Article

Danish Psychomotricity

By Ea Suzanne Akasha, president of DAP, and Lone Frimodt, vice- president of DAP, president of the European Forum of Psychomotoricity and the Danish delegate in OIPR - Organisation Internationale en Psychomotricité et Relaxation.

The road to recognition 1929 to 2002

The official road to recognition of psychomotor and relaxation therapy has been long and full of obstacles in Denmark as in other European countries.
From the profession began to develop from the 1920'ties until the bachelor-promulgation was signed in 2002 there has been many advances and set-backs.
Over the years three ministers of education have given promise of mouth and even once in writing, that now was the time for an official recognition of the education! But alas there were always some more details to talk over or a reform, and once even an election came in the way.

Not many are aware of the fact that Denmark has the oldest existing tradition in psychomotricity.
The profession was developed from the late 1920'ies and the first formal educations of three years duration was established in 1943.
Even earlier there existed a three year long training on an informal basis.

Two of the founders Gerda Alexander and Marussia Bergh, who also created schools, were internationally known. But despite this, there has been almost no European exchange and little knowledge of what happened abroad and vice versa. The language barrier may be partly to blame, since the first writings in psychomotricity other than Danish texts were in French, and few people got to know of these texts.

Not until by mere chance a psychomotor therapist 'discovered' French colleagues in 1994, did Denmark become a member of OIPR in 1995. Subsequently Denmark was founding member of European Forum of Psychomotricity.

It is important to note, that official recognition can be given by several public authorities and on different levels in Denmark.

One recognition concerns the formation. The training can be acknowledged in private institutions and the students may even receive public grants and loans. This status was obtained in 1982 and was given to seven schools of psychomotricity. In 1989 the official recognition was given by the Ministry of Education, who decided a frame for the private education including the division and the volume of the subjects.

The formation can also be a part of the public educational system, with a promulgation written in accord with the ministry of education. Tuition is then free of charge, the students may receive grants and loans, the studies are part of the entire educational system and after receiving their degree the students may pursue further education. This level of recognition was achieved in 2002.

Another recognition is given by public employers when they acknowledge the profession by signing agreement on working conditions and salary. This agreement was signed between the organisation DAP and the employers in 1997.

There does not in Denmark exist other kinds of official recognition of a profession except if a professional needs to have an authorisation in order to work. This is the case if the professional may damage the patient when exercising his profession, e.g. doctors and physiotherapists. Psychomotor therapists are not considered "dangerous" and do therefore not need an authorisation.

THE PROMULGATION

Today the intervention areas are defined as:

• Movement and relaxation
• Exercise
• Body consciousness and body experience
• Body therapy
• Treatment and rehabilitation
• Promotion of health and prevention
• Propagation and counselling

The scientific foundation of psychomotricity consists of science of movement , pedagogy, psychology, health and natural sciences.

DAP, the Danish Association of Psychomotor and Relaxation therapists was formed in 1978. In 1982 the students could get grants and loans from the state. In 1989 the Ministry of Education gave its official recognition of the private education by deciding a frame for the education including the division and volume of the subjects. In 1993 DAP became a member of a central organisation In 1995 DAP became a member of OIPR In 1996 DAP was a founding member of European Forum of Psychomotricity In 1996 DAP established a publishing house to promote the knowledge of psychomotricity and relaxation In 1997 the public employers signed agreement on salary with DAP In 1998 DAP became a member of the Cartel of Health Organisations In 2002 the promulgation was signed, the studies were made 3½ year long and two schools were made public institutions

Psychomotor and relaxation therapy in Denmark

Two of the founding figures have already been mentioned and Ingrid Prahm was the third. Later came others as Ruth Ryborg, Caroline Fredtoft and Grethe Jørgensen. All founders were powerful women who strongly believed in experience as a basis for training.

Gerda Alexander is today internationally known for her work with Eutony, but strangely enough hasn't had a strong impact on psychomotricity in Denmark. However she considered herself an 'afspændingspædagog' until she in 1976 coined the term eutony for her work. She had a back-ground in Dalcroze eurythmics and found that relaxation therapy achieved the desired results faster than other methods.

Marussia Bergh had made extensive studies with leading professionals in Germany, Latvia and Russia. She studied dance, muscle relaxation, massage, and also studied with Laban and finally with Stanislasky whose work she liked best.

Ingrid Prahm was a ballet dancer from the National Ballet and met bodily problems due to the hard physical training in ballet. She studied with the Horst Anderssen school in Germany and also developed her own methods from her own studies is the body-mind unity.

Alexander, Bergh and Prahm developed different methods and each formed a school but they kept a close collaboration developing the basic approach in manual treatment, which today is a specific approach in Danish psychomotoricty.

They made a tremendous effort to promote psychomotoricity and had many contacts with the psychiatric establishment, with institutions for mentally handicapped children, the Royal Theatre and National Orchestra etc.

They organised the First international Congress on Release of Tension and Re-education of Functional Movement i København i 1959, drawing many internationally noted persons such as M. Feldenkrais and Rosalie Chladek.

Early Psychomotricity and Relaxation

Modern life was destructive to humans. Tension in muscle, tendons and tissue was a result of conflict between emotions, actions and conditions of human life.

Relaxation, movement-exercises and manual treatment could re-establish the normal function of body and mind. When relaxation was obtained man would be able to function properly and to address the psychological conflicts that created tensions.

Gerda Alexander created the control positions, allowing the therapist to evaluate the function of muscles and joints. At the same time these positions could be used for relaxation purposes.

She also developed a specific technique called contact technique that she used with impressive results for rehabilitative purposes. She and Ingrid Prahm both used materials such as wooden hoops, chestnuts, tennis-balls, pebbles and bamboo sticks as object for concentrative exercises. In some exercises one assumes unusual positions, lying on an object and muscle and tissue relaxes and is stretched at the same time. These exercises would also help to establish a new body image, as the old tensions disappeared.

After the founding of the first schools new approaches from the health and pedagogical sector were added. Nurses and later on a kindergarten teacher were trained. A basic set of psychomotor exercises were refined, that still today is a specific Danish approach. Some schools also refined the movement therapy and combined movement classes with modern psychological approaches.

The theoretical orientation for the early work in relaxation therapy was neurologists and psychiatrists such as Jacobson, Fink and Schultz. For movement therapy the work of Delsartes, Dalcroze and Laban were important. The psychological orientation was developmental and analytical psychology and later psychiatrists as Wilhelm Reich, who lived in Denmark for a period of time, and Alexander Lowen must be mentioned. A strong foundation in anatomy, physiology and obstetrics has always been considered essential for psychomotricity in Denmark. It was very important to the founders, that the same curriculum in anatomy and physiology was taught as in schools of physiotherapy.

The education programme today

The education is a 31/2 year bachelor programme in relaxation and psychomotor therapy, and is offered by the Centre of Advanced Studies in Copenhagen and Randers. The English title is Bachelor in Relaxation and Psychomotor Therapy.

The education consists of 210 ECTS points distributed on theoretical and practical subjects, internship and the bachelor thesis.
Subjects on psychomotricity, relaxation and psychomotor therapy     108 ECTS-points
Subjects on pedagogy and psychology     36 ECTS-points
Subjects on natural science and health science     27 ECTS-points
Subjects on social science     9 ECTS-points

THE SUBJECTS ARE:
Psychomotor development, relaxation, manual therapy , theory and methodology, teaching groups, psychology, pedagogy, ergonomics, Ante-Natal exercise and obstetrics, somatic and psychiatric diseases, anatomy, physiology, social science and theory of science.

The distinctive feature of the education is that it is process oriented and that the entire personality of the student is involved. In other words, during the study the student develops personal competencies like body consciousness, empathy and the ability to relate

Specific methods in Danish Psychomotor and Relaxation therapy

After having given an overview of some of the methods lets take a closer look at some of them.

Manual treatment is a refined method where normal tonicity of muscles and the normal function of joints are restored. Hypo- and hypertone muscles are normalised and the verbal dialogue can be an integrated part of the treatment.
A full treatment will last from about 45 minutes up to an hour. Some psychomotor therapist will also use the basic psychomotor exercises and other therapists will use other methods to achieve and enhance body-consciousness.
The level of tension and the muscle tonus is connected to psychological processes and functioning. Some schools have done extensive work on relating muscle tonus to psychological content by linking tension in certain muscles with theories of development and physical function of the different muscles. The psycho-physical integrity of the client will be an important factor in how the treatment evolves. Other schools use a more client centred approach where the achievement of a well-functioning body is thought in developing a well-functioning psyche.

An approach that has been developed from the 1940'ies is antenatal and post natal courses for expecting mothers and families. The courses run for about ten weeks with weekly classes of two to three hours the expecting mothers prepare their body and psyche for the birth. One goal is to prepare the body so it will be strong and at the same able to relax when giving birth. The expecting mother and sometimes also father prepare mentally for the many and great changes that is about to happen when the child arrives into the family. After the delivery mothers and babies meet again to exchange the experience of giving birth, to work on the new body image and to discuss and exchange experiences in breastfeeding. The psychomotor therapists who lead these groups

Why did it take so long to become an established profesion

There have been many speculations as to why the profession after the initial success met so many obstacles and it took so long before the education was made public. Some argues that the development of pharmaceuticals that subsequently were used in the treatment of nervous tension in stead of a longer and more introspective psychomotor and relaxation treatment is to blame. Others focus more on the fact that the founders were working primarily outside the health sector as a possible explanation. Others again see the resistance from physiotherapists as an explanation and some think, that the strife between the private schools - for many years seven existed - is a major factor. Probably a combination of all factors can explain why it took so long for psychomotricity to be part of the official teaching curriculum.

Working fields

Today many psychomotor therapists are in public and private employ. They work in many sectors and contribute to society in many ways.

They are employed in:
Adult education associations
Day schools
Continuation schools
Municipal projects
Crisis centres
Counselling centres
Day-care centres
Day-care institutions
Support teacher- corps
Handicap institutions
Residential home for children and young persons
After-school arrangements
Instructors
Adult educator
Education consultant's organisations
Counselling organisations
Athletic associations for elderly people
Adult education associations
Social and health services departments
Psychiatry
District psychiatry
Activity centres
Treatment institutions
Support-contact corps
Ergonomic consultant organisations
Project manager organisations
Back schools
Fitness centres

The work of European Forum of Psychomotoricity and Organisation Internationale de Psychomotricité et Relaxation is very important for the Danish organisation.

We have benefited from the contact with colleagues in Europe and will benefit from exchange programmes such as Erasmus programmes and Master-programmes that are in the making.

We are proud of our profession that has so much to offer!