Is Authentic Movement a contemplative practice?

"Authentic Movement" originated from Mary Whitehouse, a dance movement therapy pioneer in the 1950s, who taught about "moving" and "being moved." Here is an article with case studies - "Authentic Movement: A dance with the divine" by Dr Tina Stromsted - which I recommend especially to past participants and sacred dance enthusiasts: https://www.authenticmovement-bodysoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/StromstedAMSacred.pdf

The Zoom experientials I have been conducting however are "not in person" which is the traditional setting for dance movement therapy work. Can virtual online space work? Many practitioners are still skeptical but I recall one of my participants blurting out, "It bloody works!" Who would have thought this is possible? I have seen phenomenal transformation during one-on-one sessions even from the very first Zoom session and my group sessions are starting to take on group therapy structure. I believe it works because as trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk notices, using spatial temporal explorations reap tremendous results probably owing to the brain shifting to right-brain mode, which aids information flow from the body to the brain.

But is Authentic Movement the equivalent of a contemplative practice? The word 'contemplative' itself is controversial for it depends on interpretation. A conservative Catholic view is no one can lay claim to being 'contemplative' as contemplation is 'a pure grace from God' and cannot be learnt or taught. Yet another Catholic school of thought encourages one to become 'an active contemplative' in the world. When it comes to movement as a spiritual practice (differentiated from expressive devotional choreographed worship dances), most of the time, one tends to hover between mindfulness-in-motion to conscious exploratory awareness in free-flowing movement. However, if Authentic Movement turns up as a surprise when least expected, one simply cannot deny the feeling of literally "being moved." The first time it happened, I freaked out. Who's moving my body? But who else could be moving my body except me? Yet, is it me, or is it Spirit and what guidance or gift It brings? Ah, my disconnected body!

Over time, I learn to accept the grace of body wisdom and its teachings. If I judge by the fruits of the experience, this body-mind connection is a helpful gift. It's another way of knowing. If contemplation cannot be taught, one can be prepared to receive.

In closing, let us give room to each other's interpretations, as long as the subjective experience is beneficial to the individual and if need be, communicated clearly.