Martial arts as therapy support

All clients at Hemayat (care center for war and torture survivors) suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression and anxiety disorders due to physical and psychological violence, war and torture. They often experience negative emotional states, exhaustion and psychosomatic problems such as extreme pain. Sleep and concentration problems also occur more frequently, and the affected persons often lack the ability to be in the here and now due to flashbacks and intrusive memories.

Based on the observations and feedback from the clients assigned to Budotherapy, it was shown that a body-oriented program such as the offer of Kokoro-Do (in addition to psychotherapeutic and psychiatric measures) can lead to clear physical and mental improvements. In this way, chronic pain could be alleviated and painkillers reduced. This is probably due to the physical effects of the training, a more differentiated approach to pain perception and the shift in attention, which put the participant in the here and now and distracted from negative thoughts. Coping experiences and strategies for crisis situations were conveyed and physical limits were recognized. A social bond, which can counteract social isolation, was experienced and at the same time seemed helpful for individual health-promoting processes. In addition, the social contact and the sense of achievement led to positive affects, which had a positive effect on health and motivation.

Doris' martial arts mentoring helped me enormously with the difficult process of coming to terms with experiences of domestic violence. Although I had been in psychotherapeutic support for about 3 years before that, including trauma therapy, working with Doris showed how enormously important it is to actively integrate bodywork into this process. The body remembers! Because of this, working on the body level can even release blockages that talk therapy cannot. I am very grateful that I was able to have this experience with Doris!

Our very creative and highly sensitive 9 year old son suffers from ADHD and impulse control disorders. Mild Autism Spectrum Disorder was also diagnosed. He has therefore been in psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment for a long time. Since he has increasingly developed into a "system crasher", we were looking for additional support:

Doris Nachtlberger managed to get in contact with our son in a very short time and to intensify it, because she treats him as an equal and with appreciation. During the practice sessions, our son can genuinely laugh. We've been missing that relaxed, honest, childlike smile from him for a long time. In the playful practice sessions, he also learned to concentrate more easily and to focus on just one of his countless ideas. The physical exercise helps him release tension so he comes home happy and relaxed every time! We were able to observe how he gains healthy self-confidence and also learns to accept and follow rules in the dojo. The progress that we have seen in our son in this relatively short period of 15 sessions so far is also encouraging in those moments when you are exhausted and perhaps lose confidence, because you see what development is possible is.

The wish of my daughter, who has Asperger's autism, more strength, courage and self-confidence, an "inner
building a protective shield” led us to Doris Nachtlberger.
Even the mysterious exercise room exudes something soothing and sacred and it doesn't fall
difficult to immerse yourself in the world that Doris Nachtlberger tells about. She goes with big
attentiveness and loving caution towards the young, still shy Kokorodo student
you with respect and curiosity, in order to absorb what concerns and worries are there. she
uses figurative language that a child can understand, but never in a way that the child can understand
not taken seriously but feels deeply addressed. At first it was more about mine
To give daughter "tools" so that she - by means of vivid pictures - mistress of her often herself
spinning thoughts, the first physical exercises were learned quickly in order to
To locate the body, to find and strengthen one's own center. Then it was about the conscious
Perceiving one's own strength and using it in a mindful "two-on-one fight", like a
choreographed dance to try: With gentle touches and powerful calls
on the one hand, with sticks and even swords or sabers. Anxiety reflexes caused by a physical
Confrontation can be triggered, should be able to be controlled and converted
are transformed into a soft absorption and dissipation of energy. And it's always about being with yourself
to stay, to feel yourself, to find and keep the focus - be it with a bow and arrow or
via the path of breathing meditations to bring peace and strength back to you.
What Doris Nachtlberger shares and passes on is something very special. It is a dive and
Trying things out in another world, but above all the experience of a loving one
Cooperation in great esteem with the aim of providing the young Kokorodo student with an abundance
equipped with tools and strategies to help the - for young people - often puzzling
and to make energy-sapping everyday (school) life more bearable, yes, this one with more strength and courage
to oppose For this we thank Doris Nachtlberger from the bottom of our hearts.

“I would like to thank Doris for her mentoring work with me! As a victim of physical, psychological and sexual violence, I have already experienced a number of therapies (talk therapies, art therapy, body therapy), but none of them gets to the 'core' and is at the same time so reprocessing and stabilizing. It's such a fine concept that starts so fundamentally that you can really bring about changes with seemingly 'simple' exercises! Doris senses very well where her own inhibitions are, how to overcome them, where space needs to be given, which proximity/distance is beneficial for the process - even without words, simply in the self-image of the work she does.

It is an uplifting, an 'education' that causes her work; you come into direct and immediate contact with yourself, with your own issues, but also with your own strengths, your own strength and your own abilities, and in Doris you have an attentive, appreciative and benevolent counterpart who supports and accompanies this sometimes challenging career . Thanks."