An Introduction to the ABSR Practice by Theodor Hundhammer

Published in Merkurstab 6/2024. For internal use only. Must not be copied or distributed.
AUTOMATIC translation - For original version look here: GERMAN

Summary

Following the theoretical introductions in the first part of the article, new perspectives for the treatment of anxiety, stress, and trauma through activity-based or anthroposophic-based stress reduction (ABSR) in both in-person and online courses are presented. The focus, alongside the exercises from the lecture "Nervousness and the Ego" by Rudolf Steiner, is on therapeutic eurythmy exercises. Further perspectives on efficacy research are also mentioned.

1. Development of the ABSR Programme to Date

The activity-based stress management programme (ABSR) was first trialled in 2012 by a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, a doctor of psychosomatic medicine, and a therapeutic eurythmist. In the course materials for the weekly in-person group sessions (1), which are based on the lecture Nervousness and Egohood by Rudolf Steiner (2), each practice period includes an introduction to the week's theme with human development descriptions of the essential members. Following this are the associated "forms of nervousness," an introduction to the homework, and a description of the eurythmy exercises. A tabular exercise diary for recording the daily exercises concludes the chapter. The themes are based on the elements of the eightfold path, as transmitted in the "Exercises for the Days of the Week" (3, pp. 86–73) by Rudolf Steiner. It became evident that the theme of 'criticism avoidance' as a starting point for the nervousness exercises was not well-suited. Rather, reversing the order as suggested in the "Nervousness Lecture" proved more effective. This focused on memory and the so-called 'misplacing exercise', particularly for subsequent group cycles.

The eurythmy exercises are based on courses given by Rudolf Steiner for eurythmy and therapeutic eurythmy. Notably, exercises related to the themes from the 5th lecture of the therapeutic eurythmy course were included. The therapy programme is offered with a weekly group session over an 8-week period. Participants are encouraged to practice the newly learned elements on the other days as much as possible.

The idea of conducting group courses stemmed from the therapeutic experience that it is often unfamiliar for patients and initially difficult for them to practice the exercises independently. After deciding to practice, they often need support through follow-ups or by trying the exercises together. This led to the idea of working through the exercises in a group and sharing experiences of practice.

1.1 Concept of the "Anthroposophic Mindfulness Course"

The structure of the group programme is modelled on the concepts of "Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)" (4) by Jon Kabat-Zinn and, from a psychological perspective, "Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)" for depression (5). Both concepts were developed and tested for stress management through mindfulness. For an "Anthroposophic Mindfulness Course," instead of body meditations and yoga exercises, eurythmy or therapeutic eurythmy elements could be used. This idea was first published in the article Self-Education and the Eightfold Path (6, pp. 217–245).

In recent years, the "Anthroposophic Mindfulness Course" has been trialled in collaboration with therapeutic eurythmist Theodor Hundhammer in seven groups with 6 to 10 participants in the practice. Each group session began with an introduction followed by a review of the previous week's practice, where most participants shared their individual experiences. The exchange about personal practice was additionally motivating and also provided relief from personal expectations of the exercises. The therapeutic eurythmy exercises were experienced as empowering and effective. The exercises from Nervousness and Egohood (2) brought about moments of self-awareness, leading to stimulating discussions within the group. Participants practised the exercises with varying intensity and adapted them to their personal needs and abilities. Some were able to apply elements of the exercises directly in everyday life. Even for those participants who did not manage to consistently practice the exercises, a sense of ease in daily situations was still observed.

As mentioned in the article "Activity-Based Stress Reduction for Anxiety and Stress Disorders – A Theoretical Introduction" (7), the authors Theodor Hundhammer and Harald Haas gained practical experience through group courses in both in-person and online formats. The course results confirmed that when dealing with anxiety, nervousness, and depressive moods, not only can disruptive thought experiences (as with Buddhist methods) be overcome, but new internal perspectives (attitudes toward world perception) and impulses for daily life can also be developed. The descriptions provided on the corresponding website (8) can only offer hints at the potential of the outlined training. Only personal practice, as is the case with any exercise path, can provide concrete confirmation.

The anthroposophic therapeutic approach focuses on a detailed view of the human, soul, and physical developmental facts. Various exercise elements form the foundation of this anthroposophic therapy, encompassing body-oriented and medicinal approaches as well as artistic therapies. These include art therapy, music therapy, therapeutic speech formation, therapeutic eurythmy, as well as psychotherapeutic and spiritual treatment methods.

1.2 Course Programme

The overview of the course programme (Tab. 1) shows that additional topics have been included. These include the so-called four essential members: physical body, etheric body, astral body, and the ego. Also included are the soul moods of compassion, conscience, and wonder, which have already been derived as salutogenic elements. The "nervousness exercises" also include additions stemming from the respective themes. Newly developed was the assignment of the (therapeutic) eurythmy exercises, which became more concrete throughout the group sessions, as outlined in Tab. 1. The overview also shows the psychological symptoms that the respective exercises can address. This also enables a symptom-oriented selection in individual applications.

Tab. 1: Overview of the ABSR Programme in Sequence from 2013

2. Eurythmy as an Essential Component of the ABSR Courses

2.1 Education, Self-Education, and Gymnastics

As early as in the essay “Education of the Child”, Rudolf Steiner emphasised that physical movement is an important tool in pedagogy: “Gymnastics, for example, must be designed in such a way that with every movement, with every step, the young person inwardly feels: I feel growing strength within me.” (9, p. 341)

Steiner confirmed this in a public lecture on self-education (10, pp. 416–447): “When a person engages in physical exercises or gymnastics, where they must move their muscles without having to think or strain their intellect, but instead simply engage in the physical activity, then we are dealing with a form of self-education through play.” (10, p. 430)

This led to the idea of connecting eurythmy with the “nervousness exercises”. From the days of the week with their planetary associations, it became possible to assign planetary processes to different forms of nervousness and to align the corresponding vowels with the planetary gestures from eurythmy.

2.2 Connection Between ABSR Exercises and Eurythmy

The selection of eurythmy exercises is based on Rudolf Steiner’s assignment of the eightfold path exercises to the days of the week. The nervousness exercises (Fig. 1) are practical applications in reverse order. The exercise series begins with misplacing objects and eurythmy exercises related to the vowel A and ends with refraining from criticism and exercises related to the vowel U. Additionally, the vowel gesture of the corresponding module is practised in various ways, and a “soul exercise” related to this vowel is included. The hypothesis was that Steiner’s proposed assignments were appropriate and formed a cohesive framework, allowing for a composition of daily and movement exercises that support each other, enhance the reception, and deepen and solidify the effectiveness of the exercises.

In the first week, with the deliberate misplacing of objects, the task is to place an object in an unfamiliar location, make a mental image of its surroundings, and then calmly let go. Only when needed should one recall it and enjoy the exercise. This is roughly how Rudolf Steiner described it. The corresponding day of the week is Friday, and its vowel is A. Thus, one practises the principle of A in various forms, such as receiving, being pushed back on one’s heels, or being nourished from all sides. One notices that the basic requirement of memory is touched and exercised. Moving a step further to the “soul exercises”, one finds the exercises AH-reverence and HA-laughter. These two exercises contain the process that Steiner proposed for practical exercises:

• AH-reverence:
  • Forming a mental image (Receiving – A)
  • Letting go (H)
  • Feeling calm (Reverence)
• HA-laughter:
  • Relaxing (A prerequisite for memory – H)
  • Letting the memory rise from within (A)
  • Developing joy in it

The following weeks continue similarly: O brings inner harmony like the handwriting exercise. I moves in two directions, like reverse thinking. E, like changing habits, involves swapping sides and prompts self-awareness. Ei leads one to themselves, just like renouncing desires. The decision-making exercise appeals to the strength of the heart, like Au calls upon inner greatness. Finally, U invites deeper insight, similar to the exercise of refraining from criticism.

2.3 The Path to the Online Course

As previously mentioned, the first ABSR course took place in 2012 at Harald Haas' practice in Bern. At that time, it followed the order of the eightfold path and the introductory description of the forms of nervousness from Steiner's lecture Nervousness and I-consciousness (2, pp. 10–13). Accordingly, the program started with refraining from criticism, U, and the soul eurythmy exercise Hope–U, and ended with the misplacing exercise, A, as well as AH-reverence and HA-laughter. In the second iteration, the order was reversed, following the sequence of the daily exercises. This reversal allowed for a more direct and experimental entry, which participants found significantly easier.

For the anthropological aspects, daily exercises, and eurythmy exercises, participants received extensive written materials (1). However, regarding eurythmy, participants soon requested permission to film the exercises to help them remember better at home. Over time, spontaneous recordings were made using participants' phones. In later courses, we prepared videos for participants to use at home.

In 2017, the decision matured to offer Steiner’s exercises against nervousness and the accompanying eurythmy as an online course. To lay the necessary foundations, over 100 eurythmy videos were created, incorporating novel visual animations that made the inner activity during eurythmy visible and palpable.

More important than demonstrating the external movements is the guidance towards inner activity. The content is delivered in a way that allows participants to imitate while staying connected to themselves. There are regular pauses for reflection and independent repetition. Great emphasis is placed on ensuring that movements are not just “performed”, but arise from inner orientation and perception, similar to all mindful therapeutic methods.

The following year, the eurythmy exercises for the ABSR course and the explanations of Steiner’s practical exercises against nervousness were filmed, and the ABSR online course was created. In the spring of 2019, the first major evaluation took place in collaboration with the Institute for Integrative and Complementary Medicine (IKIM) at the University of Bern, with 49 participants completing the entire course, filling out a multidimensional well-being questionnaire weekly, and reporting their experiences.

2.4 Eurythmy for Young Girls and Esoteric Students

In 1912, Rudolf Steiner gave the first eurythmy lesson to 17-year-old Lory and her friends: “Learn to feel A as a defense and express it with hands curved upwards. Learn to feel V as holding something in the hand or merely touching.” (11, p. 19) He continued: “Learn to feel!” It was a training of feeling, of the soul, of the perceptive human being. The flow-oriented human being was not a topic; it was naturally available to these young girls.

Less well-known is that at the same time, Rudolf Steiner taught his esoteric students in Berlin in a very different way. There, he intended to train the feeling or flow-oriented human being: “Cross = E: cross the right hand over the left, likewise the right foot over the left, just as the optic nerves are crossed in the human head. However, you should not carry out the movements but inhibit them, press the limbs close to the body, but feel as if you were performing the movements!” (12, p. 295) This could be called thinking with the body. Further thoughts on distinguishing between feeling and perception can be found in the book From Place to Word. A Path to the Potentials of Healing Eurythmy by T. Hundhammer (13, pp. 36–39).

This ability, practiced by Steiner’s esoteric students in Berlin in 1913, is now naturally present in all people. As long as these abilities remain unconscious, they can live autonomously, leading to many of the physical and emotional problems that concern us today. Experiences with hundreds of course participants show that anyone interested can discover these forces within their own body, activate them, and apply them for well-being and in life (14).

Steiner describes and advocates for this in the ninth lecture of the Healing Eurythmy course (15, p. 99) as a re-creation of the human being, not externally, as is currently done in computer technology, but internally, to heal and mature into spiritual human beings.

2.5 The GEPs of Online Eurythmy

Online eurythmy requires special attention to the fact that the instruction should not encourage mere imitation but foster independent activity. Similar to the GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) in pharmaceuticals, we refer to this as GEPs (Good Eurythmy Practices) for eurythmy (16).

More important than demonstrating external movement is the guidance towards inner activity. The content is presented in a way that allows participants to actively engage while staying connected to themselves; meaning movements are not simply performed but arise from inner orientation and perception. It is crucial to take the time to achieve a state of inner mindfulness and maintain a degree of self-awareness. The exercises should be performed without striving for perfection, as the effect largely depends on how sincerely they are attempted, not on how perfectly they are executed.

To turn eurythmy into an inner experience, it is essential to pay attention to countercurrents and let the outer movements arise naturally. Assisting is allowed, as long as it is done consciously. There are regular pauses for reflection and independent repetition. Reflecting after the exercises fosters a conscious relationship with the body and mindfulness. Eurythmy is always a journey back to oneself.

3. Further Development of the Course Program

Through numerous ABSR courses at Harald Haas' practice and the Johannes Branch in Bern, more and more of Rudolf Steiner’s ideas were gradually incorporated into these courses, such as the relationship between the eightfold path and the beatitudes (17). Other Steiner-related content also found its place in the courses:

• Explanations of temperaments,
• Insights into the fundamental I-activities of wonder, compassion, and conscience,
• The Four-Elements Body Scan (18) developed by Isa Fromberg from the 9th Class Lesson (19, pp. 169f.),
• Insights into the sevenfold structure of the courses.

We offer several ABSR courses each year for stress-related illnesses and for highly sensitive people (HSP) as guided online group courses in German, English, and Russian. Once a week, participants meet in meetings, exchange experiences in groups, and are introduced to the topics and eurythmy for the coming week. Through the forum available to participants, they support each other throughout the week.

Since 2013, the courses have been conducted in reverse for a second round, meaning that participants go through the entire course in reverse order over another eight weeks. These reverse rounds lead to a noticeable deepening and consolidation of what has been achieved so far. Participants experience themselves in a new way, perhaps make additional discoveries, and their mutual exchange deepens.

The focus on the daily exercises allowed for an expansion of the eurythmy exercises. The purely vocal exercises were meaningfully expanded for all three course systems over time. Table 2 provides detailed content.

Since 2022, those who have completed multiple ABSR courses can participate in certification courses to become course instructors.

3.1 ABSR for War Trauma

At the beginning of 2022, two scientific cooperation partners in Ukraine (Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia) began evaluating the Russian-language ABSR online course. Despite the outbreak of war, both the course and the data collection were able to proceed. In collaboration with the State University for Internal Affairs in Dnipropetrovsk, accompanying Zoom lectures on the ABSR concept, the human image, and the basics of eurythmy were held in Ukraine. Later, the course content was supplemented with topics on stress and trauma (20). After the war broke out, we conducted 30 eurythmy lessons in Ukrainian (21). As a result, an ABSR course is being developed specifically addressing war-related stress disorders. The aim is to evaluate to what extent ABSR approaches can serve as a therapeutically helpful and complementary self-application tool for war-related stress and trauma.

4. Effectiveness Research: First Steps and Plans

The development of courses for self-education, which aim to have an effect on various levels, necessitates research into their effectiveness. Before a medical audience, Steiner explicitly emphasized striving for the same exactness that is otherwise sought today in the scientific foundation of medicine (22, p. 88). Qualitative research methods, which take into account inner reflection and make one's own knowledge conscious through research, were just beginning to emerge at the start of the 19th century, and the so-called qualitative turn in the social sciences, which also allows the individual to be reflected in quantitative statistics, had not yet occurred.

It is essential to find a balance between the participants’ inner experience of evidence and externally verifiable effectiveness. The aporia between the humanities and natural sciences must also be continuously balanced. Anthroposophical-therapeutic approaches should not be viewed purely scientifically as the result of complex physical, chemical, and biological processes but rather as addressing the individual as a being with fourfold components.

Following Wilhelm Dilthey's approach, the goal was to find a path between “understanding” and “explaining,” between the humanities-based approaches and their verification through empirical scientific research. Or, as Rudolf Steiner said in 1922: “In all that stems from anthroposophical spiritual science for medicine, and for example, also for physiology, it can only ever be a matter of suggestions, which must then be further developed empirically. Only on the basis of this empirical further work can a valid, convincing judgment be formed on these matters, a judgment of the kind needed in the therapeutic field. [...] You will see that what is claimed through these regulative principles can be verified in the way that such facts are generally verified according to the habits of modern medicine. Nor do we claim that these things should be taken as assertions before the verification is in place.” (23, p. 85)

4.1 Evaluation and Measurement of the Effectiveness of ABSR Concepts

After developing the fundamental ABSR concept and course modules, the process of measuring effectiveness began. So far, data collection for 6 ABSR and HSP courses has been initiated, which, at the time of printing this article, are still in the evaluation phase. The following institutions were involved: the Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine (IKIM) at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern (Prof. Dr. med. Ursula Wolf), the Perseus Research Society, and Ukrainian cooperation partners from the State University for Internal Affairs in Dnipropetrovsk and the National Technical University in Zaporizhzhia (24). The study participants included both voluntary course participants and psychiatric patients.

For the survey, the following were considered:

• psychological testing elements such as the short questionnaire on anxiety/depression/social phobia,
• Salutogenesis Questionnaire (by Antonovsky),
• Ehrenfeld Inventory for Coping Style (EIC),
• Multidimensional Mood Questionnaire (MDBF) for pre- and post-assessment of physiological parameters,
• Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

In addition to quantitative elements, qualitative elements were also included.

4.1.1 Pilot Study on Burnout and Anxiety Disorders

In 2017, a pilot study was conducted as part of a dissertation with patients from the psychiatric practice of Dr. med. Harald Haas to investigate the effectiveness of the ABSR program in depressive disorders, burnout, and anxiety disorders. The participants attended the 8-week ABSR program on-site and completed questionnaires before and two months after the program. Some participants also agreed to ECG measurements.

The results showed a statistically significant improvement in calmness and relaxation, as well as an increase in heart rate variability in some participants (25).

4.1.2 Master's Theses on Stress and Nervousness

In 2019, for the first time, an 8-week ABSR online program for stress and nervousness was evaluated in a master's thesis with 50 participants (26), and in 2020 in a dissertation with about 80 participants. In 2022, ABSR courses were evaluated in a master's thesis using questionnaires and additional in-depth interviews for the first time, conducted by certified ABSR course leaders rather than the program developers themselves. The results are still in the evaluation phase.

4.1.3 Prospective Study on ABSR for Stress and Cancer-Related Fatigue

In the fall of 2023, a prospective study was conducted as part of a dissertation to investigate how stress levels change before and after the ABSR course, how participants rate their satisfaction, and how the performance of the course instructors influences the outcome. A total of 29 ABSR online courses were conducted in English, Chinese, German, Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian. In addition, 10 on-site courses with a total of 113 participants from Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine were conducted. The final report on the practical implementation can be downloaded at www.absr.international (27).

5. Outlook

The goal of all research and evaluation efforts is to better understand and communicate the mechanisms of self-development, self-discovery, and self-leadership. After the initial pilot studies, more control groups will be planned in the future, also considering randomization. For example, the 8-week MBSR programs lend themselves to an "active" control group or randomization to avoid the challenges of a "passive" control group when working with affected and help-seeking individuals. Further research in this area will also be encouraged, including through collaborations.

Given the thoughts presented here on the sevenfold nature that is effective in the ABSR and HSP courses, the question arises as to what actually creates the high motivation and joy in practice. Could it be that the specific sevenfold structure of the course creates a creative space that invites the “I” to engage? Can we think of the sevenfold structure of the exercises, which, upon closer examination, are all different, as akin to "the social life between gods," who through their interaction make development possible on every level (28, p. 123)? These considerations were prompted by the repeatedly observed immediate improvement in well-being as early as the first week, rather than the initially expected gradual improvement week by week. We would like to continue researching this as well.

Dipl. Ing. Theodor Hundhammer
Complementary Therapist for Healing Eurythmy
Managing Director, Eurythmy4you GmbH
Föhrenweg 3, 2506 Nidau, Switzerland
theodor@eurythmy4you.com
www.eurythmy4you.com

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