SKAN is a method in bodyoriented psychotherapy that accompanies critical emotional and mental processes directly on the body—where the inner state is expressed subtly or clearly. Behind the broad spectrum of intervention options from vegetotherapy and Gestalt therapy lies a clear fundamental approach to always intuitively following the compass of relationship experience, rather than seeking to treat vulnerability and intimacy in a methodical and schematic manner.

Origin

SKAN originally emerged from the combination of Wilhelm Reich's vegetotherapy and the "Streaming Theatre" of Al Bauman. As a student of Reich in the USA since the 1950s, he practiced and expanded Reich's work, bringing it to Germany in the late 1970s with the help of Michael Smith. In Germany, the work found fertile ground in the Gestalt therapy scene, which led to the development of a first training class. In 1982, Jürgen Christian gave the work the name SKAN.

Skan is a term from the Lakota Indian language and literally means "that which moves." The same phenomenon is referred to in other cultures and traditions as "Ki," "Chi," or “Prana.” Various training centers have subsequently developed, each with a different approach. The publication of the first book on SKAN Intuitive Bodywork (1990) by Loil Neidhöfer and its translation also brought the work greater international popularity.
The largest number of trained SKAN therapists is the result of decades of training by Petra Mathes and Loil Neidhöfer, two pioneering psychotherapists, Gestalt therapists, and Skan therapists. As the SKAN Academy Hamburg, they developed their unique approach, a synthesis of Reichian bodywork, Gestalt therapy, and their own settings of breathwork, theater, and dance. There are an estimated 500 trained SKAN therapists in German-speaking countries, but only about 50 are practicing.