share in 1-2 words what you observed as you engaged in the practice. When students respond, please say, “thank you for your response.” Only respond further if you feel it is necessary (e.g., a student expresses distress). 

 

 Check in

 

II

Introduction

 

Blanch Evan

Blanche Evan was a dancer and choreographer who was a pioneer in the development of dance therapy. For 41 years she had a studio in New York City in which she worked for 20 years teaching creative dance to children and subsequently conducting dance therapy sessions for adults. She was a founding member of the American Dance Therapy Association. Her objective, she once said, was ''the integration of dance with therapy, so that it becomes one.'' Although Miss Evan received training at the Alfred Adler Institute of Individual Psychology and was a member of its faculty, she regarded herself as a dancer and choreographer first.

 

 

II 

 

Learning Objectives

 

• Understand the concepts related to the Adlerian Theory 
• Explain the use of self-creating goals
• Gain an awareness of concepts such as inferiority complex, self-ideal, coping and safe-guarding behavior
• Experience Evan's methodology
  

 

III

Main Lesson

 

1

Alfred Adler

Alfred Adler was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. His emphasis on the importance of feelings of inferiority, the inferiority complex, is recognized as an isolating element which plays a key role in personality development. Named after its creator, Adlerian theory refers to the practice and belief that people as individuals should be validated, connected, and made to feel significant. The theory was created in the early 1900's by Adler who founded this new way to approach psychology after parting ways with Sigmund Freud. Adlerian therapy is a short-term, goal-oriented, and positive psychodynamic therapy.

 

Psychodynamic therapy, also known as insight-oriented therapy, focuses on unconscious processes as they are manifested in a person's present behavior. The goals of psychodynamic therapy are the client's self-awareness and understanding of the influence of the past on present behavior. 

 

Psychodynamic psychotherapy or psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a form of depth psychology, the primary focus of which is to reveal the unconscious content of a client's psyche in an effort to alleviate psychic tension. This form of depth psychology (focused on revealing the the client's unconscious content) aligns with dance/movement therapy's premise that unconscious movement is the expression of the client's psyche.

 

Question 1

 

1. Re-state the concepts above in your own words.

 

 

 2

 

 Self-Creative Goals

Question 2

 

How self-creative goals can be facilitated during a dance/movement therapy session? 

Question 3

What was Adler's idea of inferiority complex, self-ideal, coping and safe-guarding behaviors?

 

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3

Blanche Evan's Methods

From Bonnie Bernstein “Dancing Beyond Trauma”

 

Link

Blanche Evan's Methods 

The work described in this chapter is based on the theory and methods of Blanche Evan (Benov, 1991; Levy, 1988; Rifkin-Gamer, Bernstein, & Melso'n, 1984). The Evan approach emphasizes restoring the client to her natural potential for expressive movement and ''re-educating the body to a state wherein movement responses' function" (Evan, 1951, p. 88). It also mobilizes the dynamic interaction between the psyche and the body. Toward this end, the work includes dance education and movement rehabilitation in addition to emphasis on in-depth exploration of feelings and insight-oriented improvisation.

The Evan method serves as primary, rather than adjunctive treatment, and is appropriate for clients who possess the ego strength to tolerate in-depth self-examination. 

 

Question 4

 

2. What is the main purpose of Evan's method? 

 

Question 5 

Based on what we have studied so far, is in-depth-examination appropriate for patients with schizophrenia? Explain.

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4

 

Terms

 

The following section will provide a brief explanation of Blanche Evan's terms that are used by the author to describe a session's sequences and interventions.      

Psycho-physical

Psycho-physical refers to an experience that occurs concurrently on psychological and physical levels and describes the complex impact that the body has on the psyche, and that the psyche has on the body. A fundamental concept of the Evan's method, psycho-physical implies that all human experience' including emotional response, memory, and thoughts contain kinesthetic components.

Body movement is a direct outlet for the psyche, thus, through dance, the psycho-physical realm can be fully expressed and explored to stimulate insight and mobilize therapeutic change. "To experience psycho-physical unity is a basic need" (Evan, 1949, p. 54).

Mobilization

Mobilization refers to sequences of directives that are formulated to increase body awareness and broaden movement vocabulary through 'the exploration of the elements of dance; that is, rhythm, space, intensity, body, movement, and content. "A goal is to open up the client's body without taking away defenses. Moving, expanding, and discovering the body without pointing it to content" (Evan, 1978, personal communication). Three examples of mobilizations are: 

 

(1) a directive emphasizing body structure, such as exploring the range of movement of the spine;

 

(2) a directive expanding the use of dance elements, such as gradually varying tempo from very fast to very slow; and 

 

(3) a directive that encourages experimenting with new movement dynamics, such as to explore leaping, sliding, lunging, and exploding.

Improvisation

Improvisation refers to the Evan method of insight-oriented dance, characterized by free association in movement and guided by psychological, physical, or psycho-physical themes. "Improvisation is dependent on an over-all state of receptivity which is replaced with identification with your theme. At the point of action, it is the summation of your past and present. It is also the arbiter between reality and fantasy" (Evan, 1950, p. 80).  

 

Improvisation gives physical form to psychological experiences and Evan states: "Honest improvisation is a direct route to the unconscious" (Benov, 1991, p. 192). 

 

In this work, content-evoking themes are suggested by the therapist in response to a client's verbal and/or movement communications. Four examples of improvisation techniques, as defined by Evan, are: externalizing, enacting, physicalizing, and rehearsing.

 

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 5

 

 

IMPROVISATION TECHNIQUES 

Externalizing

In externalizing the client might "dance out" a dream, fantasy, or physical memory.

Enacting

In enacting, the client recreates a significant life experience, perhaps her assault, and while dancing, she may embellish the life enactment with movement derived from previously unexpressed feelings.

Physicalizing

Physicalizing involves putting into movement an idea, a memory, or a feeling that has been previously stored in a cognitive realm.

Rehearsing

Rehearsing involves an improvisation in which alternative responses are created and practiced in order to prepare for changes in behavior outside of the therapy session.

 

Question 6

 

3. In which way is improvisation important for the client's healing?

 

 

IV

 A Note to Remember

 

 Evan's objective was the integration of dance with therapy, so that it would become one.

 

 

 

 

 

V

 

Case Study

 

 

 

 (54:20 - 1:17:30)

Link:  https://youtu.be/oMkU9Q5DoPs?si=EESbd3ur0C0gc_Cz

 

 

VI

Activity

 

Students work in pairs. One plays the witness and the other the client.

Externalizing

Students write down a dream, fantasy of physical memory and then express it in movement or dance.

 

Enacting

Students write about a significant life experience and then recreate it in movement/dance.

Physicalizing

Students write about an idea, memory or a feeling previously store cognitively.

Rehearsing

Students write about the changes needed to creatively cope with a specific challenge. Then, they improvise alternative creative- responses in order to prepare for changes in behavior.

 

 

VII

 

Journaling

 

Students write a reflection on their experience with Evan's improvisation techniques. 

VIII

 

Glossary

IX

 

Student's Work

(Reference Celeste Pontgratz's work in word)

 

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Chisom Alumba

Self Ideal Reflection

Self-ideal is important because it shapes our development and also has to do with our superiority. We strive for superiority by seeking to actualize our self-ideal. Lifestyle is the individualized way we carry out our daily activities and it can enable or inhibit our self-ideal. Lifestyle should not be categorized as good or bad or normal or abnormal; it should be on a basis of if it creates an avenue for success. If it hinders your success, it can help to look at weak points in your lifestyle in order to improve those weak points. It can be in any area of your life e.g. physical health, work, etc. Objective inferiority is when you are inferior on the basis of facts e.g. if a majority of people are short and you are tall, you are objectively inferior. An objective inferiority only triggers feelings of inferiority if it is important to our striving after superiority. Feelings of inferiority can also arise from an absence of objective inferiority because some people can develop feelings of inferiority that are not based on reality; it's from a basis of perception. To deal with feelings of inferiority, you have to have good coping methods. The coping methods have to be healthy unless it will enable the feelings of inferiority. One coping behavior can be safeguarding behavior. This is by avoiding fixing the feeling of inferiority, for example giving excuses to avoid fixing the issue or procrastinating fixing the issue. This can lead to fear, anxiety, and if the person ends up withdrawing from the issue rather than fixing the issue, it leads to an inferiority complex.  Another is direct problem solving where you try to cope with the feelings of inferiority by enhancing your skills or carrying out things to deal with what is making you feel inferior. For example, if your inferiority is coming from being poor, you can get a job and start saving to become richer. Another way is compensation where you try to improve another thing in order to make up for what is making you feel inferior. For example, if your inferiority comes from being deaf, you can compensate by reading lips. One cannot grow or learn unless you are thrown out of your comfort zone

 

Hannah Scherer

Alfred Adler

I believe that I do have a self ideal. I think that I am here in order to help people. I think that the idea of superiority is very interesting. Many people I think over compensate for not having a self ideal, by trying to hold power over others. I think that the concept of life style is very interesting. I think I would describe my lifestyle as trying to prioritize my peace. There is no normal or abnormal, it is only conducive to success. Objective inferiority might trigger inferiority if it gets in the way of their self ideal. Safe guarding behavior and coping behaviors are very important. They protect our inner psyche but they can be toxic. Compensation is a coping mechanism in which we use something to compensate for a weakness. Safe guarding behaviors are in many forms. They are ways in which people deal with feelings of inferiority. Some may experience physical symptoms such as tiredness or anxiety. Courage is engaging in risk taking behaviors and going outside of your comfort zone. In order to learn and grow, you must go outside of your comfort zone.

 

 Ayca Erturk

RE: class notes

Self-ideal represents the idea of what we might be, the ideal type of person we want to become. 

Trying to compensate inferiority comes the superiority. We strive for superiority by seeking to actualize our self-ideal. 

Life style is composed by unarticulated rules of living we construct ourselves. May or may not be conducive to success. We cannot judge one’s life style as normal or abnormal, healthy or unhealthy. We need to observe it in action and see if it helps construct a successful healthy life. 

Objective inferiority is only affecting inferiority if we care about it and if it affects our self-ideal. How we react and adapt to inferiorities affect our psychology. Coping behaviors and safe guarding behaviors may help you survive but might not be healthy. In therapy you might need to leave these mechanisms behind and adopt new ones. Direct problem solving and compensation are two types of coping behaviors via which we try to make up for the inferiority. Many people turn to safeguarding behaviors instead. Convince oneself and others that obstacles out of one’s control affect one’s self to achieve their goals. These excuses and symptoms shortly lose effectiveness. 

Our self ideal should be conducive to a healthy life style. In this sense, perfectionism might not be sustainable. Deep inside you might feel like you are not good enough which pushes you to be “perfect”. Validation is important. Courageous attitude towards life should be adopted. Courage is not an ability one either possesses or lacks; it is the willingness to engage risk taking behavior regardless of the possible consequences. 

Misery of comfort zone!

 

RE: reading notes

Movement responses function. Psyche and body are interconnected. As we develop we begin to move and speak in a specific way. Emphasis on in depth analysis of feelings apart from the kinesthetic movement. The way you move can affect the way you feel and think. everything we do have kinesthetic components. 

Rhythm, space, intensity, body movement and content are the elements of dance. Mobilization refers to these sequence of directives. Improvisation is insight oriented dance, you are conscious of the internal rhythms. Functional technique is pure mechanics, focuses on how you move. Ethnic dance utilizes different cultures. 

Imagination and stream of consciousness are important for her method. 

Cassidy Halloran

class makeup 3/4

 

 

1. Psychodynamic therapy is how a person's unconscious mind can take over their body and allow them to open up. It can show a therapist what a client is feeling without the use of words. 

2. Self-creative goals can be facilitated by allowing patients to act as they feel comfortable and open up. 

3. Adler's idea on inferiority was based on how we see ourselves and how close we come to achieving our goals. Self ideal is how someone wants to be in life. Coping and safeguarding approach is used in the attempt to make others feel like obstacles that are out of their control are responsible for their lack of success.

4. The main purpose of evans method is to reeducate the body and influencing the connection between the psyche and body.

5. This method is most likely not ideal for someone with schizophrenia because many times the patient does not have a strong connection between the mind and body and this could cause them to become agitated or frustrated which is not the goal of therapy.

6. It is important for patients' healing because it is guided by the state of your mind and you can relax while doing it and just move without having to think about what comes next.

 

 

Sophie Wright

Submission 3/4

1. In my words, the Algerian Theory is the idea that people should feel valid in their individual ways and should not feel inadequate in comparison to others. 

2. Self-creative goals can be facilitated during a dance/movement therapy sessions by encouraging clients to express themselves with intentionality. It allows them to express their goals through movement.

3. Adler’s idea of inferiority complex was that people often feel inadequate towards others, feeling that others are better than themselves. The self-ideal is a perfect image of oneself that they strive towards. Coping and safe-guarding behaviors that help keep one’s self-esteem intact. 

4. The purpose of Evan’s method is to enable the client to express their potential for movement and expression. 

5. Based on our studies so far, in-depth-examination is likely not appropriate for patients with schizophrenia. The practice is very intense and emotional, which may not be healthy for someone with such an extreme and debilitating disorder. It can open the person up to very painful emotions and feelings.

6. Improvisation is important for a client’s healing because it allows them to express themselves in a free and in-the-moment way. 

 

Molly Brady

Makeup Submission

1) Alderian Theory = the belief that people should be and deserve to feel significant and validated

Psychodynamic Therapy = a practice that focuses on unconcious processes and thier influence on behavior

2) We are naturally driven to actualize our self-ideal. Movement is directed toward a goal. This can be facilitated by discussion and reflection within the session, feeling of satisfaction and progress within the program/practice, and group work.

3) Inferiority Complex = a state where the reliance on safe-guarding behaviors for too long causes completly withdrawing from the challenge and problems arise and others begin to see through them 

Self-Ideal = a higher-order goal, represents the ideal type of person you would like to become

Coping = the perception that when faced with inferiorities, they are challenges to be confronted. Direct problem-solving (problem-solving approach) and compensation (ways to makeup for our inferiority, excel in a manner to compensate for our deficit) are the two different types. 

Safe-Guarding = the perception that when faced with inferioroties, they are problems to be avoided. Used to convince one that the reason they failed was because of certain obstacles outside of their control stunted their progress. One type is distance seeking that entails procrastination.

4) The Evan approach focuses on bringing the client to their natural potential for expression and movement. 

5) I don't believe that in-depth examination would be the best approach for patients with schizophrenia. It may be too overwhelming and intense of a practice. I think in certain aspects or with the clients permission the practice could get closer to in-depth examination.

6) "Honest improvisation is a direct route to the unconscious." Improvisation is important because the movement created is the summation of your past and present and can help reveal themes in life and progress the solving of problems.

 

 

Emma Peterson

emma peterson

1. Alfred Adler, a pioneering psychologist, emphasized the significance of feelings of inferiority in shaping personality development, leading to the concept of the inferiority complex. His Adlerian theory focuses on validating individuals, fostering connections, and enhancing their sense of significance, diverging from Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic approach.

2. Self-creative goals in dance/movement therapy are facilitated by encouraging clients to express themselves through movement, improvisation, and creative exercises like storytelling or art-making, fostering self-expression and personal exploration.

3. Adler believed the inferiority complex is feeling inadequate compared to others. People develop a self-ideal, a perfect image they strive for to cope with these feelings. Safeguarding behaviors protect self-esteem from damage.

4. The main purpose of Evan's method is to restore the client's natural potential for expressive movement and re-educate the body to function optimally.

5. in-depth examination in therapy might not be the best approach for people with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that can make it hard for people to think clearly or tell what's real. Going deep into emotions and memories could be too much and make their symptoms worse. 

6. I think improvisation gives clients the opportunity to be creative and test their own limits. It allows the client to feel free spirited and build something for themselves.