The Physiology of Eurythmy Therapy

Eurythmy is a modern art of movement, and eurythmists work in the realms of art, healing and education. The benefits as a healing social art, for both children and adults, are well known.

Rudolf Steiner gave a course on eurythmy therapy in which he described the process of 're-enlivening the whole physiology'. The authors of this book have researched eurythmy therapy for many years and this book is a comprehensive overview of their work.

1. Introduction
2. The Processes of the Etheric Body Between the Upper and Lower Human Being
3. The Polar Effects of Consonants and Vowels 25
3.1 Characterization of the polar effects in the Eurythmy Therapy Course
3.2 Summary
3.3 Further characterization giving the opposite point of view
3.4 Description of the polar effects in subsequent literature
3.5 Attempts to resolve the contradiction
4. The Three Elements of Eurythmy
4.1 Rudolf Steiner's first description of movement, feeling and character
4.1.1 Perception of movement, feeling and character
4.1.2 Synaesthetic perceptions of movement, feeling and character
4.1.3 Summary
4.2 Movement, feeling and character in the Eurythmy Therapy Course
4.3 Other descriptions of movement, feeling and character
5. Eurythmy Therapy and Other Movement Therapies
5.1 Physiotherapy (therapeutic gymnastics)
5.2 Dance therapy
5.3 Eurythmy therapy between physiotherapy and dance therapy
6. The Consonants
6.1 A classification of consonants
6.2 A classification of eurythmy therapy indications for the consonants
6.2.1 Indications for the palate sounds
6.2.2 Indications for the teeth sounds
6.2.3 Indications for the lip sounds
6.2.4 Indications for the middle sounds
6.3 Summary
6.4 The work of blown and impact sounds in the organism
7. The Vowels
7.1 Rudolf Steiner's classifications of the vowels
7.2 The relation of speech and eurythmy to the vowels
7.3 A suggested classification of eurythmy therapy indications for the vowels
7.3.1 The I and U exercises
7.3.2 The O and E exercises
7.3.3 The A exercise
7.3.4 The Au and Ei exercises
7.4 Summary
8. Vowels and the Upper Human Being; Consonants and the Lower Human Being
8.1 Sounds influencing movements
8.2 Sounds acting on the formation of substances with a specialized function
8.3 Sounds of transformation and individualization of substances
8.4 Sounds for organ-specific substance creation, the diphthongs Au and Ei
9. The Soul Exercises
9.1 Exercises with polar feelings
9.1.1 Forming judgments through thinking: affirming -- negating
9.1.2 Agreement through the will: sympathy -- antipathy
9.2 Polar feeling exercises and vowel exercises
9.2.1 Love -- E
9.2.2 Hope -- U
9.3 Laughter -- H-A, Veneration -- A-H
10. Transforming Eurythmy into Eurythmy Therapy
10.1 The connection between moving and speaking or listening
10.2 The sequence of the eurythmy therapy exercises
10.2.1 The sequence of the vowel exercises
10.2.2 The swiftness of the consonant exercises
10.2.3 The sequence of the consonant exercises
10.3 The four steps of transformation from eurythmy to eurythmy therapy
10.3.1 Arms and legs
10.3.2 Rapid repetition
10.3.3 Practising and fatigue
10.3.4 Alertness during the movement
10.3.5 Summary
10.4 Processes of the day and the night to be activated in the ether body
10.5 Transformation of movement, feeling and character into eurythmy therapy
10.5.1 Transformation of the movement element
10.5.2 Transformation of the feeling element
10.5.3 Transformation of the character element
10.5.4 In which sequence are the elements experienced?
10.5.5 Summary
11. Harmonizing Speaking and Moving
11.1 When does the therapist speak and when does the patient move?
11.2 The danger of speaking while demonstrating eurythmy
12. The of Spatial Relationships
12.1 The direction of eurythmy therapeutic movement
12.2 The location of movement and of the effect
12.2.1 Migraine -- B
12.2.2 Irregularities in the abdomen -- M
12.2.3 Ordering the rhythm of breathing and circulation -- R
13. Embryological Formative Gestures and their Reflection in Eurythmy Therapy
13.1 The spiritual forces of becoming
13.1.1 The formative forces
13.1.2 The secreting forces
13.1.3 The anchoring or consolidation forces
13.2 The transformation of the forces of becoming into living processes
13.3 The three forces as capacities of soul
13.4 Metamorphosis of the three forces into spiritual capacities
13.5 The three forces and the organism in eurythmy therapy
14. Examples of Therapeutic Words
14.1 The cancer sequence O-E-M-L-Ei-B-D
14.2 Chronic constipation, meteorism L-T / D-R
14.3 A child with hemiplegia S-M-A / L-M-Y / T-M-U
14.4 Teething problems in the upper jaw L-A and in the lower jaw L-O
14.5 Motor restlessness -- fidgeting L-U-O-K-M 131
14.6 Dementia R-L-S-I
14.7 Disorder of the liver and intestine, dysphylaxia, cold feet L I -- M A -- R U
14.8 Hypothyroidism S-M-I-A
14.9 Hay fever T-S-R-M-A
14.10 Conclusion
15. Future Tasks of Physicians and Eurythmy Therapists
15.1 Movement diagnosis by the eurythmist
15.2 Questions from the eurythmy therapist to the physician
15.2.1 Questions about the diagnosis
15.2.2 The patient's life circumstances and mental state
15.3 Questions from the physician to the eurythmy therapist
16. Outline of a Physiology of Eurythmy Therapy
17. Epilogue

'This study furthers the relevance and accessibility of eurythy therapy, initially by developing means of describing what the therapeutic tools are and how they work. Therapists and doctors need a common language in which to discuss etheric processes and here we find concrete suggestions of how to structure it. The beauty of the suggestions is that they can be tried out ... It is certainly a weighty contribution. It invites scrutiny and will be a stimulating, enriching study for all anthroposophical health professionals curious about etheric dynamics. It is to be highly recommended for eurythmy therapists and doctors in particular.'
-- Ingrid Hermansen, Eurythmy Association Newsletter, Summer 2010