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Therapies
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Dance Therapy
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Medicomm.net
Dance Therapy, also
referred to as Movement Therapy, is the psychotherapeutic use of
movement as a process to further the emotional, cognitive,
social and physical integration of the individual. Its benefits
are similar to those of music therapy. The two can be powerful
individually, or as complementary therapies.
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What Is It?
Dance
therapy (also called dance/movement
therapy) is the use of
choreographed or improvised movement as a way of treating
social, emotional, cognitive, and physical problems.
Throughout the ages, people of many cultures have used dance
to express powerful emotions, tell stories, treat illness,
celebrate important events, and maintain communal bonds.
Dance therapy harnesses this power of movement in a
therapeutic setting and uses it to promote personal growth,
health, and well-being.
Dance as
therapy came into existence as a marriage of sorts between
modern dance and psychiatry. Its was pioneered by Marian
Chace (1896-1970), who studied
dance in New York City before establishing her own studio in
Washington, DC, in the 1930s. Because Chase's dance classes
provided unique opportunities for self-expression,
communication, and group interaction, psychiatrists in
Washington began sending patients to her.
By the
mid-1940s Chase was giving lectures and demonstrations, and
other professional dancers soon followed her lead, using
dance to help people with an array of emotional, mental, and
physical problems. It was not until 1966, when the American
Dance Therapy Association (ADTA)
was founded, that dance therapy gained professional
recognition. Today the ADTA has nearly 1,200 members in 46
states and 20 countries around the world.
How Does It Work?
Dance therapy is
based on the premise that the body and mind are
interrelated. Dance therapists believe that mental and
emotional problems are often held in the body in the form of
muscle tension and constrained movement patterns.
Conversely, they believe that the state of the body can
affect attitude and feelings, both positively and
negatively.
Dance movements
promote healing in a number of ways. Moving as a group
brings people out of isolation, creates powerful social and
emotional bonds, and generates the good feelings that come
from being with others. Moving rhythmically eases muscular
rigidity, diminishes anxiety, and increases energy. Moving
spontaneously helps people learn to recognize and trust
their impulses, and to act on or contain them as they
choose. Moving creatively encourages self-expression and
opens up new ways of thinking and doing.
On a purely
physical level, dance therapy provides the benefits of
exercise: improved health, well-being, coordination, and
muscle tone. On an emotional level, it helps people feel
more joyful and confident, and allows them to explore such
issues as anger, frustration, and loss that may be too
difficult to explore verbally. On a mental level, dance
therapy seeks to enhance cognitive skills, motivation, and
memory.
Dance therapists
can also address specific problems in specific ways. For
example, to help a patient reduce stress, a dance therapist
would first identify how the person's body reacts to stress,
then explore specific movement techniques to increase
circulation, deepen breathing, and reduce muscle tension.
What You Can Expect
Your dance therapy
experience will depend on your ailment, whether you work
with a dance therapist in private practice or in the context
of a treatment team, and whether you are the only patient or
part of a group. And naturally different dance therapists
have different styles. You need absolutely no previous dance
training to benefit from dance therapy.
Generally
speaking, however, for the initial consultation, you will
meet with the dance therapist in a dance studio. You should
wear comfortable clothing for this and all subsequent
sessions. First, the therapist will talk with you about your
needs and your reasons for wanting treatment. Next, the
therapist may ask you to walk around the studio in order to
analyze your body shape, posture, and movements: Is your
body erect or caved in? Do you reach out or hold yourself
in? Do you move in a fluid or restricted way? Finally, the
dance therapist will discuss your treatment goals with you,
and the two of you might arrive at an agreement regarding
the duration and nature of the therapy. You should review
your goals with the therapist periodically to see if you are
meeting them.
In your regular
sessions, your dance therapist will watch you dance,
encourage you to express your feelings through movement,
and, at times, imitate your movements (this is called
"empathic mirroring") to establish rapport and make you feel
accepted. The therapist may also try to help you connect
your thoughts, feelings, and memories to your movements.
If you are part of
a dance therapy group, the dance therapist will typically
assess how the group works together--how you all interact
and share emotional expression through movement--and
intervene or direct the action accordingly. For example, the
therapist might introduce the idea of leading and following
to help draw a member of the group out of isolation or
self-preoccupation. The dance therapist might also employ
equipment such as beanbags, balls, and stretch cloths to
explore a theme, such as trust.
TThe number of
sessions, both for individual and group work, will vary. You
might have to commit to at least six months of treatment,
depending on your ailment. The sessions are usually weekly,
although this can vary as well.
Health Benefits
Dance therapy has
a broad range of health benefits. It has been demonstrated
to be clinically effective at improving body image,
self-esteem, attentiveness, and communication skills. It can
also reduce stress, fears and anxieties, as well as lessen
feelings of isolation, body tension, chronic pain, and
depression. In addition it can enhance the functioning of
the body's circulatory and respiratory systems.
Dance
therapy has also been shown to benefit adolescent and adult
psychiatric patients, the learning disabled, the visually
and hearing impaired, the mentally handicapped, and the
elderly (especially those in nursing
homes).
PProponents of
dance therapy claim that it has also been used successfully
to help people deal with brain injury, AIDS, arthritis,
amputation, stroke, cancer, and a number of other physical
ailments.
How To Choose a Practitioner
Dance therapists work independently or as part of a
treatment team, which might include an M.D., psychiatrist, psychologist, and/or
other health-care provider. Whichever you prefer, your primary-care physician
might be able to provide a referral. In addition, the American Dance Therapy
Association (ADTA) in Columbia, Maryland, maintains
a registry of dance therapists who meet specific educational and clinical
practice standards. These include:
Dance
Therapy Registered (DTR). This designation is
granted by the ADTA to entry-level dance therapists who have a master's degree
and have completed 700 hours of supervised clinical internship. DTR therapists
are qualified for employment as dance therapists, but cannot work in private
practice.
Academy
of Dance Therapists Registered (ADTR).. This
advanced designation is granted by the ADTA to DTRs who have completed 3,640
hours of supervised clinical work in an agency, institution, or special school,
and have met various other requirements. ADTR therapists are qualified to engage
in private practice.
Cautions
If you have a physical or
psychological ailment, consult your primary-care physician
first. Your physician can refer you to a dance therapist or
supervise your care as part of a treatment team that includes a
dance therapist.
It is important to find a dance
therapist with whom you feel comfortable, since the dance
therapy experience involves spontaneity, trust, and the
expression of sometimes difficult emotions.
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