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Journey Through Life Phases: An Anthroposophic Approach
An Introductory Course to Biographical Work
Next course start: September 28, 2026
Registration will begin shortly.
The biography course introduces a framework for understanding the nature of human biographical development based on anthroposophical knowledge and supported by physiological and psychological research. Within six online sessions, we explore the nine life epochs from birth to the age of 63. A new session has been introduced in this year’s course, focusing on the role of health and illness in our biography.
Our individual life stories unfold through developmental rhythms and stages. How we travel through these stages is intensely personal, yet the stages themselves are universal to the human experience. Understanding more fully the characteristics and qualities of each stage in human maturation of body, soul, and spirit can help us to understand not only ourselves more fully, but also promotes a deepening of our interest in and understanding of others.
In our study together, we will consider:
· the deeper understanding of each stage based on Rudolf Steiner’s ideas of the human being and the supporting archetypes as seen in cultural customs around the world
· delving into your own personal life story
· learning from each other’s life stories, with our group consisting of participants from all around the world, providing a truly rich diversity of perspectives on how life can be
· exploring the role of illness and health in our biography (new)
· practicing basic therapeutic listening skills (e.g., how my listening helps or hinders someone to speak, how I can listen to different soul aspects in an experience)
· in each session, we will introduce a “tool” for therapeutic listening, based on the seven healing aspects of the planets (new)
The guided online course is divided into six sessions. Each session lasts approximately 2.5 hours.
Mondays, 7 to 9:30 am UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)
Dates of the online sessions
Session 1: Introduction and First Life Phase 0-7: Arriving on Planet Earth
September 28, 2026
Session 2: Second Life Phase 7-14:
My World Grows Bigger
October 26, 2026
Session 3: Third Life Phase 14-21:
Preparing for My Own Life
November 23, 2026
Session 4: Soul Development from 21 to 42:
Getting to Know the World and Myself Anew
December 7, 2026
Session 5: Lifephases from 42 and Onwards: Taking Charge in Creating the Future
January 11, 2027
Session 6: Why me? Finding meaning in health crises. The role of health and illness in our biography
February 8, 2027
Each of the six sessions will include one hour of theory, followed by a practical exercise focusing on an aspect of your own biography. In each session, we aim to deepen your feeling for the developmental timeframe explored. Each exercise includes individual work followed by sharing within a small group. The sharing portion of the exercise is structured to ensure that each person has time to speak and listen. It starts with a brief introduction to therapeutic listening tools, so that we learn to create a safe space in the course and potentially support your own practice at home. At the close of the small group work, everyone will come together to briefly report on their group’s findings and for general questions. This course is conducted only in English.
The course aims to be an introduction to anthroposophic biography work and an opportunity for you to learn more about your own biography. It provides a deepening of the biographical aspects introduced in Foundation Studies and the Clinical Case Course. It is open to participants of these courses, as well as to other interested health professionals who already have some working knowledge of anthroposophic healthcare.
Please note that this course is not a complete training to enable you to work therapeutically with patients.
Questions & Answers
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This course is intended for health professionals and others with a basic working knowledge of anthroposophic healthcare. It is open to participants of Foundation Studies and the Clinical Case Course, as well as to other interested professionals.
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The course is conducted in English.
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The course consists of six guided online sessions. Each session includes one hour of theory followed by practical biographical exercises, individual reflection, and structured small-group sharing.
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Six sessions (from September to February). Each session lasts approximately 2.5 hours.
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This course is not a complete training qualification for therapeutic work with patients.
It provides the basics of working with biography from an anthroposophical perspective, as well as therapeutic listening tools.
Its aim is to deepen your professional practice as a therapist, teacher, or doctor and to improve your relationship with your own biography.
It does not constitute a full training program qualifying participants to work therapeutically with patients.
The course is led by Carine Biessels. Carine was born in Switzerland and spent most of her youth in the Netherlands. She moved to England in her early twenties to study biographical counselling and was fascinated by the positive approach to truly living and actively engaging with one's life story while therapeutically addressing past experiences. To deepen her understanding of anthroposophic therapy and medicine, she decided to move to Germany in her thirthies to study Human Medicine at the University of Witten/Herdecke and at the Eugen-Kolisko Akademie in Stuttgart. Since then, she has taught in many postgraduate training programmes at the University of Witten/Herdecke and at the postgraduate course of therapeutic-medical aspects of biography work in Kassel. In her daily life, she works as a biographical counsellor and as a medical doctor in a psychosomatic and psychiatric clinic.
Carine is a member of the Clinical Case Course study board at the Arlesheim Academy.
Contact:
Katrin Oesteroth
E-mail address: info@arlesheim-academy.ch