Dance & Movement Therapy

The Movement Of Dance

Dance and movement therapy integrates the physical experience of dance with the thinking experience of the mind. The integration opens in us an energetic feedback loop in which information can flow in both directions, between body and mind, and forms a common language.

Dance and movement therapy can help us close the gap between being, thinking, and doing. Turning all three into a single fully integrated expression. Put another way, the energetic and creative force within us which manifests as dance connects both mind and body.

Dance therapy defined

The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) was founded in 1966 and defined dance and movement therapy as “the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual, to improve health and wellbeing.”

Dance Integrates Body and Mind

From an evolutionary perspective, it is fair to say that most of us have a dysfunctional relationship between what our mind wants, as expressed through our thoughts, and what our body does to physically manifest those thoughts.

Between the mind-body exists the potential, indeed the need, to communicate to unify the mind’s intentions with the body’s actions. The idea of one part of us embodying the other part of us in a psycho-spiritual singularity is not unlike the practice of yoga.

What dance movement brings to the therapeutic table is a very special ingredient. The vibrational quality and resonance of music. It’s common knowledge that music and dance can induce a trance-like state affecting both mind and body.

Music changes our inner experience through resonance

Music changes our inner experience, especially when combined with the physicality of dance. It has been shown that music possesses a transforming power that can elevate mental and physical states and soften our emotions

A recent study published in Science Direct suggested that dance and movement therapists mostly selected music based on their assessment of their client’s psychodynamic needs and frequently used genres that were composed of music that was informed by the client’s age and cultural background.

The dance and music therapists believed it was important to consider the rhythm, tempo, and dynamics.

In addition, the process of attunement (joining vibrational frequencies) was discussed in the context of being able to form a positive feedback loop, sometimes resulting in a strong and resilient bond between the therapist and the client.

It was found that music can produce a resonance that establishes not only trust in the therapist but can also result in gratitude and wellbeing.

While music and dance are deeply connected art forms and music is frequently utilized in the practice of dance/movement therapy, little is known about how therapists apply it in their work and what their experiences are with music.

Resonance attunement in the music selection process

Other areas discussing the mind-body connection can be found in the following dentistry attunement article in which music is used to calm the patient. The article discusses the importance of selecting the right type of music and resonance qualities before the commencement of the actual physical work on the dental patient.

Paying attention to what our mind-body requires

Among many options of therapy that help maintain overall wellbeing and heal mental health issues, dance and movement therapy could be what your mind and body are seeking.

We wake up each day with plans lined up and choices to make almost constantly. How many of us pause to smell the morning air or feel our joints and muscles as they wake up with us?

When our bodies call out for help

Have you ever noticed the way your shoulders naturally rise in stressful situations or noticed how your spine curls slightly downward when you get nervous?

Have you paid attention to how different spaces and crowds of people affect the way you carry your body? Have you paid attention to how your body takes up space in environments that feel like home?

The Mind-Body Conversation

Your feelings are experiences. Experience is the information your body interprets, sometimes even sooner than your mind can process. The space between mind and body comes together when movement becomes dance, and dance becomes therapy.

The thoughts that move through our minds move through our bodies. When the mind suffers, so does the body. It is as if mind and body are mutually engaged in a single conversation. A story that one is telling the other – a story that can be expressed and understood through dance.

Movement is expressive and informing

Movement allows people to communicate, express, and serve functional purposes like traveling, eating, reaching, grabbing, etc. It has been an innate human behavior since birth.

Children use movements to signal adults of what they want, what they need, and how they feel. Movement is communication and as such is a vital part of our wellbeing.

Wellness is Multi-Dimensional

Our wellness is multi-dimensional and includes aspects of our physical and mental health, social health, financial health, health, spiritual health, etc.

Information overload

As we grow, the information load increases, and our attention is directed toward the thoughts we have or the emotions we feel, but often, it is forgotten that both our thoughts and emotions are stored in our bodies as well.

The fast-paced lives in which we live cause us to crave peace and balance. So many details of our day slip away without paying much attention to them. Our brain blocks out some memories, stores others, and can even reconstruct them depending on our emotional states.

Stress and negative emotions

When faced with the stress and anxiety of going through one troubling event after another, the capacity of our mind alone to process the entire load can harm our health and prevent us from restoring our wellbeing.

It is natural for our brain to repress negative memories to protect ourselves. In doing so, painful memories travel through our bodies, and our muscles retain them in an unprocessed state.

The integration of emotional, social, cognitive, and physical health is the ground premise of specific movement practices, including dance therapy.

Dance and movement therapy are among multiple wellness practices that help support and nurture our ability to balance ourselves in an increasingly busy and challenging world.

The History of Dance and Movement Therapy

Dance and movement therapy was developed around the 1940s and 1950s by exploring dance and improvisation beyond just its movements. Dance was seen for its potential to possess positive psychological and emotional benefits.

Other disciplines, such as cultural anthropology, psychodynamics, and neuromotor sciences, added to our understanding of dance and movement therapy.

The psychological healing therapy of dance

So many of our external expressions are reflections of our internal experiences. Our body learns behaviors from thoughts and emotions. These thoughts and feelings get translated into our physical postures, gestures, and body usage.

It is now recognized that dance and movement can “unlock” suppressed experiences and that healing and positive changes could happen during this physical-psychological process.

Dance and movement therapy are not dance lessons

Many pioneers of the field were accomplished dancers who began to realize that certain types of physical movement had significant therapeutic value.

• Registered therapists can only teach dance therapy sessions.
• Dance therapy sessions intend to create a safe space where people feel comfortable and empowered to move freely in their bodies.
• In different cases, therapists would alternate and specialize class content to serve the participants’ needs.

Benefits of Dance and Movement Therapy

Dance and movement therapists offer regular classes as a way to maintain an individual’s wellbeing and provide specialized sessions to different populations as well.

Some therapists specialize and are experienced in working with military veterans, adolescents with eating disorders, children with autism spectrum disorder, seniors, older adults with mild dementia, or people with anxiety and depression.

Medical studies on the benefits of dance therapy

The medical case for dance therapy

• empowerment to express bodily
• stress reduction
• body awareness
• chronic pain relief
• improvement in communication
• improvement of self-esteem and self-compassion
• mood management
• anxiety support/reduction

Common themes for dance and movement therapy

• self-expression
• self-connection
• self-compassion
• body awareness
• social connections

Registered professionals teach dance and movement therapy

Dance and movement therapists have to go through educational pursuits in either approved graduate programs by the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) or a Master’s program with focused training from qualified teachers in dance and movement therapy.

Requirements for this route also include dance experience, movement observation and assessment, psychology courses, internship, and fieldwork.

The dance and movement therapist’s credential is called Registered Dance/Movement Therapist. In the United States, the expected duration of the graduate program, if done full-time, is two to three years.

The Healing Therapies of Movement

Watch Ekin Bernay Performance Artist and Psychotherapist Demonstrate Therapeutic Dance Movement:

Finding registered dance and movement therapists

• Nursing homes
• Psychiatric Practices
• Drug treatment centers
• Counseling and crisis centers
• Alternative healthcare centers

Dance therapy and medical disorders include:

• Eating disorders
• Developmental Disabilities
• Childhood Anxiety/Mood/Behavior Disorders
• Dementia
• Mental Disorders
• Drug/Alcohol Abuse
• Physical Disabilities

National Center For Dance Therapy

The National Centre for Dance Therapy is based in Canada. Its website provides insightful content, including research, presentations, video recordings of training, blog articles, and access to registered therapists.

Closing Thoughts

Any type of healing therapy or treatment holds different elements that make it more or less the right choice for you and your needs at the time. There are no better or worse treatments, but rather more or less suitable ones.

Your body is your home

Experiencing a life crisis could make everything internally and externally feel off-balanced. You feel and experience pain and discomfort within your own body. You also deserve to feel at home, to feel safe, to feel that you belong, and to feel free in your body.

The body speaks to us more than we are willing to acknowledge. Not only does our body constantly work to keep us alive, but it also archives our memories and emotional history.

Dance and Movement Therapy evolved to empower your bodily self-expression and self-connection. Especially during difficult times, your mind, body, and heart must align and stay engaged and in communication.

Achieving this balance allows you to think clearer, manage your emotions easier, and build a stronger, more vital life.

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