Anette Torgersen PH.D.

Throughout my career, I have been concerned with the healing and spiritual dimension that arises in the meeting between therapeutic methods and artistic expression. Those moments of vibrant life that bring you into the present and touch deeply. Raw, painful, infinitely beautiful and lots of joy and laughter.

I am currently developing BodySoulSynergy, which is a spiritual somatic dance practice where she connects knowledge and experiences from Kinetic Awareness, Body-Mind Centering®, Somatic Experience, IoPT, Authentic Movement, Therapeutic dance, and expressive therapy forms , as well as spiritual Bakti practice and the Path of Awakening Woman, a global sisterhood of woman wisdom. I am teaching and developing the concept, My Dance is My Prayer, a form of SoulDance.

All my exploration took me on to trauma work. I started by walking the historical path via Hellinger's work with family constellations in 2003 and further I was introduced to Franz Ruppert and his trauma-intention work (IoPT) in 2009. This work has been personally deeply transformative.

Anette is associate professor at the University Of Southeast Norway (USN), Dept. of Physical Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from USN, dissertation title, “Kinetic Awareness as a Transformational Dance and Movement Didatic. From Instrumental to Existential Body.” For many years, Anette has taught various somatic movement methods with emphasis on experiential anatomy, movement awareness, and release of physical and psychological tensions. Anette has taught at colleges and universities (1995 – present) in departments of dance, theater, opera, sports, and outdoor life studies, among other environments. Anette operates a private practice in body movement psychotherapy (1995 – present).

She is certified as an Identity-oriented Trauma Theory (IoPT) Therapist (Oslo, 2023), Master Teacher of Kinetic Awareness (USA, 2012), Teacher of Kinetic Awareness (USA, 1995), Practitioner of Body-Mind Centering® (USA, 1998), Practitioner of Somatic Experience (Denmark, 2011), and Swedish Massage Therapist (Sweden,1993).

From 2003 – 2009 she operated as the head of studies for the specialization Movement Counseling at the Norwegian College of Dance. The specialization was a part of the bachelor's degree in dance and pedagogy, with in-depth modules in modern dance, authentic movement processes, therapeutic dance, and movement counseling. Anette is currently on the faculty of USN (2012 – present), where she teaches in dance, Kinetic awareness, education, didactics, anatomy, movement theory, phenomenology, and body-perspectives. Anette also teaches in the dance therapy degree program at USN's Drammen campus (2018 – present).

Anette has worked as a dancer, choreographer, and movement educator since 1977 in various institutions and independent groups both nationally and internationally. Anette is an educated dancer from Gothenburg's Ballet Academy (1989) and New York Dance Intensive (1995). She has worked as a dancer from 1983 – 2003. She was the artistic director of SOMADANSEPOESI (1995 – 2003), where she produced several full-evening programs with the support of Sweden's Cultural Council. Her work has been presented in Scandinavia and internationally.