Music,movement, and emotions: an inquiry with suggestions for the practice of dance/movement therapy

ABSTRACT

Emotions play a significant role in our lives. While the literature has shed some light on how emotions are evoked, not all aspects are well understood. Music and dance or movement have been shown to stimulate an aesthetic or emotional response and seem to affect each other. However, these cross-modal influences have only been studied in individuals who are passively engaged . Missing are accounts of how music affects dancers and moving affects making music, a gap which is especially salient considering the frequent application of music during dance/movement therapy sessions. In this paper, I present a vignette from a creative arts studio class and subsequently describe the use of a heuristic arts-informed methodology as a means of gaining greater understanding about the connection between music and movement and their influences on emotions. I connect extant literature to my own findings and derive suggestions for the field of dance/movement therapy.     

Treatment modalities and self-expectancy of therapists: Modes,self-efficacy and imagination of clients in dance movement therapy

Body movement is the primary medium in which dance/movement therapists help clients to connect with implicit experience, to tolerate and express emotion, and thereby to continuously re-work, re-weave and integrate embodied experiences of self. This article explores the role of non-verbal vocalisation within the overall movement ecology of the body, and suggests ways that it can support the aforementioned processes in clinical practice. Three existing frameworks for understanding the non-verbal voice are reviewed, from within and outside the realm of psychotherapy, as are several comprehensive theoretical studies of the ‘self’ in dance/movement therapy. The author emphasises that voice is an integral part of the body's cross-modal capacity for expressive movement, and suggests that the non-verbal voice prioritises and gives form to the emotional content of other bodily movement. This article aims to provide a theoretical starting place for integrating the non-verbal voice into dance/movement therapy scholarship and practice.     

Opposites attract: holistic emotional regulation using dance/movement therapy and the doshas in Ayurveda

This model presents a collaborative and holistic perspective on dance/movement therapy (D/MT) and Ayurveda. This approach suggests that the dance/movement therapist takes into account all range and manner of an individual’s movement repertoire and uses these observations to construct therapeutic interventions that build upon body types and movement preferences represented in Ayurveda. Both D/MT and Ayurveda share the value of achieving a sense of regulation through the use of opposite qualities of movement, which will be explored in depth through the lenses of Laban Movement Analysis and the Kestenberg Movement Profile. Several examples of interventions the therapist might utilise are provided. Further considerations exploring the growth of this model in the future and limitations are also included in this article.     

Kinaesthetic narratives: Interpretations for children's dance movement therapy process

The present case study was aimed at producing research-based information on developmental dance movement therapy (DMT) in Finland. The hypothesis was that DMT enables non-verbal and verbal expression in children at risk of social displacement and long-term learning disabilities. A dance movement therapist and a preschool teacher co-led a year long, weekly DMT group for six preschool children of whom five had recently immigrated to Finland. The theory and practical methods were founded in DMT, attachment theory and solution focused therapy. The sessions used creative movement, movement observation, kinesthetic attunement and mirroring. The evaluation of the group process was based on participant observation, body memory and children's drawings. Bodily dialogue and supportive holding became integral parts of each session. The themes observed in children's drawings suggested developmental changes and externalisation of emotional experiences. The conclusion was that DMT supported the development of group dynamics and movement as a form of interaction.     

Embodied attunement: a dance/movement therapy approach to working with couples

ABSTRACT

Attachment theory is well-recognised for understanding and treating adult love relationships. Neuroscientific research highlights the implicit process of attachment and the unconscious, nonverbal, bodily-based, and affect-regulating interactions of the right brain hemispheres in attachment development. Effective couple therapy ought to consider the implicit processes between infants and caregivers as a model to develop secure attachment in romantic partners, which makes dance/movement therapy (D/MT) a valuable treatment modality. Mirroring is a staple D/MT intervention that involves imitation of a client’s movement by the therapist to enhance attunement and empathy. In this paper, the author explores the overlap between attachment theory, neuroscience, dance/movement therapy, and couple therapy. A theoretical model is proposed for the use of mirroring with couples to foster secure attachment by means of attunement on a bodily-based level. Future research is suggested in order to measure the effectiveness of mirroring on couples’ attachment.     

Discourse: Trudi Schoop and Vaslav Nijinsky,and dance as healer

Conceived as an entrée to discourse, this paper explores the phenomenon of dance as healer, to evoke rather than to answer questions. The intention has been to examine dance in its capacity of healer, scrutinising it in the absence of a formal intermediary intervention such as dance/movement therapy or other somatic models. The early lives of two former luminaries of the dance world are profiled: the first, Trudi Schoop, famed comic mime and early pioneer in dance/movement therapy; the other, Vaslav Nijinsky, renowned dancer and choreographer in the world of ballet. Disparate heritages and life circumstances carried them along radically divergent paths, although both struggled to overcome serious psychiatric issues. Schoop overcame her difficulties vis-à-vis obsessive-compulsive behaviours; Nijinsky's accumulated problems led, ultimately, to chronic schizophrenia. They shared, in common, an overriding passion for and commitment to dance. The discourse focuses on the role of dance, as healer, in their existential journeys.     

Educator perceptions of dance/movement therapy in the special education classroom

This qualitative study examined educator perspectives of the influence of group dance/movement therapy (DMT) sessions on their students’ behaviours, symptoms, and academic engagement within their special education classroom. Audio-recorded and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 educators who had observed and/or participated in their students’ group DMT sessions at one public school in an urban region in the United States. Results of the interviews revealed four overarching themes: (a) The process of a DMT session is perceived to improve regulatory behaviour; (b) DMT can meet individual needs as a part of a group experience; (c) DMT techniques and tools utilised can influence sensory systems (d) limitations in time, duration, and space may influence long-term benefits. While more research is necessary, results suggest that educators value the use of DMT within school settings to assist the children in gaining focus, modulating energy, and supporting healthy social engagement skills.     

A dance/movement therapy group as a community outreach for intercultural women in Tokyo

The paper describes a dance/movement therapy (DMT) based community outreach project for the women in the international community of Tokyo. The potential of DMT is explained through its impact on the core-self and body image. The interactive nature of DMT is discussed in the context of trans-culturality and communication. The outreach, which was carried out in a non-profit mental health organization (TELL), is described with the emphasis on the preparation of the project and on its content in terms of movement themes. This project showed a DMT group can foster attentiveness to body and to body sensations in various movement situations and thus help connecting to oneself. This may positively support the person's function in her daily relationships in personal and professional life.     

‘Putting themselves out there’ into the unknown: Dance movement psychotherapy as perceived by five educators and three pupils

ABSTRACT

The introduction of dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) to a mainstream secondary school in the United Kingdom was explored from the perspectives of some educators (n = 5) and pupil-clients (n = 3) to discover perceptions of, and influences on the process of establishing a DMP practice to support pupils within this setting. Semi-structured interviews were analysed using constructivist grounded theory by an ethnographically situated therapist-researcher. Two polarities of themes emerged: constraints, normative inhibitions and expectations, versus empowerment, novel perceptions and awareness. These polarities were evident at two levels of process: school structures and community mind-set and individual engagement with DMP. The results highlight inherent dynamics in positioning of therapeutic provision within a school environment, amplified in unconventional, creative and embodied forms of intervention. An awareness of the tension between these opposites may be useful for dance movement psychotherapists in setting themselves within mainstream education.     

Somatic soulmates

The author compares and contrasts a method of body-oriented psychotherapy, the Rubenfeld Synergy® method (RSM), with a method of dance/movement therapy, Authentic Movement (AM). She examines parallels in the development of authentic movement and body psychotherapy and discusses similarities in theory and practice. She makes a case for integration of dance/movement therapy and body-psychotherapy under the umbrella of somatic therapies. She uses her personal history, Ilana Rubenfeld's history, and case examples to illustrate her points.     

The use of metaphors in dance movement therapy

This text focuses on the specific structure of metaphors in terms of movement processes. The processing of symbolic movement material through structures derived from dance as an art form is investigated. Metaphors that support nonverbal attunement between patient and therapist, and how the use of metaphors and creative processes help establish the inter-subjective relation in dance movement therapy are described.     

Widening our lens: The implications of resilience for the professional identity and practice of dance movement therapists

The construct of resilience in psychology has an optimistic character that has been attracting interest due to the paradigmatic change proposed by positive psychology. On the other hand, resilience has different meanings or nuances attributed to it, mainly due to the different focus of researchers and/or their frame of reference: there are scholars who concentrate on developmental issues, others on clinical questions. It is a relatively new construct for dance movement therapists, and due to its subtleties, resilience deserves a theoretical introduction and presentation of its complexities. A discussion of the relevance of this construct for DMT follows after the theoretical outline. This section presents the taxonomy of levels of prevention that expands the possibilities of professional interventions focusing on mental health. It implies widening our lens. Finally, some interventions reported and tested by dance movement therapists will be presented and others will be suggested.     

Dance as a treatment for neurological disorders

Dance has been explored as a therapeutic intervention because of its unique combination of exercise, music and cognitive engagement. Dance therapy is a specific form of dance-based treatment that focuses on how movement correlates with psychological aspects such as self-awareness, expression and coordination, which culminate in a mind–body treatment. In recent years, dance-based programmes have been used as an intervention to improve symptoms of neurological diseases/disorders. Positive results have been shown for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease, dementia and depression. The neurological adaptations such as improved neural activity and neurogenesis are induced by the combination of coordinated movement strategies, exercise, musical arrangements and social interactions (partnering). With the continued growth of dance therapy, the purpose of this review is to explain the recently proposed theories of how neural changes are mediated through dance, and discuss the positive effects on those suffering from neurological disorders.     

Embodiment and embedment: integrating dance/movement therapy,body psychotherapy,and ecopsychology

This article presents a vision of an emergent ecosomatic psychology that integrates somatic psychology's theories and practices of embodiment with ecopsychology's insights about embedment. Branches within somatic psychology, dance/movement therapy, and body psychotherapy have honed therapeutic practices for embodying the self, engaging in embodied relationships, and opening up to possibilities of transpersonal experiences through the body and movement. Incorporating ecopsychology's emphasis on the development of an ecological identity, inspired by systems and relational views of health, and drawing from theories of participatory consciousness and reciprocity, an integrative framework of embodied embedment practices are proposed for developing an embodied ecological self.     

The cultural responsibility of dance movement therapy: philosophical considerations

This paper examines the cultural situation and special responsibility of dance movement therapy, delineating certain philosophical and cultural-theoretical interpretations of the ‘corporeal turn’ and ‘therapeutic turn’ of contemporary culture. It aims to show how dance movement therapy’s theoretical horizon is inseparable from the body-mind integration of contemporary philosophies, and how corporeal turn is present in consumer culture, including some of its destructive forms of idealisation and malign regression. The question of how DMT is able to turn malignant regression to the body into benign regression is addressed, and an analysis of the correlating postmodern idea of resilience is offered. Finally, DMT groups are interpreted as social microcosms, and the way Hungarian psychodynamic movement and dance therapists apply their group therapeutic method for the development of democratic culture in the Civil Group Project is described.     

Embodiment of a fictional character during Dance movement therapy with an adolescent ADD patient: Case study

In dance movement therapy, we may work with metaphors that originate from the movement itself, or with symbolic images and situations. What happens, though, if a patient is to choose to embody a random fictional character from their favourite book or film? This case study illustrates the potential of embodiment work with an image of a fictional character, even if this character is not one of the recurrent motifs in literature or mythology and does not bear generally recognised symbolism. The author uses the Emotorics movement analysis system to assess the patient’s body and motion profile transformation. The change of the patient’s movement and behaviour in the course of a year’s long therapy suggests a possibility of therapeutically effective application of the embodiment technique, provided that the choice of the character is based on the patient’s actual challenges and subjective experience.     

Integrative dance/movement psychotherapy and the aging process

The objectives of the investigation was reasoning and developing a strategy of implementation of integrative dance/movement psychotherapy in order to improve the life quality and psychosomatic adaptation of an aging person. 25 males and 25 females with some age-related emotional and psychological problems but with no marked mental disorders were examined. Clinical-psychopathological and experimental-psychological methods were used. Target symptoms for integrative dance/movement psychotherapy were determined. A repeated investigation was carried out in three months. The investigation findings show common and distinctive features of female and male psychosomatic state at the climacteric and partial androgenic deficiency period. The model of integrated experiences described elucidates the notion of age-related dissociation, which is a source of the aging persons’ inner conflict leading to the development and/or aggravation of their psychosomatic and social disadaptation. The integrative dance/movement psychotherapy course described results in the considerable improvement of aging persons’ psychophysiological dynamics, social adaptation and life quality.     

Healing through the martial way: Incorporating karate training into counselling and psychotherapy

This research paper describes lived experiences in dance therapeutic processes in the case of a woman called Asta. Rather than claiming results from therapeutic processes, the paper enlightens change processes through narratives about both Asta's bodily movement expressions and inner experiences. The paper focuses furthermore on illustrating the possibilities of using body language, movement and an energetic approach to therapy in Asta's case with the dance therapy form Dansergia. Asta moves through a shell of anxiety and into the dance of a gypsy, from an inner experienced black ring and hedgehog to a woman accepting difficult experiences in the past and new possibilities in the present. Asta's processes are analysed and interpreted in an energy-based theoretical framework, and are then reflected upon in terms of impact possibilities in a broader dance therapeutic and research oriented context.     

Extraversion in women with fibromyalgia as a predictor of better prognosis: an intervention model in dance movement therapy

ABSTRACT

This study examined the relationship between extraversion, the ability to identify emotions in observed movement and quality of life (QoL), among women with and without fibromyalgia (FM). The sample was 50 adult women. Participants were asked to fill out Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, NEO Five Factor Inventory, Short Form 36 Health Survey, Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 and demographic questionnaire, were shown video clips of body movements and were asked to identify the emotion. The results showed that extraversion was positively correlated with the identification of happiness among FM patients and with QoL. A correlation was found between the ability to identify ‘happiness’ and ahigher perceived QoL. FM patients who showed ahigher level of extraversion identified happiness better than those who were not found to be extraverted. It can be assumed that expression of emotion using dance/movement therapy, which activates mirror neurons, will increase empathic abilities. Results led to the building of a therapeutic intervention model based on the practical implications of the findings.     

Unconscious seduction: Desire and disability in dance/movement therapy

ABSTRACT

Sexuality is typically avoided in therapeutic training and studies of disability; therefore therapy with people living with disabilities is inclined to become problematic when desire emerges. What happens when the therapist unconsciously crosses the imaginary line between being a therapist and being a woman, with all the sensual and sexual implications that might bring? Through four case studies of clients with intellectual disabilities, this therapist investigates sensual touch between clients, clients touching therapists, and therapists touching clients, and contrasts therapeutic touching with sexual misconduct as an ethical concern. The varying evocations of dance, music, touch and flow are problematised in the therapeutic context of dance/movement therapy. Interrogating and theorising an instant of authentic relating in which a boundary seems to be transgressed, this article illustrates the (after)effects of an unconscious slippage of the therapeutic role.