F.A.Q.

So, what is this work based upon?

In my work as a practitioner for body awareness I use different tools, methods and exercises I learned and encountered throughout the last 20 years.

What I do is NOT a therapy, but lessons in body awareness.
I am not your therapist, but your practitioner and coach.
You are not my patient, but my client.
As equal partners we together find out how you can increase the quality of your life.

I show you some doors, but you have to walk through it.

The main principles and concepts are derived from my 3 years study of the Grinberg Method.
Furthermore I combine and enhance it with principles I learned from TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises).

My experiences as a professional dancer, performer  and as teacher contribute to my knowledge.
Specifically my classes to professional  film-actors as a teacher in body-awareness and physical-emotional acting influenced and enriched the quality of my work.
Many more workshops and activities (like Tai Chi, acrobatics, climbing, Passive Relaxation, Contact impro, Improvisation and others) gave me a diverse and rich scale of tools and possibilities, to match your specific needs.

During a session we work with your whole body with the use of breath and touch, the training of attention, movement exercises and description tools.
Most of the work is done with the client laying on a massage table, but also standing, sitting and other positions are used.

What is the Grinberg method?

The Grinberg method (GM) is a bodywork method founded by Avi Grinberg, at the end of the 1980’s.
He made his personal mixture of different influences and elements taken from many different methods, therapies and alike. Some of them are foot-reflexology, Gestalt-therapy, Martial Arts, bio-energetics, but there are many more. For more specific information about the GM look at the official website www.grinbergmethod.com or contact a licensed teacher or trainer.

Please note:
I did the three years of study of the Grinberg method. I finished my final Training-program and some supervisions. However, I decided to NOT do my final supervision, due to my disagreement to certain developments within the organization.

Therefore, I am NOT a qualified practitioner of the Grinberg method.
I am also NOT a member of any professional GM association.

In case you look specifically for such a person (a qualified practitioner being a member of a professional GM organization) I advise you to contact the Grinbergmethod.com. They will refer you to such a person (if present in your neighborhood). Alternatively, I am happy to show your my way of working.

What is TRE?

TRE stands for Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises. It is founded by Dr. David Berceli.

TRE is a simple technique that uses exercises to release stress or tension from the body that accumulate from every day circumstances of life, from difficult situations, immediate or prolonged stressful situations, or traumatic life experiences (i.e., natural disasters, social or domestic violence).

TRE is a set of exercises that help to release deep tension from the body by evoking a self-controlled muscular shaking process in the body called neurogenic muscle tremors. The uniqueness of this technique is that this shaking originates deep in the core of the body of the psoas muscles. These gentle tremors reverberate outwards along the spine releasing tension from the sacrum to the cranium.

The exercises are a simple form of stretching and are used to gently trigger these voluntary muscle tremors.

For more specific information and further activities look at http://traumaprevention.com/.

Is this work a substitution for medical treatment, or alternative medicine?

This bodywork  is no substitution for medical treatments, for acute or life-threatening sicknesses or conditions.
It is no alternative medicine, either. In the sessions you learn more body awareness and -control, therefore increasing life quality and activating self-healing processes in the body. You don’t get “fixed” by me, you learn tools for self-use. As such, it can be used as a complement to treatment, it helps to master chronic conditions or can be used as a prevention tool.

In which cases is this work effective?

This bodywork  is very effective on disturbing conditions of physical, emotional or mental nature, which are created by repeated behaviors, or by movement or perception patterns. Chronic symptoms like back pain, migraine, stress, tiredness, reduced vitality, insomnia, lack of concentration can be positively influenced and permanently improved.

Also the rehabilitation after accidents, operations, sicknesses and traumas can be accelerated.

Furthermore, it is an effective tool for changing emotional and mental patterns like constant “noise” in the head, anxiety, excessive shyness, fear of failing, fear to express certain emotions, etc.

Is there any scientific base to this work?

None of my bodywork training is in any way academic (except my training for being a professional dancer).
That being said, it uses principles which are proven by different scientific research.
Recent insights in the fields of psychophysiology and neurology shows a clear interaction between body states and emotions.

The research proved connection between our health and our behaviors/habits as well as a bodily imprinting of personal experiences. Furthermore, it proved the intrinsic human capability for improving and auto-curing body-conditions.

Are there any contra-indications?

Yes, there are a couple of contra-indications to the work, for example certain acute or life-threatening conditions.
I will give you a questionnaire during the initial session, and clarify and adapt my work accordingly. Occasionally, a check-up with a doctor or specialist might be required before continuing.
Moreover, the client is asked to report any changes in his health.
In rare cases, I might decide to interrupt or discontinue the process, in order to not run any risk for the client’s wellbeing.

Are there any similarities with other therapies and methods?

As described above I use different tools and techniques learned in more than 20 years of experiences. Similarities might be found with many other forms of bodyworks. Beyond the already mentioned methods clients recognized similar elements and principles from things such as Yoga, Haptonomy, Feldenkrais, Alexander-technique, bio-energetics and others.
All of them share the aim of an increased body awareness, and control of body functions and -movements, and the result of an improved overall life quality through bodywork.
I keep learning and integrating more and other tools from different backgrounds in order to become more efficient, more varied and more to the point of my client’s needs.

Is this bodywork an esoteric method?

No.

The used tools are entirely based on capabilities of our body, like muscular control, relaxation, use of breath, perception of body sensations etc. However, we live in a culture where we tend to treat the body as a kind of machine, to be sent to a doctor or specialist to fix in case of malfunction. Something independent from our behavior and lifestyle, and beyond our personal control and responsibility. As a consequence many of us – when asked to pay attention to their own body, its sensations and functions – initially distrust that as unscientific and might call it esoteric. Another common belief is that we need only “understand” our problems in order to solve them, rather than having and using the tools to change them. Experiencing and exploring are often considered subjective and unscientific.

Is it a massage?

Touching the body is an essential part of a session.
Learning to relax, letting go of tensions and enjoying the body are some of the aims within a process, and in this aspect you might be reminded of a massage.
However, within this work touch is used for much more than that – as a tool for paying attention, for initiating changes in the body, triggering the physical memory, experiencing other body states and more.

How long does a learning process last?

The length of the process can’t be determined beforehand. It depends on the severity and history of the condition/pattern as well as on the willingness of the client to learn and to change, and his personal aims. As I said above, I only show doors, the client has to decide whether he wants to use them.

Compare it with learning other physical activities. You can learn the basics of let’s say tennis or snowboarding in a couple of lessons. The more lessons you take with a trainer, the faster you will advance. The more you practice and apply yourself, the faster you will advance as well.

A process can last from a couple of sessions to years. However, a change should be noticeable already within the first sessions.  Mostly, the clients themself determine whether they have achieved the aims, and when to conclude the process. On the other hand, there is no end to learning, so you might decide to go further than you at first intended.

Does the health insurance refund sessions?

To my knowledge currently no health insurance company in the Netherlands refunds it. I advise to inform at your own insurance, for possible refunding. Since I am teaching lessons in body awareness, certain professions are likely to be able to deduct it from their taxes. (like actors, dancers, sportsmen etc). Inform with your tax advisor.

I am curious, but still skeptic. Where can I get more information?

The best way is to contact me and make an appointment. I recommend you to undergo the physical experience. We can talk hours about how an apple tastes, but the  easiest way is just to bite into an apple and find out yourself. After that it is more easy to decide whether this work is for you.