EXPRESSION AND EXAGGERATION IN MOVEMENT

GESTALT! – The Working Corner, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2001
Victor Daniels, Sonoma State University

 Much of the material here is classical Fritz Perls style work, with additional features borrowed from Robert K. Hall. Since I’ve misplaced the published version, what you’ll find below is my cleaned up draft. I love this particular element of Gestalt work. Sometimes people will discover or do in a quarter of an hour what might take them months to become aware of or to accomplish in “talking therapy.” Enactment can be a powerful tool.

This element in Gestalt work was introduced by Fritz (or perhaps even by Laura, with her background in dance), and was developed further by Virginia Horowitz and by Robert K. Hall. Robert’s sophisticated combination of working elements provides the basis of the description below.

The starting point may be a simple exaggeration, while seated, of a physical movement or gesture, it may be the holding-back of some kind of expression, or a posture that expresses an attitude. (Examples: resignation, hopelessness, aggressiveness, rigidity, tenseness, etc.)

When the person has exaggerated and repeated the movement or posture, Robert Hall might say, “Okay, keep doing that, and as you do, stand up and begin to move in a way that expresses what you’re doing. (The person stands up.)
“Now start walking around the room in a circle, doing just what you’re doing.” (The person walks around once. We will imagine here that she is walking heavily and slowly, shoulders drooping, looking down.) “Good. Continue walking, and find a sound, word or phrase that fits what you’re doing.)
“What’s the use?” she says.
“Good. Continue to walk as you’re doing, and repeat “What’s the use?” over and over.”
(It might be a sound, such as “Uuuunnnhhh,” rather than a world or phrase. In that case the person is asked to repeat the sound.”)

The client might mention an image or label that fits the pattern, or the facilitator might mention it:
“I feel like a robot.”
“Okay–really get into your robot-walk.”
(The person continues.)
“Good. Now as you continue to walk, exaggerate your movement. Feel what you’re doing in your body, and do it as totally and extremely as you can.”
(The person exaggerates the movement, still repeating the word or sound.)

At this point the facilitator may say, “Now please describe what you are physically aware of in each part of your body.”
As the person describes the sensations she is aware of, the facilitator notices what’s missing. What is not noticed. The person with no sensation in legs or feet might be lacking in self-support. The person with no sensation in the arms might have trouble reaching out to others. While the meaning will depend on the person and what they are enacting and expressing, noticing the lack of sensation and trying to feel that part of the body is important in and of itself.
Depending on the facilitator’s intuition, at that point the person might be asked to describe any feelings, thoughts, or reflections that come up. “What are you feeling? What words or pictures are going through your mind?”
Some verbal interaction might occur at that point, with the person still standing. (If the client is a head-tripper, it’s best to skip the verbal component and stay as completely as possible in the physical sensations and any feelings associated with them.)

When full physical expression has occurred, a reversal is often useful. “Okay, Now do completely the opposite of what you were just doing.” (The person starts to do so.) “Do it even more. Do it as fully as you can.) Some people will really get into it. They can be encouraged with, “Make it into a dance.” The facilitator might start to clap and chant (and in a group setting, invite the group to join in clapping–“Come on, everybody!” as the person expresses what was previously withheld.
When the person has a hard time going into a reversal, they can sit down and work with that.

The pattern of work just described will often take from five to ten minutes, and can often be a powerful reference point for what follows. It includes the elements of awareness, expression, exaggeration, repetition, and often reversal.