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Therapeutic eurythmy in Switzerland: science of the living, national health policy... wellness?
An interview with Annette and Kaspar Zett
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The current Chairman of the Board, Philipp Schneider, is retiring. Alexander Schwedeler and Kalle Zeller will jointly chair the Board of Directors of Klinik Arlesheim AG.
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Presentation of the book ‘Anthroposophy and National Socialism. The Anthroposophical Medical Profession’
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Science Congress on Integrative Medicine in Basel - latest research news
A conference took place in Basel on 9 September to review the latest research in integrative medicine.
… Read more … Science Congress on Integrative Medicine in Basel - latest research newsTherapeutic eurythmy in Switzerland: science of the living, national health policy... wellness?
Giovanni De Benedetti Since when is the therapeutic eurythmy training available in Dornach? How did the current programme come about?
Kazpar Zett Training in therapeutic eurythmy has been offered since its inception—that is, since 1921, with Elisabeth Baumann and Erna van Deventer, who immediately developed the work in this direction. Initially, there were various training options. A closer look reveals that the pedagogical, didactic and hygienic-therapeutic elements were more closely intertwined. The various exercises were developed from an anthropological and hygienic perspective. The instructions and exercises of the first courses (the so-called Bottminger course of 1912, and also the Apollonian course of 1915) were largely anthropological, pedagogical, and hygienic—for example, the effect of spiral exercises on the circulatory system, the effect of ascending and descending rhythms, and so on.
From the 1970s onwards, the focus shifted towards comprehensive education, with the final year becoming increasingly devoted to artistic eurythmy on stage. However, this commitment began to take up too much space compared to Rudolf Steiner's original vision for eurythmy, which was to serve three purposes: pedagogical-didactic, hygienic-therapeutic and artistic. This shift became apparent to us members of the college and to others, and has been the subject of several published books.
Over time, we received an increasing number of requests from people who wanted to study therapeutic eurythmy directly in our training programme for various and understandable reasons. We conducted a thorough review of our training offerings and their development, and held numerous discussions with the section leadership and the Therapeutic Eurythmy Professionals Association [Heileurythmie Berufsverband, TN]. Ultimately, the professional association recognised the urgent need and opportunity to establish therapeutic eurythmy as a recognised profession in Switzerland. However, the swiss Organisation for Complementary Therapy [Organisation der Arbeitswelt KomplementärTherapie, TN] stipulated that a direct-access course of study should be provided. The medical section leadership at the time therefore appointed us to develop a new basic professional training programme in therapeutic eurythmy. This led to the two courses we offer today: a two-year part-time programme for qualified eurythmists, and a full-time basic course with no educational prerequisites, which integrates basic training with therapeutic eurythmy training.
GDB Could you give us an overview of how the course was set up?
KZ We have designed a curriculum that places greater emphasis on qualifications related to the therapeutic profession from the outset, while the artistic element is relegated to the background. This programme focuses on the therapeutic-hygienic aspect rather than the performing arts or the pedagogical-didactic aspect. Teaching eurythmy to a class is a profession that requires specific skills. A similar argument can be made for eurythmy as a performing art. Steiner originally considered these three professions as different fields requiring the development of specific skills. This new curriculum is therefore geared towards the therapeutic profession. Working with the body as an instrument is naturally very important in this regard, as is the artistic element. However, this artistic element is not understood as a performing art, but as it is also present in therapeutic and pedagogical art, i.e. as it is fundamentally present in all three of these professions.
GDB The artistic element as such is not necessarily linked to the stage. Performing arts require very specific skills. Moreover, even students of artistic eurythmy often experience various stage-related issues. To me, this parallel evolution seems very appropriate: on the one hand, there is external demand from the public; on the other hand, the training evolves into a basic course due to internal processes—and it is precisely at this point that the need for a course of study for professional recognition arises.
KZ It was an external and internal process at the same time – things unfolded in this way. Several books have been published on the subject and its related concepts (e.g. Beatrice Hachtel, 2017; Peter Selg, Der Kampf um die Heileurythmie, Arlesheim, 2018, eng. The Struggle for Therapeutic Eurythmy), with the latter author offering a fresh perspective on current issues.
GDB The history of this therapeutic eurythmy training has now entered a new chapter. You have recently completed the first cycle and begun the second. Have you made any significant changes to the curriculum in the meantime?
Annette Zett The initial compromise-based curriculum has changed somewhat. Initially, there were two years of basic training followed by two years of therapeutic eurythmy. In the fifth year, we developed an artistic curriculum again. This was illogical and quite challenging for the students. After working closely with the sections, we evaluated the first cycle and proposed some developments for the future. Our proposal was eventually accepted: courses in medicine and anthropology will begin in the first year. For the following two years the focus will be on the fundamentals of eurythmy. The last two years will focus entirely on therapy, without returning to artistic eurythmy.
GDB In any case, couldn't someone follow courses in artistic eurythmy for three years and then join here in the fourth year?
KZ The basic course has a very different format to artistic eurythmy training. Several sessions with doctors are held each week and anthropology is a central theme from the outset, even in eurythmy classes. For instance, exercises are always performed while considering their effects. Conversely, there are fewer stage performances and recitals.
GDB Another major change concerns the training modules for doctors. What has become of them?
KZ Training for healthcare professionals has evolved into the 'Art of Healing Today' programme [Heilkunst heute, T.N.]. These modules take place four times a year and are designed for medical and healthcare professionals of all levels. The openness of the modules has proven to be a very positive element, as the topics covered so far (such as polarity and intensity in therapeutic practice or the three principles of salt, sulphur and mercury) have been enriched by the contributions and experiences of many participants. Access is conditional on having a background in therapeutic, nursing or anthropological studies in this professional field, after which it is easy to connect with others. It is wonderful that so many therapists can gain experience in anthroposophic medicine, and it is clear how much everyone appreciates anthroposophic anthropology. This is also a way to meet the needs of our time.
AZ The modules for doctors were designed to align closely with the Therapeutic Eurythmy course and its parallel lectures. However, we now have more freedom to explore other topics of interest and engage more with the public. This means that everyone can contribute to the course, and we encounter some very interesting questions that encourage us to conduct further research.
We have also announced two professional development courses, which will be held twice a year: one focusing on therapeutic musical eurythmy, and the other on therapeutic eurythmy for vision problems — an increasingly relevant topic given the amount of time spent working in front of screens.
GDB Many of your students on both the full-time and part-time training programmes are foreign nationals. In fact, it is thanks to them that the courses are full. As a Swiss vocational training school recently integrated into the healthcare system, what is your view on the current situation regarding therapeutic eurythmy in Switzerland? Are there enough therapists and professional association members? Are health insurance companies receiving a suitable number of invoices?
KZ We'd really like to have more Swiss people. It's important to remember that Switzerland offers a wide range of complementary therapies, which you will notice immediately, and training in other therapeutic fields generally takes much less time than training in therapeutic eurythmy.
GDB Training in shiatsu or craniosacral therapy typically lasts three to five years, but these are usually weekend modules. Training in therapeutic eurythmy requires many more hours.
KZ Building the instrument takes a long time, of course, and it is work that the therapist must first carry out on their own body. In any case, our training courses attract foreigners who then become advocates of therapeutic eurythmy around the world. Our training is also recognised abroad. For example, one of our students obtained a job abroad thanks to their federal qualification, which they gained by passing the professional exam (a Swiss procedure).
GDB Are students also successful in passing the higher professional exam?
AZ Many people take the exam, but the considerable financial obstacle makes it more difficult—although some of the money can be refunded. Once they have completed the entire training programme, students can receive up to 10,000 francs, but this must be paid in advance. Anyone can take the exam, but it requires hard work. One has to develop a clinical example, but this is not academic research; rather, it is a demonstration of practical skills. The only element that requires special preparation is the specialised language used in complementary therapies.
KZ Those with only a few years of professional experience often forgo the exam and the corresponding specialist qualification. However, insurance companies are increasingly requiring it, and some cantons are even prohibiting therapists from working unless they can present this qualification (Thurgau, Ticino and Appenzell Innerrhoden). The higher professional examination will therefore become increasingly important.
GDB On the whole, I would say that the costs are on par with those of other professional exams in related fields.
AZ The administrative and registration costs are the same, but the cost of training courses in many other complementary therapies is much higher than ours when measured against the number of hours. In this sense, we are at the lower end of the scale. Therapeutic eurythmy may seem expensive because it is not as well-known as other therapies and is not commonly prescribed by doctors. It is usually only prescribed by anthroposophic doctors, rather than general practitioners.
GDB Maybe in Waldorf schools?
AZ Yes, in schools, with curative education programmes and sometimes even in retirement homes or rehabilitation clinics.
GDB Meanwhile, the Paracelsus Hospital has ceased its activities. Therapeutic eurythmy is used and offered at the Curative Clinic in Graubünden, as well as at the Arlesheim Clinic and the Andrea Cristoforo House.
AZ Yes, there is also a centre in St. Gallen and another in Bern. There's also a slightly smaller one in Winterthur (Baronenscheune).
GDB But what can be done to raise awareness of therapeutic eurythmy, so that it becomes as well-known as various complementary therapies such as acupuncture, osteopathy and the Feldenkrais method? How could it become an everyday therapy?
KZ Most importantly, you need to be willing to meet others without feeling shy. There's no reason to hide away. You can organise summer courses and propose initiatives — you just need the energy! Connect with people who practise Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Yoga, and show them what we do with therapeutic eurythmy. Explore the similarities in vital energies, Chi, vital forces and etheric forces with them. Yes, I really believe we can do more to raise awareness of therapeutic eurythmy. Therapeutic eurythmy is an anthroposophic therapy related to eurythmy. It's not a convenient wellness movement. That's not a trend we want to follow. However, we can still offer hygiene and health courses.
AZ On the other hand, we therapeutic eurythmists could seize this opportunity more boldly. Some people are really embracing new opportunities; perhaps they already have professional connections and provide therapies in public clinics or nursing homes. Today, many people are open to these practices. For example, it's clear that exercise is beneficial for the elderly in nursing homes, even if they're in wheelchairs. It's not only physical therapists who can do this; we can too, perhaps even more effectively and sophisticatedly. I wish our students the courage to move forward and present themselves to the world.
KZ In recent years, we have started to cover this topic more extensively, particularly in the second half of the training programme. This includes how to build a practice and a client base, and how to connect with doctors. For example, we hold workshops with doctors and interested professionals to address current topics and biographical questions. Nursing homes, rehabilitation clinics and special schools are certainly fields with great potential.
GDB However, therapeutic eurythmy could be better known, even among people in excellent health. Simple exercises aimed at strengthening the body's vitality could be offered in hygienic eurythmy courses, regardless of any symptomatic condition.
KZ Yes, it's a positive approach: not a cure, but rather a therapeutic remedy that helps you stay healthy. This is the realm of prophylaxis and salutogenesis. We should explore this further. In Germany, "Vital-Eurythmie" operates at this level, but it is still primarily aimed at certified eurythmists. Nevertheless, there are many beneficial exercises that are not specifically therapeutic. There is considerable potential here that has yet to be explored.
GDB How do you look to the near future?
KZ Eurythmy and therapeutic eurythmy have barely begun to reveal their incredible potential. To realise this potential, human involvement is essential. Much of what has already been discovered still needs to be properly elaborated on, explored and studied further. While there are many valid scientific studies on therapeutic eurythmy, the question of how these can truly reach a global audience remains.
AZ I believe that a countermovement is emerging precisely within the healthcare sector, where conventional medicine is becoming increasingly one-sided. This became apparent during the Covid-19 pandemic, when people realised that a single injection is not enough to cure an illness. There must be other options. This trend continues today and is being further accentuated by artificial intelligence. I think the opposite trend will also emerge. I believe this trend will also emerge, albeit perhaps not as strongly or clearly. Nevertheless, people will become aware of this pressure and this one-sided vision, and will demand more holistic approaches. I am convinced that therapeutic eurythmy will advance further.
KZ Yes, this is the development. People are starting to think beyond matter itself; they're thinking about processes and the quality of forces. Initially, this is about the etheric and Qi, as in Qigong and Tai Chi. I believe that times will move in this direction and that these realities will be explored too. One might say that the science of life is closely related to eurythmy. If not eurythmy, then what? The realm of life will be crucial for the future. Not only in agriculture and biodynamics, where eurythmy is clearly valued, but also, and perhaps more importantly, in healthcare. In fact, in life itself. Where necessary, we can certainly try to speak a more common language by maintaining somewhat flexible anthroposophical terminology, without having to talk about the etheric and astral bodies. This is our terminology, but we can find common ground with other therapists and doctors to address the issues of our time together. What impact is digitalisation and information technology having on the human organism? The anthroposophical vision of the human being is comprehensive, profound and multifaceted — it is very complex. But all of this is highly valued! Once our colleagues have discovered the tri- and tetra-articulation of the human being, they realise that it makes perfect sense. This is truly a cornerstone for understanding humanity. It's not necessarily about anthroposophy; it's simply about humanity. Knowledge and wisdom of the human being: what is a human being?