A Brief Treatment on Topic of Dance Therapy

Somatic Psychology and Dance/Movement Therapy constitute a rapidly emerging field based on body-mind-spirit integration in greater field of psychotherapy. This brief treatment of field is designed to serve as a cursory introduction to application of Dance/Movement Therapy (D/MT) as a treatment tool.

“Dance Therapy is a form of psychotherapy, differentiated from traditional psychotherapy in that it utilizes psychomotor expression as its major mode of intervention. Its basic premise is that body movement reflects inner emotional states, and that changes in movement behavior can lead to changes in psyche, thus promoting health and growth…to regain a sense of wholeness by experiencing fundamental unity of body, mind, and spirit is ultimate goal of dance therapy” (Levy, xi p.1)

One assumption that Dance/Movement Therapists make is that “all movement is reflective of both intrapsychic dynamics and one’s socially evolved mode of relating. Dance Therapy, therefore, deals with personality as it is made manifest in movement behavior, and attempts to make changes on this level” Schmais, p. 26). “The Dance Therapist is able to recognize what [the client’s] limitations are in order to develop, through movement, a broader movement repertoire to better cope with everyday life. The premise is that a wide repertoire of movement and response is a sign of health, because one is then able to alternate means of dealing with stress” (p.27).

From my clinical experience I have come to believe that body contains inherent wisdom and health. A person can realize this wisdom, this potential, when body, psyche and spirit are connected. As body contains our memories, we have ability to access and heal these memories through movement sequencing. I maintain perspective that when painful memories are repressed, they promote mental illness. Illness can be seen as a detachment or splitting-off from one’s physical self to avoid certain sensations or emotions. This split creates a body-psyche separation and can manifest in a variety of clinical disorders (such as depression, eating disorders, addiction, and dissociative identity disorders, among others). D/MT is a powerful tool for body/psyche integration.

Christine Caldwell, author and founder of Somatic Psychology department at Naropa University, states “any recovery is incomplete until we reinhabit and enjoy being in our bodies” (p.9). Recovery involves “not just absence of disease, but a gutsy, full-bodied, vibrant celebration of life, an actual experience of pleasure in events of life, a rejoicing in being here that makes us all poets and dancers, lovers and painters, humanitarians of highest order (p.9)” I endeavor to empower my clients with this experience.

When average person hears word “ephedra” they generally think of two things: “weight loss” and “banned.” The millions of people who have safely used ephedra to burn fat and lose weight were devastated when U.S. ephedra ban was imposed in early 2004. The FDA was claiming a high death rate attributed to use (or misuse) of ephedra and ephedrine (the main “active” ingredient in ephedra plant). However, further research showed that only five of these deaths could be attributed to ephedra use, so ban was lifted. To put number of adverse events into perspective, consider that over 12 million people reportedly used ephedra during 1999.