The main framework is the Therapy of Five Movements as developed by Prof. Waldo Bernasconi. At its core, it reviews the extend to which one's five basic needs are satisfied: belonging, affirmation, nurture, sensory and sexual. Our needs are met and truly satisfied through our interaction with the group we belong to, or with a specific other individual. When we cannot satisfy our needs (e.g. due to the complexities of the social rules in a given group), this leads to distress, frustration and depression.
"Five movements" or "motions" then refers to the five sets of behaviours, grouped up based on the direction of our energy, and whether our efforts are directed outwards or inwards: planning, submission, reality check, seduction and aggression (expression). Depending on one's inborn temperament, upbringing (familial and socio-cultural) and personal history, some of these behaviours are easier, whereas others are harder to exercise or even forbidden. The more unconsciously restricted one is in the choice and use of motions, the harder it is for them to satisfy their natural needs.
The Therapy of Five Movements therefore aims to restore the ability and conscious choice to exercise each of the five motions with flexibility and confidence. The process involves talking and psychoanalysis, as well as working somatically with the physical manifestation of psychological limitations (for example, hunched back, clenched fists or jaw, overexposure of the chest, or any other bodily tensions and symptoms).
While rooted in Neo-Reichian principles, the method also draws from:
- Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Gestalt Therapy
- Client-Centred Therapy
- Positive Psychology
- Family Constellations
- Psychodrama
- Art Therapy
- Eastern practices such as relaxation techniques, bioenergetic breathing, massage, and movement.
