por Liane Zink

Flow of the Form and Postures of the Soul

Based in lecture of David Boadella made during 12º World-wide Congress of Psychosomatic Medicine University of Basileia, September 1993, adapted by Rubens Kignel for the commemorative Congress of Wilhelm Reich in São Paulo, 1997.

Introduction

The external form of the person reflects its internal disposal. This is the simply reality found in the heart of somatic psychology: Charles Darwin formulated it over a hundred years ago.

Some somatic therapies, as Rolfing, tries to rebuild the body straining it to a new format. The therapist works beside, re-sculpturing the anatomy in line with its vision of ideal body, lined up with the gravity, in a state of minimum unbalancing. Gymnastics and workout training offer series of exercises that the person can force its body to reach an appearance that express better the way it wants to be. In the classic ballet, the dancer can learn to stress its body in positions demanded by the choreographer: Its movement flow is restricted to those required in the script of the dance.

Some work or sport standards deform the body when repeated for a period of years, for example: the frozen elbow of a tennis player and the knee of the housewife, the cramp in the fingers of a writer or the bending figure of a rice farmer. An emotional anatomy is built in response to the different body aggression or to the character forming scripts. To be upright, be a man, give your best, does not cry, it is not worth, give it up, abandonment brings affection, if you show weakness, down on your knees, nobody will knock you down.

In contrast to these movements and positions conducted by the exterior world, there is a quite different relation to be considered when the movements come from the internal desire. These movements have to do with the spontaneity, trick, improvisation, creativity, and non-choreographed dancing or with the beauty of the athlete that is perfectly connected with its body as much as with the external challenge. It is present in the rhythm of the pleasant work, where the annoyance compulsion together with the work routine did not force the body to a restricted format.

Two nervous impulses standardize our movements: the first one originates in the cerebral cortex directing itself down, known as alpha nerve, that supplies the voluntary muscles with directed signals to do act. We can speak about the alpha system calling it as action system.

The second nervous impulse originates in the base of the brain directing itself down and it is known as gamma nerve: through cellular fibers it gives signals to the muscle to place itself in the appropriate tonus: we can call this second system as prompt system. The prompt system is intimately related to the mood and the intention.

Without compromising the voluntary action, our posture can communicate with our internal attitude and feeling in certain situation. We can disconnect the attitude from the movement tendency. In the attitude we see a quite motionless form, that reflects an inhibited movement. The shoulders are kept raised, the retracted pelvis is kept backwards, unable to swing. The head straight for a side can always avoid a whack.

On the other hand, in the movement tendency, we can see the beginning of a standardized action. The shoulders suggests a hint "to give of shoulders", the pelvis starts to flirt, the head moves forward like a speaker ready to open its mouth and announces its presence for a group of people.

The conditional movement overlaps the involuntary, spontaneous, in the same way that the conscientious mind overlaps the unconscious.

Working with movement impulses and allowing spontaneous changes of form are, consequently, a way to contact the unconscious without using the words as a first tool.

In Biosynthesis the therapist is interested in following and supporting spontaneous movements, inducing and allowing some part of the body to follow a certain direction, to where it is invited, not obligated, to follow. Thus, the therapist tries to say and listen to its state of promptitude, the gamma tone of the muscle. The therapist tries to connect with the soul of the muscle. The soul of the muscle is related anatomically to the muscular sheaf, which determines its state of internal tonus. The muscular sheaf receives fibers from the vegetative nervous system, which regulates the flow of the emotional energies in the body. Therefore, the muscular sheaf, anatomically, reflects directly the mood of a person.

When trying to formulate the models of flows of the form experienced in the postural somatic work of Biosynthesis, we develop the motors fields concept, which are described below. The concept is elaborated based on old concepts of tonus field and activity field, developed from corporal scheme research and sense-motor scheme concept of Piaget. Motor fields or affection-motor scheme. The German embryologist Erich Blechschmidt developed the embryo-dynamic field concept in order to describe the different fields of power that act in the embryonic tissue when the body is if forming during morphogenisis.

Blechschmidt described 8 of these power fields types. In the development process the main motor fields, alone or combined, are involved in all the evolution steps, from the free floatation inside the uterus, through the birth and breast-feeding, to the crawling, to stand up, to catch things and all the posterior abilities.

As a professional, I [in this text, "I" means David Boadellas] would like to say that, the same motor fields are necessary to rebalance our tonus whenever we are emotionally stressed: the body has a deep internal wisdom, knowing exactly how to undo its tensions. Moshe Feldenkreis, which was strongly influenced by the English teacher of movement, Mathias Alexander, called its method "functional integration". Although he has originally worked without accessing deep emotions, some of the ways that the Feldenkreis’s practitioner induces the movements are similar to the way that the Biosynthesis therapist works.

Feldenkreis strongly influenced Stanley Keleman, due to his teachings about the subtlety of reading and interpreting the light gestures and impulses of the promptly system in the muscle.

Eight of the motor fields are united in four groups of two. The ninth motor field is not grouped by the reasons that will be clarified later. When describing each field I will try to give an idea of its importance and synergetic development, its relation with the emotional expression, its extreme or insufficient emphasis in certain types of character conditioning and its effectiveness in the therapy work.

The Reflection Field

In the last stages of pregnancy, the fetus in the uterus moves gradually in a flexion field of the entire body. The fetal position resounds in states of regression and represents a desire to leave the world for a stage of safety, as the uterus. Many adults use it as their preferred position during sleep.

The flexion field in the legs may represent a projectionist defense of the abdomen. The flexion field of the hand is well known in the grasp reflex of the child, which is strong enough to stand all soon after the birth. The flexion field of the arms is a self-nutritive position, where the child nestles to itself or to a favorite toy in periods of loneliness or insecurity.

In the emotional expression the person may bend itself in a cozy position, like hugging itself, at times of cold or in the need of recover its energy instead of expending it.

Stanley Keleman calls this position "auto-recovery". It can also have a self-preservation or self-protection function, as in the judo fall position.

In situations of strong fear, the legs can be bent to the chest, the arms stretched to the chest and the belly wall firmly contracted in direction to the back, to the spine. I call this a fetal fear reflex, since, the first time this occurs it look like the fetus flexion, conscientious of the negative messages travelling through the umbilical cord.

The flexion of the head on the chest is, on one hand, the position of the Thinker of Rodin, on the other hand, it is frequently found in people in a state of desperation or depression.

When a person is identified through its character with depression or desperation or with strong fear of anxiety, this motor field frequently occurs. In this case the use of the field, by the therapist, will intensify the character tendency and, therefore, may help it to become conscientious. It may also help to relieve the person from the strain of its own flexion tendency, if the therapist " assumes the strain" in its place. However, when the person is denying the fear or prepared against the collapse or refusing to show its needs it may be predominantly avoided the flexion field will be contrary to the character tendency. It will be frequently the needs denial that is hidden behind the expressed attitude showed through the posture. Inducing the flexion may be a way to pull out the hidden fear or to collapsing.

The Extension Field

In the extension the body moves to the opposite direction of flexion. The spine is bent over backwards, the legs are stretched, the arms are extended and a little separated from the body, the head is raised, distant from chest.

After nine months in the uterus, the birth is the first great extension.

Some doctors or nurses have the habit to hold the newborn baby by the ankles, suspended upside down, a severe extension field established by whom assisted the delivery.

The first walking moves occur before the child is strong enough to stand up. The legs can only stretch in its own length, practicing the movements that will be used later for locomotion. Kicking is a type of extension, or the child moves itself with its arms in the space exploring what kind of world exists outside the uterus.

Therapists working with clients who are under enormous emotional pressure, but resistant to yield an anger expression, for example, can extend the spine in such way that it takes the position clinically known as "opistotonus". The pre-Freudians, in the days of Charcot, had observed its occurrence in hysterical manifestations. The body is supported only in the head and the ankles. It is an extreme way of supporting, but it also repeats the extensor arc of delivering. The breath may also be significantly hold.

If the breath is set free and the body is allowed to move in this position, than becomes a powerful way of expressing extremely powerful feelings of anger or stress. Alexander Lowen has developed in his work of Bio energetic the use of strong tolerated extension, but we are talking here about the spine natural flexion as a way to express its mobility and elasticity.

We can distinguish 3 different expressions for the motor fields of the arms:

• One of them I call stretching: that involves a strong extension in the space, meaning freedom and power. The action to yawn has some of these qualities and opening the mouth is a very good example of extension field, in which the body tries stretching reflex that deepens the breath.

• The second extension is found in reaching: here the person extends the arms for human contacts, in order to be hold or hugged. The emotional feeling is related with giving and receiving and is totally different from the sensation felt when stretching.

• We can recognize the third form of extension in the arms that I call opening. It is a delicate and sensitive exploration of space beyond the heart, in which the person gets in touch with fine rays in the arms and fingers becoming aware of the energetic field (called aura) extending it beyond the body.

To induce the extension field, the therapist may place its hand in the lumbar curve or in the curve of the neck, or hold the inferior side of the arms while they move away from the body, or encouraging enlargement and straining impulses which are natural stretching answers to leave any chronic flexion attitudes that may be present.

A woman dealing very early with fear and anger, since the first year of her life, developed an character expression that both herself and the others recognize as a "madona": quiet, kind, tolerant and rational. But she lived some difficulty of feeling confortable with her own body, dealing with strong feelings repressed since her early childhood. In a private therapeutic session, she started to stretch herself very strongly forward, but this behavior came with a powerful destructive feeling against her mother. The anger impulses were very frightening for her too and she started a strong flexion movement in the spine attempting to hold back and deny them. I knew she was ready to face and recover the power of her initial anger, what was the key to totally recover her vitality and to feel more confident with her body. Therefore I supported her in the extension and the whole anger power could come out. It is not necessary to say that this was a safe and integrated expression to the ego, that occurred when mature, and in the context of the in process therapeutic development and had nothing to do with acting.

The Traction Field

The traction field is found mainly in the arms. The reflex of grasping becomes traction when the child learns how to raise objects against the gravity and when trying to stand up grasping a chair or a table.

Also when holding a loved toy that somebody wants to take from its hand. The game called tug of war is purely field of traction.

We can distinguish passive and active traction field. In the passive form the person protect itself with its hands against other’s person yank. It is stretched by the other person’s yank. The traction then matches extension. Or it actively pulls the other person toward itself against resistance: in this case the traction match flexion.

The emotional feeling of active traction is: I want you, give it for me.

Grasping, holding firmly and keeping someone as it belongs to you, are key subjects. For a person who is greedy and manipulator in its own basic orientation concerning the world, the traction field is in the character. But for the person whose need to hold is not developed or denied, it is important to develop a contact with the need to pull.

When the traction field is therapeutically used, it has many effects: it is particularly important in situations of abandonment and collapse, when the person lost the contact with the power of its back as an axis support for the basic needs satisfaction. Some times it may be used in standing up position, between two people holding hands and supporting themselves back to back.

In some cases, the traction field experience in the arms conducted in a lying down position reactivates anxiety feelings and allows the holding and being held motor satisfaction. Once, a man in a therapy group has defined anxiety as "sadness without arms".

The Opposition Field

The opposition field is the opposite of the traction field. The last one is express by pulling and, pushing develops the first one.

The first field of opposition is associated with the head of the fetus in proportion to its pushing against the base of the pelvis, hitting it.

When the leg extension movements touch the resistant surface of the floor, the baby pushes them against the gravity trying to stand up. Before this, the baby lying facing down, pushes the floor away with his hands holding the head while explores the world in this position before he starts to crawl.

The opposition field, as the name suggests, has to do with the right to say no and the establishment of limits. It assumes the right to protect the private space of each one and to keep intruders and invaders away.

For the type of psychopathic raging person, which fear manipulation each moment, this behavior to push away, is highly developed. Each touch can seem an invasion that abruptly needs to be expelled. But for people who learned how to free its limits and to allow the invasion without protesting, it is essential to practice and to develop the opposition field. This includes people flooded by anxiety as well as people who had been suffocated by hyper protective mothers when still children.

Due to, what we call earth contact, be quite strong in this field, it is particularly a great help when working with psychotic or people in the limit, when they are fragile and need encouragement. Coordination with breathing standards is especially necessary, which will be described later in the ninth motor field.

The Rotation Field

The child normally rotates during the delivery. Special muscles, called "rotating", are placed along the length of the spine. The action to walk, with its alternating swing from the left to the right, is a type of rotational pulse. The legs are equipped with muscles for inversion and reversion, the arms equipped with muscles for lifting and opening, in both cases, for internal and external rotation.

Rotating movements explore the side spaces of the main embodyment axle. Children like to twirl and to move in circle. The bullfighter demonstrates the rotation ability while avoiding the bull. The Aikido practitioners use the rotational movement flow as the central point of its art, as well as in the capoeira.

The Canalization Field

While the rotation field leaves the central line of the body or a member, the canalization field is highly linear and focused. The action flows directly from the center of the body like the rim of a wheel. The child learns how to direct her movements, to look directly at you, to point in the direction of a toy or food that she desires. The canalization field is related to a purpose, the emotional quality of it is definitive and serious, compromised and guided to a purpose.

The therapist encourages the client to explore directed movements, which are incisive and highly focused. This can be as subtle as to ask something through a direct visual contact, instead of a distracted stare or as complete as the conditioned compromising behind a karate blow.

The Activation Field

Locomotion is traveling. Normally it involves arms and legs active movements as walking, swimming, running or jumping. The activation prepares the person to move to some place with a certain speed.

The fetus practices swimming movements inside the uterus and may swim already even before crawling or standing up. Once the child has controlled the art of crawling, she becomes intensively active. Before, she practices activity standards in the fast kicking of the legs and in the arms shaking.

In the activation field, the vitalization is the key-subject. The lives of some people are intensively hyper active: the rest is a torture for them. For these kind of people the activation is in the character: they are always on the way and they do not know when to stop.

People with more depressive tendency sit down inert for hours and they are not able to begin anything. Its metabolism is low at this moment, speed is an attribute far from reality. For these people, to mobilize the activation field may be the key to free itself of the domain of a depression.

Another strong activation field involves the reflex of jumping, dancing, running and fighting.

It is possible to help a person to find out, not a mechanical jump, but a rhythmic organic jumping, which is almost always associated with a strong joy and requires breath coordination with flexion and extension of the knee joints.

Thus, the depressed person is someone that not only lost contact with the hope, but also lost the feeling to jump in its legs, knees and ankles.

The Absorption Field

The child remains quiet absorbed by the movements of a leaf flying in the wind, or she rests in the breast in a semi-trance state. She is guided to receive impressions, to immobilize its external activity and to maximize its internal perception.

For some people, to rest and to absorb became a secondary style of life that is used to replace the activity and the initiative.

However, for a hyper active person, the opposite is true: she is anxious about that, so she can rest in order to absorb, to diminish the rhythm. The absorption field is the least dramatic of all fields. Somebody asks a person to just not do anything, to allow, to not taking it too serious, instead of being the center of the “do”.

The Pulse Field

Dynamic Polarities

Flexion ------- Extension

Traction ------- Opposition

Rotation ------- Canalization

Activation ------ Absorption

The heart of the fetus starts to beat 21 days after the conception. The body has many pulses. A key-pulse related to the emotional is the rhythm of the breath that initiates immediately after the delivery. The circumstances occurred during the delivery have a powerful influence in our breath habits. The inspiration starts during delivery, as the expiration finishes in the death.

There is a relation between the breath pulse and each one of the preceding pairs of motor fields, particularly with the first four. If the flexion and extension movements alternate, opening and closing in any joint of the body, synchronizing with the breath rhythm, we will have a coordination process. This one is visible in micro movements of the spine that happen in the relaxed breath. If the person is tense or lazy, this coordination may be interrupted.

If the therapist encourages or induces a rhythm to open and to close the legs or arms, for example, synchronizing with the breath, there are two ways to create this coordination: we call this containment and relief action.

In the containment action we move ourselves out, breathe in, stretching arms and legs during breathing in. In the relief action we move ourselves out and breathe out, stretching the limbs. The first one establishes limits and has charge: it is useful in fear or weakness conditions. The second standard is useful in tension or blockage conditions: it helps to open emotional spaces, emotional expressions and charge.

Conclusion

The motor fields works with the soul of the muscle. They express standards of latent intention. They establish the basic rock of motor-affection scheme that is so basic in the evolution. They combine motion with breath and motion with feeling and may be used to build a new embodyment image reflecting the potentiality of adaptable reply to the environment stress and to experience the joy of living. They are the heart of our not verbal communication, our semantics of addition system, which we may neglect when in danger, considering that they are approximately 80% of our signals in all the face-to-face relations.