A Brief History
From post-war Norway to Britain in 1968 — the origins of biodynamic massage.
Biodynamic massage was created by Gerda Boyesen, a Norwegian psychologist and physiotherapist, who brought the approach to Britain in 1968. It emerged not from theory alone, but from decades of clinical observation and hands-on work with patients.
The influence of Wilhelm Reich
The intellectual roots of the work reach back to Wilhelm Reich, a former student of Freud who settled in Norway in 1935. Reich proposed that unresolved emotional conflict becomes lodged in the body as chronic muscular tension — what he called muscular armouring — and he pioneered therapeutic methods using touch, movement and breath to address it.
Gerda Boyesen's path
While studying psychology at Oslo University, Boyesen undertook a training analysis with a psychiatrist connected to Reich's circle. The experience convinced her that working with the body belonged at the heart of psychological therapy.
Working later as a clinical psychologist in Norwegian psychiatric hospitals, she noticed that patients who received massage seemed to change in striking ways. Determined to understand this, she trained as a physiotherapist herself.
The birth of biodynamic psychology
Bringing her two professions together in private practice, Boyesen systematically developed Biodynamic Psychology — a holistic framework for therapy in which biodynamic massage is a fundamental component. After her move to London in 1968, the approach took root in Britain, where it continues to be taught, practised and developed today.
Go deeper
For a fuller account, download Bernd Eiden's talk from the journal archive:
Continue reading: the theoretical principles that grew from this history.