AUTOMATIC translation - For original version look here: GERMAN

The Origin of the Programme

The ABSR therapy concept is referred to as the ABSR programme (Activity-based Stress Reduction), inspired by the well-known mindfulness-based MBSR programmes (Mindfulness-based Stress Release).

• MBSR stress management programmes are based on Buddhist meditation practices and values, with the body scan as their core focus.
• In ABSR stress management programmes, the emphasis is placed on engaging with, exploring, and playfully transforming everyday activities. Eurythmy assumes the role of meditation in action.

Both programmes share the same spiritual foundation and can be considered as siblings.

The Elements of the Programme

In the lecture "Nervousness and I-ness", various forms of nervousness are attributed to the weakening of life forces by contemporary cultural habits and by pursuing activities without genuine interest. (Rudolf Steiner 1912)

The seven fundamental stress factors

1. Compulsive thoughts and mental loops
2. Compulsions to act and fear of acting
3. Dependencies and somatic complaints
4. Hyperactivity and loss of control
5. Self-doubt and excessive worry
6. Startle responses and anxiousness
7. Forgetfulness and distraction

This is followed, so to speak as a remedy, by seven exercises for everyday life:

1. consciously misplacing objects,
2. consciously altering writing habits,
3. thinking events or stories backwards,
4. observing one’s own gestures and doing some things deliberately differently (e.g.
   using the left hand),
5. denying or suppressing small desires,
6. weighing up the pros and cons of an issue for oneself,
7. refraining from judgment, especially in matters where one is personally involved.

It should be noted that the order of the seven remedies corresponds inversely to the seven stress factors and runs counter to the eightfold path.

ABSR, MBSR and the Eightfold Path

There is a surprising correlation between the principles of the eightfold path, which can be regarded as the core qualities of mindfulness, and the forms of nervousness described by Rudolf Steiner in his lecture "Overcoming Nervousness":

1. Saturday: concepts, the right opinion (Saturn).
   Being unable to firmly hold a thought and to truly follow its consequences.
2. Sunday: decision-making, the right judgment (Sun).
   Inability to make decisions
3. Monday: speech, the right word (Moon).
   Illnesses that sometimes deceptively mimic organic diseases.
4. Tuesday: external actions, the right deed (Mars).
   Nervousness in public life.
5. Wednesday: the structuring of life, the right standpoint (Mercury).
   A minimal bond of interest connects [...] the human soul core with what people absorb and learn.
6. Thursday: human striving, letting all previous exercises become a habit (Jupiter).
   A weak connection [...] between the human soul core and what one does.
7. Friday: learning from life, the right memory (Venus).
   Slight [frequent] forgetfulness.

The eighth exercise of the eightfold path, "right contemplation", can be found at the beginning and end of the lecture as well as in some side remarks, where the significance of the aspects of being (physical body, etheric body, astral body, and ego) for human life and for the exercises against nervousness is described.

Eurythmy as a Key Component of ABSR Courses

In his essay "The Education of the Child from the Perspective of Spiritual Science", Steiner emphasised that physical movement is an important educational tool when a young person feels within: "I sense growing strength in me". This gave rise to the impulse to connect eurythmy with the ABSR exercises for nervousness.

Experience from many ABSR seminars has shown that, in dealing with anxiety, nervousness, and depressive moods, not only disturbing thought patterns, as with Buddhist methods, are overcome. Additionally, new attitudes and new impulses for action in everyday life arise.

The 7x7 Layers of Every Decision Chain

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that these simple, small tasks are essential components of any self-determined decision and action chain. Therefore, even if only one topic is practised each week, all are contained within every exercise.

1. Not forgetting what one has set out to do.
2. Carrying it out as planned, but not in a perfectionist way.
3. Not only acting but also perceiving what it means for me.
4. Not falling into habits, but checking if what I do suits me.
5. Consciously giving up something else that cannot be done during this time
6. Deciding when and how to do the task and being able to deal with resistance constructively.
7. Being satisfied with how it turned out and bringing good energy into the action.

If one link in a chain fails, it becomes difficult for the whole. The ABSR everyday exercises are chosen in such a way that each exercise contains every element, thereby working on each link of the chain seven times from different perspectives.

Compiled by Ilse Hönig 2023