Van Dusen Nutrition® has created and trademarked the unique program, Therapeutic Movement Support™. It is designed to help individuals who have developed a negative relationship with exercise reconnect to movement and their bodies in a more balanced way.

Therapeutic Movement Support™ is for an individual who over-exercises, exercises in an obsessive or obligatory manner, exercises compulsively, is apprehensive about returning to exercise or avoids exercise. The program is also appropriate for eating disorder clients who are medically stable but need to limit movement. Therapeutic Movement Support™ is an adjunct service where close communication with the client’s healthcare team is maintained.

A client works one-on-one with a clinician engaging in movement while processing related thoughts and physical feelings (neck up, neck down®) that arise in the moment. Sessions begin in-office using various activities including yoga flow, strength training and stretching and can be individualized to meet preferences and needs. The client is guided to identify points (pause point®) in which the mind is shifting from engaged to disinterested or the body is shifting from warm to fatigued. The client is encouraged to then transition to another movement or finish moving for the time being. The client practices listening to internal cues rather than relying on external sources such as numbers.

Sessions transition to out-of-office when the principles of Therapeutic Movement Support™ are learned for exposure to variety and environments where independent movement may occur. Sessions can be outdoors, at a local gym or a specialty studio, where clients continue working to recognize and respect the wants and limits of both mind and body with the goal of being able to carry this out when moving independently. Therapeutic Movement Support™ builds a positive relationship with movement and provides a framework for integrating movement into overall life.