Module 2 Core Strokes™ near Mont-Saint Michel

More Than Just a Training Module: A Deeply Transformative Body-Mind Experience

This Core Strokes™ workshop goes beyond traditional training. It offers a profound transformative experience that can be taken for personal development or as Module 2 of the complete Core Strokes™ training program.

What is Core Strokes ?

Core Strokes™ is a psycho-corporal method developed by Dirk Marivoet after 35 years of practice and teaching. This integrative approach combines both theoretical and practical aspects of the following modalities:

• Postural Integration, Energetic Integration, and Pelvic-Heart Integration (developed by Jack W. Painter, PhD)
• Core Energetics (developed by John C. Pierrakos, MD)
• Pesso-Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP) (developed by Albert Pesso and Diane Boyden-Pesso)
• Other influences include the works of Wilhelm Reich, Carl Jung, Alexander Lowen, and Eric Berne.

 In Core Strokes ™ , ‘Core‘ represents our “Center of Right Energy,” while ‘Strokes‘ refers to the units of recognition–both verbal and non-verbal–as well as targeted hands-on techniques. These “strokes” help bring forth new parts of ourselves or unearth old, hidden aspects that have been stored in the body as symptoms. The therapist’s presence provides the client with the courage to reveal and become conscious of what emerges from their inner depths (the Dynamic Ground), leading to purification and transformation of the unconscious, including the inherited collective unconscious.

” TOUCH AND BE TOUCHED: LEARN TO LIVE WITH AN OPEN AND AVAILABLE HEART!”  

The Core Strokes™ Approach:

The uniqueness and effectiveness of Core Strokes™ lie in its ability to integrate bodywork techniques with verbal expression and spiritual understanding. This dual approach allows for a deep “touch” that penetrates not just the tissues but also reaches into our emotions, wounds, basic human needs, and even our soul.

Core Strokes™ teaches us how the “blows” and “spikes” we receive can wound and close us off, while the “caresses” and “strokes” can provide support, recognition, and encourage us to open our heart—or Core (our “Center of Right Energy”).

What You Will Learn and Experience:

• Express Needs and Emotions: Learn to articulate your needs and emotions clearly and authentically.
• Release Tensions and Let Go: Experience the release of deep-seated tensions and the capacity to let go of restrictive patterns.
• Listen and Perceive Differently: Cultivate the ability to listen to your body and emotions with greater sensitivity.
• Give and Receive: Practice the dynamics of giving and receiving, fostering deeper connection with others.
• Resolve Trauma-Based Defenses: Address and integrate trauma-based defense mechanisms, creating a path toward healing and wholeness.
• Connect with Your Authentic Self: Develop a profound connection with your Authentic Self, enabling you to live with an open and available heart.

Through the integration of bodywork and verbal expression, Core Strokes™ allows you to explore and resolve the patterns that shape your life. This approach supports you in opening up to new parts of yourself, while also transforming the hidden aspects that have manifested as physical or emotional symptoms.

Key Objectives of Core Strokes Training: Module 2

Core Strokes™ is a creative, dynamic, and deeply engaging approach to experiencing the full potential of your life force. In this course, you will discover the many ways in which you block yourself from being well-aligned, clear-minded, full of life, happy and joyful. You will learn how your body and emotions are essential guides for finding direction in your life and inviting the changes you desire. The three phases of change within Core Strokes can be summarized as: Let be, Let go, Let in.

 In Module 2: “Strengthen Your Confidence and Take Your Place”, we focus on working with the middle layer of the fascial network to foster a deeper connection with your body and strengthen your sense of self.

• Bodywork on the Fascia
  •  Learn therapeutic touch techniques unique to Core Strokes™ that target the middle layer of the myofascial network.
  • Focus on specific areas of the body such as the lateral line, shoulders, neck, head and pelvis to release tension and restore balance.
• Exploring the Bodily Personality
  • Dive into the concepts of “Mask,” “Lower Self,” and “Higher Self” to gain a deeper understanding of how these aspects manifest in the body, connective tissues, and posture. 
  • Utilize deep holistic bodywork techniques, including breathwork, meridian and point work, movement awareness, chakra balancing, and segmental de-armoring. These practices help you uncover and transform the physical expressions of these inner states, facilitating a more integrated and balanced self.
• Developing Therapeutic Skills
  • Learn to “read” the body in an interactive and phenomenological way, gaining insight into the body’s messages and patterns.
  • Work with trauma through “embodied deep listening” and intensive bodywork, cultivating the ability to hold space for deep healing.
• Deepening Core Strokes Techniques
  • Build on the skills and techniques introduced in Module 1, refining your understanding and application.
  • Participate in guided individual and group therapeutic processes, enhancing your practical skills in a supportive environment.
• Hands-On Practice and Supervision
  • Observe live demonstrations of Core Strokes™ sessions by the trainer, providing a model for effective intervention.
  • Practice the techniques in pairs under supervision, with time allocated for feedback, discussion, and analysis of experiences.
  • Reflect on the effects of the methods and techniques used in Module 2, exploring their impact and limitations.
• Theoretical Lessons:
  • Pseudo-Solutions: Explore the dynamics of submission/dependence, aggression/control, and detachment/withdrawal, and their effects on the body’s structure and posture.
  • Holistic Study of Body Areas: A functional and holistic examination of key body areas to understand their role in expressing and holding emotions.
  • Basic Needs, Deficits, and Reversals (Level 2): Delve deeper into how unmet needs manifest in the body and ways to address these patterns.
  • Neurophysiology: Learn how to create new memories and experiences that serve as alternatives and supplements to old, restrictive patterns.
  • Microtracking and Developing the “Pilot”: Learn to cultivate your internal “Pilot”—the guiding aspect of consciousness that observes and directs both your soul and ego processes. Through microtracking, a focused awareness technique, you will refine your ability to observe and navigate your emotional and energetic responses. This practice fosters greater emotional regulation, self-awareness, and a deeper understanding of your internal landscape.

Out-of-Class Work:

• Individual Therapy: Complete a minimum of 6 hours of individual Core Strokes™ therapy sessions with a certified practitioner to deepen your personal experience and understanding.
• Study Groups: Engage in regular study group meetings with fellow students to discuss and practice the techniques and concepts covered in the training.
• Resource Study: Study recommended literature to expand your knowledge and understanding of the Core Strokes™ approach.
• Personal Reflection: Engage in self-reflection and evaluation to integrate the learning and enhance your personal growth.

Outcomes of This Module:

• Emotional Growth: Invite and welcome new, transformative emotional experiences into your life.
• Inner Resourcefulness: Strengthen your connection to your inner resources, enhancing your relationships with yourself and others.

This training module is led by Dirk Marivoet, the founder of the Core Strokes method.

What about the facilitator?

Dirk Marivoet, MSc.

is the founder and director of the International Institute for Bodymind Integration (IBI). He is an accredited psychotherapist (ECP) and a certified psychomotor therapist, having earned his credentials at the University of Leuven, where he served on the staff of the Psychiatry/Psychoanalytic Clinic for 11 years. Dirk is a Certified Trainer and Supervisor in Postural Integration, Energetic Integration, Reichian Bodywork and Pelvic-Heart Integration (as developed by Jack Painter, PhD), as well as a Core Energetics Teacher and Supervisor (under John Pierrakos, MD).

With 40 years of clinical and teaching experience in both academic and alternative fields of psychotherapy, Dirk developed the Core Strokes approach, which he now teaches internationally. He resides in Ghent, Belgium.

The venue in Lignières-Orgères, France

This training workshop will be held in Lignières-Orgères, located just 1 hour and 45 minutes from Paris. The venue, a charming former village school, is situated about 100 km inland from Mont Saint-Michel, one of the most iconic and visited landmarks in France.

Practical information

Rates for accommodation and Meals :

Full board €462 for the week, including:

• Organic, balanced meals made with fresh, local products from Monday evening to Sunday afternoon.
• Double room with shared bathroom and toilet.

Bedding is provided.

Please bring your own towels.

Other options are available! Contact Laurence.

For accommodation in a single room with private bathroom and toilet, with bedding and towels provided, a reservation with payment will be required before June 15, 2025.

For reservations, please contact Laurence at: 33 (0)6 49 57 83 37.