Boundaries within Social Interactions
with Michael Rupp

Edmonton, Canada
June 8-9, 2024

The ability to set boundaries can often be a complex and challenging issue in our lives. It has a bearing on all our social interactions, be it in a professional context or in our intimate relationships.

To reassert our boundaries is also an absolute necessity in order to overcome and heal personal trauma. For trauma violates our boundaries on all levels, emotionally, physically as well as existentially.

We often unconsciously develop specific defensive strategies to avoid any repetition of traumatic experience, any future transgression, attack or abuse. But those defensive patterns are usually based on avoidance instead of on a conscious implementation of boundaries. We tend to dissociate and “leave” our bodies or flee if we feel threatened. Or else go into attack mode.

Rather than acting from a place of survival, from instincts, and thus compromising our deep need for contact and communication, consciously setting boundaries will empower us within our manifold social interactions. It will strengthen our self-confidence, promote self-agency and will generally increase our resiliency.

In the course of this weekend, we will “travel back in time” and revisit with the help of specifically designed exercises the most important developmental stages of our childhood in regards to the establishment of boundaries. We will thus experience again together how the child learns and practices this vital social skill. Starting with the skin boundaries, the ability to say “no”, the development of our personal space boundaries and lastly, how to keep somebody at a distance (or “out of our space”), which coincides with the development of territorial boundaries and proprietorship.

We will be using the precise Bodynamic understanding of the psychomotoric development of the child to activate and sense the specific muscles and fascia related to boundary issues in the corresponding age level. And in this way accessing the natural resources of the body anew.

All exercises will be done with a partner or within the group to facilitate new healing experiences. The essence of it being that boundaries will not diminish or even break the contact, but to the contrary, will enable us to have a deeper, more meaningful and more authentic encounter with others.

This workshop includes a theoretical introduction (hand outs) into the development of boundaries and is accessible to all, health professionals and the privately motivated student alike.

Benefits of Understanding and Setting Boundaries:

• Learning to set boundaries improves self-confidence by empowering individuals in their interactions.
• Acknowledging and asserting one’s boundaries enhances the sense of control over one’s decisions and body.
• Understanding boundaries and how to set them in various contexts helps in developing emotional resilience.
• The workshop aims to improve social interactions through a deeper understanding of boundary setting, leading to more meaningful connections.
• Setting boundaries is crucial for the healing process from personal trauma, as trauma often results from violated boundaries.
• Clear boundaries allow for more authentic and deeper encounters with others, enhancing both personal and professional relationships.

Key Learnings:

• The workshop distinguishes between unconscious avoidance patterns developed from trauma and the conscious implementation of boundaries to prevent future transgressions.
• It covers the developmental stages of childhood as they relate to boundary setting, including the establishment of skin boundaries, the ability to say “no,” and the development of personal and territorial spaces.
• The Bodynamic approach emphasizes the importance of activating and sensing specific muscles and fascia related to boundary issues at corresponding age levels, highlighting the body’s natural resources in establishing boundaries.
• Participants engage in specifically designed exercises, both individually and within groups, to revisit childhood stages and practice setting boundaries in a safe environment.
• The workshop includes a theoretical introduction to the development of boundaries, supplemented by practical, experiential learning through exercises designed to facilitate healing and empowerment.

Dates: June 8 – 9, 2024

Venue: Healing Connections Wellness Centre 10548 – 115 Street Northwest, Edmonton, AB T5H 3K6

Class hours: 10AM – 6PM

Cost: $399 CAD (GST included) payments accepted via e-transfer sent to arijana@bodynamic.com; Credit card payment is an option upon request with an additional fee of 3%

Registration: Contact Arijana Lukic at arijana@bodynamic.com

Meet your Trainer: Michael Rupp

Michael Rupp is a licensed psychotherapist (Psychotherapeut HPG) who has been working in private practice in Munich, Germany, since 2006. He is a Bodynamic therapist, supervisor, and senior trainer. He has presented Bodynamic at various congresses and has authored several articles on topics such as developmental trauma, embodiment, and narcissism.

Since 2014, he has been a part of the international trainer team of Bodynamic, teaching in countries like Germany, Russia, Portugal, Brazil, England, Canada, and Turkey. Prior to this, he worked as a social pedagogue and therapist for many years, notably as a facilitator for two pedagogic Healing Centers for children with developmental disorders (e.g., ADHD) and special needs. Additionally, he has received training in various humanistic and transpersonal approaches, including Bioenergetics, Gestalt, Inner Child Work, and the Diamond Approach (Logos) with Faisal Muqqadam. He is a member of the dgk, EABP (European Association of Bodypsychotherapy), and ABP (Association of Bodynamic Psychotherapy).