Terlusollogy

Terlusollogy® (German: Terlusollogie) is a registered trademark and the name of a pseudoscientific doctrine of two dichotomous breathing and constitution types. The artificial word is derived from Latin terra ('earth'), luna ('moon') and sol ('sun'), combined with the Greek lógos ('word', 'doctrine'). The doctrine was first formulated by the violinist Erich Wilk (1915–2000) and later propagated by the German physicians Charlotte Hagena (1909–2016) and her son Christian Hagena (born 1948). It is mainly spread in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The core claim of Terlusollogy is that the sun and the moon exert a lifelong influence on a person, manifesting in one of two breathing types: the lunar inhaler type and the solar exhaler type. The type is determined by the position of the sun in the yearly cycle and the phase of the moon at the moment of birth or first independent breathing, in a manner analogous to natal astrology. The lunar share is assumed to range from 1% at new moon to 99% at full moon, and the solar share from 1% at the winter solstice (21 December) to 99% at the summer solstice (21 June). If the difference between the two rhythms on the day of birth is too small for a clear determination, various questions and exercises are used instead. There are no intermediate types. The two breathing types are said to differ primarily in how they breathe — different use of the chest versus abdominal space and different emphasis on inhalation versus exhalation. As a consequence, two distinct constitution types are claimed to develop, differing in posture, movement, movement needs, nutrition, water needs, sleep position, handedness, learning type and chronotype. Persistent deviation from the type-specific characteristics is claimed to lead to reduced performance, health impairment and disease; for professional musicians, 'constantly type-contrary postures' are said to lead 'inevitably' to career failure. In practice, Terlusollogy centers on the connections between breathing, posture and movement, using a series of twelve body exercises for each of the two breathing types. These exercises are said to stimulate the accessory breathing muscles through targeted movements or postures and, when performed exactly and regularly, to promote an economical self-organization of the body with regard to breathing, posture and movement, including fine motor skills. The doctrine also gives recommendations on general lifestyle and on medical matters — the latter being potentially dangerous if necessary, science-based treatments are omitted in the belief in Terlusollogy's efficacy. Terlusollogical methods are applied in singing and voice work, instrumental playing, various Asian techniques, pedagogy, alternative medicine and business coaching. Scientifically, Terlusollogy is classified as a pseudoscience. There are no scientific studies by Terlusollogists validating the doctrine, while two critical scientific works exist: a diploma thesis by the singer, speaker and voice trainer Frederik Beyer, who surveyed about 500 subjects anonymously via the internet and concluded that the examined assumptions of Terlusollogy are false and the doctrine must be called a pseudoscience; and a book by the social pedagogue and social informatician Uwe Janatzek, who used Terlusollogy as an example of pseudoscience to illustrate the demarcation problem for students of social work, warning of the dilution of science and practice by questionable doctrines and methods such as homeopathy, NLP, kinesiology, shamanism and family constellations. The word 'Terlusollogie' is registered as a trademark.

Terlusollogy traces its origins to the observations of the violinist Erich Wilk (1915–2000). Wilk, described as exceptionally intelligent and an extremely talented violinist, noticed that teachers at master classes he attended at Berlin University held the bow in different ways yet still produced a perfect and pure sound. He also noticed that he himself found it easy to play without music when the moon was waxing, but very difficult when the moon was waning. Upon graduating, Wilk was called up when World War II broke out and posted to the Sahara. He was soon captured and sent to a prisoner of war camp, where he stayed until the end of the war. During this period he observed that some inmates coped very well with the hot dry climate whereas others fell ill, and that some felt great when there was a full moon and others when there was a new moon. An excellent observer, he noticed several indications of the rivalry between sun and moon. From this he concluded that, depending on the time of its birth, a baby is either an inhaler or an exhaler: if the moon is higher than the sun (lunar energy = principle of expansion), the newborn is an inhaler, i.e. affected by the moon; if the sun is higher than the moon (solar energy = principle of contraction), the newborn is an exhaler, i.e. affected by the sun. In the 1960s, Dr. Charlotte Hagena (b. 1909) suffered from serious cardiac insufficiency. She was given digitalis and told to drink plenty of coffee. This treatment was ineffective and her condition continued to deteriorate. Eventually she was admitted to a sanatorium in Bad Pyrmont (Germany), headed at the time by Dr. Schaefer-Schulmeyer. According to the official account, this lady was working with the concepts that would become Terlusollogy. Charlotte Hagena later became one of the doctrine's principal proponents, together with her son Christian Hagena (born 1948), a German physician. The doctrine was given the artificial name 'Terlusollogie', derived from Latin terra ('earth'), luna ('moon') and sol ('sun'), plus Greek lógos ('word', 'doctrine'), and the word was registered as a trademark. The doctrine postulates two dichotomous breathing and constitution types — the lunar inhaler type and the solar exhaler type — determined by the position of the sun in the yearly cycle and the phase of the moon at the moment of birth or first independent breathing, in a manner analogous to natal astrology. The lunar share is assumed to range from 1% at new moon to 99% at full moon, and the solar share from 1% at the winter solstice (21 December) to 99% at the summer solstice (21 June). If the difference between the two rhythms on the day of birth is too small for a clear determination, various questions and exercises are used. There are no intermediate types. The two types are said to differ in their use of chest versus abdominal space and in the emphasis on inhalation versus exhalation, and consequently in posture, movement, movement needs, nutrition, water needs, sleep position, handedness, learning type and chronotype. Persistent deviation from type-specific characteristics is claimed to lead to reduced performance, health impairment and disease; for professional musicians, 'constantly type-contrary postures' are said to lead 'inevitably' to career failure. Practically, Terlusollogy centers on the connections between breathing, posture and movement, using a series of twelve body exercises for each of the two breathing types. These exercises are said to stimulate the accessory breathing muscles through targeted movements or postures and, when performed exactly and regularly, to promote an economical self-organization of the body with regard to breathing, posture and movement, including fine motor skills. The doctrine also gives recommendations on general lifestyle and on medical matters — the latter being potentially dangerous if necessary, science-based treatments are omitted in the belief in Terlusollogy's efficacy. Terlusollogical methods are applied in singing and voice, instrumental playing, various Asian techniques, pedagogy, alternative medicine and business coaching. The doctrine is mainly spread in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Scientifically, Terlusollogy is classified as a pseudoscience. There are no scientific studies by Terlusollogists validating the doctrine, while two critical scientific works exist. The singer, speaker and voice trainer Frederik Beyer surveyed about 500 subjects anonymously via the internet for his diploma thesis and concluded that the examined assumptions of Terlusollogy are false and the doctrine must be called a pseudoscience. The social pedagogue and social informatician Uwe Janatzek used Terlusollogy in his book 'Pseudowissenschaft Terlusollogie. Ein Beitrag zum Demarkationsproblem für Studierende der Sozialen Arbeit' as an example of pseudoscience to illustrate the demarcation problem for students of social work, warning of the dilution of science and practice by questionable doctrines and methods such as homeopathy, NLP, kinesiology, shamanism and family constellations. Literature on the subject includes Christian Hagena's 'Grundlagen der Terlusollogie. Praktische Anwendung eines bipolaren Konstitutionsmodells' (3rd edition, Haug im MVH, Stuttgart 2009), Frederik Beyer's 'Lunar? Solar? Kritisch-rationale Untersuchung der Terlusollogie und deren Konsequenzen für die gesangspädagogische Praxis' (GRIN, München 2012), Michael Pezenburg's 'Stimmbildung. Wissenschaftliche Grundlagen-Didaktik-Methodik' (Wißner Verlag Augsburg 2015, chapter on complementary methods/special case Terlusollogy, pp. 183–192), and Uwe Janatzek's 'Pseudowissenschaft Terlusollogie®. Ein Beitrag zum Demarkationsproblem für Studierende der Sozialen Arbeit' (Diplomica Verlag GmbH Hamburg 2017).

• Erich Wilk (1915–2000) formulates the theory of breathing types after observations at Berlin University master classes and in a prisoner of war camp in the Sahara during World War II.

• In the 1960s, Dr. Charlotte Hagena (b. 1909) is treated for serious cardiac insufficiency at a sanatorium in Bad Pyrmont, Germany, where she encounters the concepts that would become Terlusollogy.

• Charlotte Hagena and her son Christian Hagena (born 1948) become the principal proponents of the doctrine.

• The artificial word 'Terlusollogie' is registered as a trademark.

• Christian Hagena publishes 'Grundlagen der Terlusollogie. Praktische Anwendung eines bipolaren Konstitutionsmodells' (3rd edition, Haug im MVH, Stuttgart 2009).

• Frederik Beyer publishes 'Lunar? Solar? Kritisch-rationale Untersuchung der Terlusollogie und deren Konsequenzen für die gesangspädagogische Praxis' (GRIN, München 2012), concluding the doctrine is a pseudoscience.

• Michael Pezenburg discusses Terlusollogy in 'Stimmbildung. Wissenschaftliche Grundlagen-Didaktik-Methodik' (Wißner Verlag Augsburg 2015, pp. 183–192).

• Uwe Janatzek publishes 'Pseudowissenschaft Terlusollogie®. Ein Beitrag zum Demarkationsproblem für Studierende der Sozialen Arbeit' (Diplomica Verlag GmbH Hamburg 2017).

A registered trademark and alternative-medicine doctrine positioning itself as a bipolar constitution model linking breathing, posture and movement to sun and moon at birth; classified by critics as pseudoscience.

• Terlusollogy® doctrine of two breathing types (lunar inhaler, solar exhaler)

• Twelve body exercises for each breathing type

• Type-determination questions and exercises

• Lifestyle and medical recommendations

• Book: Christian Hagena, 'Grundlagen der Terlusollogie' (2009)

• Book: Frederik Beyer, 'Lunar? Solar?' (2012)

• Book: Uwe Janatzek, 'Pseudowissenschaft Terlusollogie®' (2017)

1. 1» Introductionterlusollogie.ch
2. 2Terlusollogywikidata.org
3. 3Terlusollogiede.wikipedia.org