Structure

Content

Purpose

Session 1

Information about program structure, content and pedagogical tools. Participants’ expectations of the program. Short introduction to the Bodyknowledging Model.

Provide information to enhance security and predictability for participants. Creating a safe environment for each person to engage in the program. Establish trust and dialogue with patients as equal partners in health promotion.

Session 2

Participants’ own themes about living with chronic illness. Studies of patterns of former patients’ experiences of each phase of the Bodyknowledging process, especially The phase of uncertainty―escaping and denying the sick body. Introduction to physical exercises inspired by Body Awareness Therapy. Introduction to the use of the booklet/diary between sessions.

Encourage patient participation and motivation to engage in the program. Through the exercises, help the participants to attend to their body as a valuable resource for coping and health.

Session 3

Participants’ own themes concerning challenges connected to living with a long-term condition and their health promotion strategies. Introduction to the phase of Losing life space― grieving and anger. The use of booklet/diary between and in sessions. Physical exercises.

Facilitate dialogue and reflection work on each participant’s process of health promotion.

Allowing patients to express themselves and their experiences of their reactions and challenges involved in living with health problems long-term.

Session 4

Participants’ own themes and strategies concerning health promotion in chronic illness. Introduction to the phase of Listening and understanding the body’s signs―strengthening hope. Acknowledging their body as a source of knowledge about health. Communicating their limits of tolerance to others. The use of booklet/diary. Physical exercises.

Support the participants to utilize their bodily knowledge as a resource to promote their health, i.e. helping them to discover their limits of tolerance concerning type and magnitude of activity.

Session 5

Participants’ own themes and strategies forcreating health within illness. How to get to know one’s limits of tolerance for activity, factors of the physical and social environment. Encounters with others. The use of booklet/diary. Physical exercises.

Strengthening the participant’s ability to set limits for themselves and others in accordance with their body’s limits of tolerance in order to stay healthy. Training in handling the reactions of others.

Session 6

Participants’ own themes of health promotion in chronic illness. Introduction of the phase of Integrating embodied knowledge― exploring new possibilities for health. Encounters with society. The use of booklet/diary. Physical exercises.

Motivation to explore their body’s dynamic limits of tolerance and their possibilities for activity and lives unfolding within these limits.

Session 7

Participants’ thoughts and actions on how to sustain and strengthen their health after the program. Summary of the Bodyknowledging Model in relation to each participant. Encounters with society. Physical exercises.

Encourage and help participants to make decisions on how to sustain their health and recovery, and how to sustain or enhance their participation in society.