Movement & Voice

DOWNLOAD ABSTRACT

Rachel Porter

Day 1 in detail

Remembering to Forget: finding our way back to the pre-verbal to liberate us with non-linguistic client groups

Day 4 abstracts

Is it possible for any form of arts therapy to align itself to the needs of people with profound communication difficulties e.g. profound Autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, or pre and post verbal groups. Where is the art form if the client communicates pre-symbolically? What must we forget in order to find our way back to our pre-verbal synchrony?
Can we look to the most radical art practices that embrace more abstract approaches and multimodal forms for inspiration? Can experimenting with these themes as core processes in arts therapies illuminate and enhance the relational dimensions with all client groups?

By utilising concepts around ‘Attunement', D. Stern* and ‘Communicative Musicality', C. Trevrathen* we will explore the possibilities of the creative therapeutic process held within our bodies, our gestures and our spacial relational dynamics as the primary tools. Therapists from all art forms are welcome as we will discuss and experiment artistically with ways that each of our different practices can yield to the needs of pre-verbal groups or pre-verbal domains of our work.
Please bring any musical instruments/art materials that you wish to experiment with.

*Stern, D, N. 1985. The Interpersonal World of the Infant. New York: Basic books, Inc. Publishers.
*Trevarthen, C. & Malloch, S. 2009. Communcative Musicality. New York: Oxford University Press.

Biography

Rachel has worked as a Drama and Movement therapist in London with a special focus upon pre-linguistic communication. She teaches on the MA Drama and Movement therapy training at the Royal Central school of Speech and Drama as well at the Agape Dance Movement Therapy program in Belgium and other institutions. Rachel facilitates workshops, consults and gives supervision about attunement and pre-verbal communication in creative processes and the pre/post-verbal therapeutic relationship with her own method called ‘Attunement Process’ through her company ATTUNE, https://attunementprocess.co.uk.