Elements of Body Tales
The following elements of Body Tales support inner exploration, shared expression, and body and earth communion:
- Moving, Sounding & Speaking
- Witnessing
- Remembering
- Grounding
- Thanking
Moving, Sounding & Speaking
Sessions include time working alone and with partners, moving and speaking, without music. Each participant pays attention to their own body, works with movement and vocal sound, and speaks their "body tales." They focus on real experience — exploring sensations, thoughts, emotions and embodied stories. Detailed instructions and clear ground rules help create a safe and respectful environment. Body Tales pieces are timed, some as short as a minute and others as long as 10 minutes.
"Moving, telling stories and making noise are powerful medicine. The playfulness and creativity of Body Tales makes them sweet medicine."
— Damon Miller, M.D.
Witnessing
Witnessing is the practice of giving full attention and support to the person moving, sounding and speaking, while staying grounded and present. One person shares a "body tale," while their partner witnesses them — seeing and listening in an attentive, non-judgmental way, without interruption or commentary. Partners exchange roles as mover and witness, and each person also has opportunities to be witnessed by the whole group.
Remembering
After each Body Tales piece, partners help one another to remember it. Both partners repeat words and phrases from the piece and recall specific movements, without evaluation, interpretation or any other commentary. Like writing down dreams, this process helps lift content, insights and personal values to conscious awareness. It allows us to savor and learn from the specific language, imagery and poetry of each piece. This "remembering" gives the piece back to the mover, strengthens trust and confidence, and supports reflection and integration.
"I hear my unconscious talk, often the primitive, passionate, strong part of my unconscious."
— Bobbi Ausubel, drama therapist, theater writer & director
Grounding
Participants receive frequent reminders to connect with the ground and the air, and with their body and breath. This helps maintain inner balance and capacity for healthy engagement, integration and good witnessing. Participants are encouraged to stay present and respectful to themselves and to the group; to notice and appreciate the support of belonging with the natural world; and to actively release energy and emotions that are no longer helpful.
Thanking
Guided thanking, blessing and conscious touch (touch is always optional) offer simple, effective and ritualized ways to respect and appreciate one another. In this way, we acknowledge each person's contribution with gratitude and without interrupting her or his creative or healing process with advice, praise or criticism.
"Body Tales is a living, present, in-the-moment spiritual and physical practice that has a very sophisticated form to it. People learn how to care for and support one another and how to have empathy for each other."
— Body Tales participant
