Published on：2025-08-01
July 19, 2025, Shenzhen
In a landmark event, The "Psychomotor and Rehabilitation" course has officially
kicked off in the first cohort of the ISRP DBA in Health Psychology in Shenzhen, China. This milestone not only welcomes China's first DBA cohort into ISRP's global
community but also inaugurates doctoral-level education by ISRP in China, introducing a "third force" integrating Eastern and Western wisdom into the nation's
mental health landscape. During the opening ceremony, French experts shared
disciplinary insights, while the Chinese Academic Dean delivered a profound keynote
speech titled "The Epochal Mission of Psychomotor Rehabilitation: Rebuilding
Resilience and Wisdom in Body-Mind Civilization," resonating deeply with attendees.
French Expertise: Legacy and Professional Excellence
Sandy, a seasoned French psychomotor therapist, warmly welcomed China's pioneering doctoral cohort. Holding French state-certified credentials and an international Master's degree, Sandy specializes in rehabilitating neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., Alzheimer's, Parkinson's) and severe adolescent autism. His expertise spans clinical practice (homecare and private clinics) and professional advocacy (as a French rehabilitation association delegate), alongside his role as an ISRP instructor. Sandy outlined psychomotor rehabilitation's evolution: first defined in France (1959), formalized through ISRP's founding (1967)—France's primary training hub— recognized by a state diploma (1974), and expanded via an international association (1979). Integrated into France's paramedical sector (1995), it became integral to national health planning post-2000, serving all age groups. ISRP's collaboration with China began in 2015 (Shanghai team), earning the International Rehabilitation Association's Outstanding Achievement Award (2023). This Shenzhen-based DBA—launched with Shenzhen University's Belt and Road Institute and UNIMA—is ISRP's first and only DBA program in China, enrolling 29 pioneers. ISRP's global footprint extends to Kazakhstan and Dubai (since 2022),underscoring its international reach.
Chinese Insights: Contemporary Challenges and Disciplinary Mission
Dr. Wu Yanmu, Academic Dean of ISRP DBA in Health Psychology (China), addressed China's mental health crisis in a penetrating speech: 500 million insomniacs, 24 million depression cases, and alarming adolescent self-harm rates (one incident every 10 minutes). She highlighted a "civilizational imbalance where the body outruns the soul," fueled by rapid GDP growth (1.4% annual urbanization), "996" work culture, and involution, noting how traditional "endurance" philosophy breeds "emotional illiteracy." With 250 million needing psychological intervention yet severe shortages (1.49 psychiatrists per 100,000 people), she stressed that health psychology is not a luxury but a "survival imperative," urging a shift from "mending fractures" to "cultivating resilience."
"Health psychology in China is not a luxury but a survival imperative. We must shift from mending fractures to cultivating resilience."
Dean Wu positioned psychomotor rehabilitation as a timely "third force" blending awareness, strengths, and embodiment, tasked to "help China's sprinting bodies rediscover the soul's rhythm."
Action Framework: Building a Multi-Dimensional Mental Health Ecosystem
Dean Wu urged doctoral candidates to become "ecosystem rebuilders" and "resilience gardeners," proposing:
Societal Level: Forge "neuro-inclusive" communities—transforming homes into healing spaces, offices into resilience hubs, and cities into supportive ecosystems.
Family Revolution: Shatter the "53% of families converse <15 minutes daily" norm. Prescribe: 1) 30-minute device-free family dinners daily, 2) "Rose & Thorn" dialogue (sharing gratitude/frustrations), 3) Unconditional hugs for children.
Individual Action: Master "micro-restorative techniques," e.g., a 3-minute commute mindfulness practice: 1) Sense feet grounding, 2) Feel nasal breath flow, 3) Silently bless passersby
Disciplinary Value: Embodied Practice and Integrated Innovation
The Dean elucidated psychomotor rehabilitation's unique value: healing occurs where cognition, emotion, and body resonate. This complements—not replaces— mindfulness or positive psychology, forming a "golden triangle." She envisioned applications: programmers decompressing in gravity chambers, left-behind childrenexpressing through tactile sandplay, elders recalling memories via old photos— "sowing seeds of enduring mental spring within modernity's gear gaps.
Solemn Commencement: Oaths and a Luminous Future
Citing Tagore ("Don’t break the glass; forge the steel") and Jung ("Making the unconscious conscious"), Dean Wu inspired attendees with Song Dynasty Chan Master Chailing Yu’s verse: "I possess a luminous pearl.../Illuminating ten thousand mountains and rivers." The inaugural cohort then solemnly pledged the "Oath of the Heart-Mind Path," vowing to integrate body-mind-environment-spirit through awareness, connection, courage, humility, and reverence. The ceremony culminated as participants lit ISRP bracelets symbolizing the "inner psychological light," launching a "gentle revolution to ensure even the most vulnerable ride the era’s train with dignity." History may yet show that nations preserving inner "peaceful homeostasis" amidst chaos emerge as true victors.
History may yet show that nations preserving inner "peaceful homeostasis" amidst chaos emerge as true victors.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
ISRP China's first DBA inauguration transcends academia—it plants a seed of Franco-Chinese wisdom for "healing through movement" amid China’s escalating psychosocial needs. These 29 pioneers shoulder a historic mission: exploring locally attuned "body-mind harmony solutions" and elevating national "psychological literacy." Following this successful launch, ISRP China announces recruitment for its second cohort of DBA in Health Psychology! We invite professionals committed to revolutionizing China’s mental health landscape and pioneering integrated mind-body rehabilitation. Join us to nurture more "resilience gardeners," blend Franco-Chinese wisdom, and co-write Healthy China’s next chapter.
Admissions Contact
ISRP Global: https://www.isrp.fr/
China Admissions Portal: https://yxcx.cscse.edu.cn/rzyxmd2ISRP
DBA Program Website: isrpphd.com
DBA Program Email: contact-dba@isrp.fr
DBA Academic Affairs Office Phone：+86 18676133494
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