Eurythmy Therapy was developed as a movement therapy in 1921 by the Austrian philosopher, scientist and educator Dr Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). The gestures and movements of the performing art of eurythmy are modified for therapy purposes. Eurythmy therapy is one essential element of the system of anthroposophic medicine. This integrates both natural scientific and anthroposophic-humanistic knowledge. It is the aim of eurythmy therapy to help the patient to activate their own intrinsic powers of healing and enable them to find a way to a state of balanced health.
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Eurythmy therapy uses the medium of the sounds of speech and the tones of music as they manifest in movement. Each sound of speech has a corresponding form in movement, which is created by the upright human being, principally by means of their arms. The consonants manifest as mobile sculptural forms, vowels as geometric forms. In the same way, elements from music eurythmy (gestures for the notes of music and the intervals between them) can be reshaped into musical eurythmy therapy exercises.
The following are four short videos, which illustrate a eurythmy therapy session in practice.
Eurythmy therapy in pain management
Eurythmy therapy in neuro rehabilitation
Helping children grow with eurythmy therapy
Background Methodology
The eurythmy sound or music gestures are connected with the formative processes and physiological functioning of our bodily organs. In eurythmy therapy, the gestures are metamorphosed in such a way so that they act back on the person making them. This helps stimulate the processes which underlie organ formation and physiological function. When used therapeutically, the eurythmy gestures act as media to stimulate health-promoting processes to counteract specific illness. The arm gestures are accompanied by specific leg movements. The use of rhythm, changes of tempo or pauses encourage a stronger intervention in certain organ processes
Application and use
Eurythmy Therapy can be used for all age groups and most cases of constitutional, chronic or acute illness. Examples of where eurythmy therapy may be of benefit include: nervous diseases (acute and degenerative), metabolic, heart and circulatory diseases; musculo-skeletal disorders psyciatric and pyschosomatic conditions; also for assistance with issues of child development, eye conditions and teeth displacement.