Belly dance and its links to body psychotherapy

This paper describes the therapeutic use of belly dance therapy (BDT) for women, context and process, on its own and in relation to body psychotherapy and the Chakra system. It gives a brief history of belly dance, references the author’s personal journey and describes a case study. It illustrates how BDT can empower women to serve themselves in their pleasure and pain by awakening the dissociated, traumatised parts of the body and non-verbal body memories through sensing and feeling the body and verbally articulating this.     

A psychoanalytic perspective of endings in therapy: A dance movement psychotherapy case study

This paper is an account of time-limited dance movement psychotherapy in an inner-city London school during my final year of training for an MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy. I describe the treatment of a traumatised 9-year-old boy using psychoanalytic theories, in particular Winnicott's ideas. This patient suffered at an early age from the drastic separation of his father and, when he was 6 years of age, various dramatic events led to the hospitalisation of his mother due to psychiatric problems. The impending ending of the therapy and the trainee's repetition of a ‘neglectful transference’ triggered powerful memories of traumatic past separations, which aroused deep-seated anxieties in the patient and trainee alike. The work towards a ‘good enough’ ending in the new therapeutic relationship was of great value to the patient's recovery. Parallels are drawn with the trainee's feelings of ending her dance movement psychotherapy course.     

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.     

Where one cannot speak,there one can dance: a comparative analysis of dance movement therapy and Processwork

The text aims to outline the basic comparison of the theoretical roots, concepts and frameworks, principles, attitudes, typical interventions, phases of development and scope of practical use of dance movement therapy (DMT) and process-oriented psychology (Processwork). The author proposes that mutual benefits and opportunities are at disposal for practitioners from both schools, including the primary and secondary process and ‘edge work’ in Processwork, as well as movement observing techniques, movement profile mapping and the ‘dance-not-done’ approach in DMT. The theme of communication channels and the theme of ‘essence level’ or spiritual experience as approached in both practices is discussed as well.     

Refugee children and body politics. The embodied political self and dance movement therapy

This article looks at the link between social exclusion and migration, in particular for children. It highlights the impact that being a refugee may have on one’s sense of self. Beyond the concept of acartesian self, our working model suggests a dialogical and multi-voiced self: a self that is not isolated from other aspects of the person but involves social, political and embodied dimensions. The term embodied political self is proposed, referring to the self as an active agent, with a sense of physical cohesion and a sense of belonging to the wider social and political environment. We discuss how experiencing social exclusion impacts refugees, in particular children, and their embodied political self. Finally, a two-step dance movement therapy (DMT) intervention that seeks the reconstruction of the embodied political self is proposed.     

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.     

Bridging past and present: Embodied intergenerational trauma and the implications for dance/movement therapy

This paper explores the role of the body in intergenerational transmission of trauma using examples of wartime sexual violence (WSV) during World War II in Germany. It is argued that traumatic memory held in the body is transmitted between generations in a similar fashion to how implicit body memory is passed on from body to body. In relationship, the body shapes subjectivity and intersubjectivity and therefore represents a vessel for transmission of trauma on a familial and cultural level. Silence and culture as source of perpetuation of trauma are taken into account. Furthermore, the severe long-term effects of rape, underlying body defences and relational consequences are outlined. Somatic implications for descendents of WSV survivors are unknown and require research. Dance/movement therapy is offered as a body-focused modality to help transform intergenerational trauma caused by WSV. Implications for further research in body-to-body transmission of trauma are highlighted.     

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.     

The dance/movement therapy group in a psychiatric outpatient clinic: explorations in body image and interaction

The clinical experiences gained in the practice of dance/movement therapy group at the Psychiatric Clinic of Tampere are discussed. The clinical work was built on the tradition of DMT and it has been informed by the practice of mindfulness and the recent findings in interpersonal neurobiology. The experiences of the bodily, true self are dominantly processed in right hemisphere of the brain. Neurobiology also informs us that the right hemisphere is essentially involved in emotional processes, nonverbal communications, attachment, subjectivity and intersubjectivity, in empathy, in the processing of non-conscious self images, threat detection, bodily-based stress regulation and survival. Intersubjective relationships are essentially dependent upon the information processing in the right hemisphere. The quality of interpersonal interactions and relationships is influenced by nonverbal, kinesthetic behaviour and the sensitivity to it. DMT work, promoting movement experiences, internal attunement and enhancing the body-self, allows a creative method to explore and integrate the contents of the right hemisphere.     

Mismatches as milestones in dance movement therapy

This paper explores the concept of mismatches between verbal and non-verbal content and its relation to dance movement therapy (DMT). Relying on interdisciplinary works in linguistics, developmental psychology and DMT, it is shown that although it might be common belief that DMT deals mainly with matching the patient's movements, in reality, mismatches are very common. Moreover, the article shows how mismatches, applied in a broad sense that includes clashing and opposing in various manners, may become a practical tool in clinical practice. To conclude, examples of how mismatches may be implemented in clinical work are given.     

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.     

Understanding group shaping. Transcontextual metapatterns in dance movement psychotherapy

Spontaneous choreographies emerge during Dance Movement Psychotherapy group sessions. Metapatterns are considered as metaphorical Gestalts, signs of natural norms, named and categorised as systems. They imply forms and functions. They are present throughout all modes of existence. This paper explores how this concept can be applied to understanding the shape and shaping process of group dynamics in Dance Movement Therapy Sessions.     

Reciprocal waves: embodied intersubjective communication in dance/movement therapy (DMT) practice

ABSTRACT

In this theoretical paper, author proposes an embodied framework of empathic communication in Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) practice that celebrates the very essence of human connectedness. Based on Franz de Waal’s Russian doll model of empathy, author explores three traditional phenomena in DMT practice that cultivate empathy and intersubjectivity: Primitive Mirroring; Shared Intention; and Movement Understanding. In each topic, author extends the integrative exploration into different areas of existing studies to illuminate the profound connectedness of human empathic communication. The term Reciprocal Waves inspired by Chinese Taoist philosophy highlights the back and forth relationship-building process that occurs daily in human lives. It is a framework derived from DMT practice that can be referenced in all psychotherapeutic practices that would benefit from promoting empathic human relationships.     

Body and movement in dynamic psychotherapy: reflections on talking and movement therapies

In recent decades, somatic experiencing has taken a major place in psychoanalytic thinking. Different theories relate to the meaning of the mother’s attunement towards her baby’s body and to the importance of the therapist’s attentiveness to his own somatic sensations, awakened in the encounter with the patient. With the patient in the armchair, psychodynamic therapists think, imagine, feel and wonder about what the patient’s body may wish to express. This article concerns the patient leaving the armchair in order to actively express himself in the space of the room. It includes examples from the work of Winnicott, Balint and Ogden, and describes the use of analytic work in conjunction with the body and movement. It suggests that the patient’s need to ‘dance the soul stories’ during treatment may bring about actual changes in treatment technique, even prior to systematic theoretical conceptualisation that addresses intervention methods incorporating somatic movement.     

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.     

Couple therapy and relational body psychotherapy: Healing childhood wounds

This paper presents an approach to healing childhood wounds through the use of Imago relationship couple therapy in conjunction with relational body psychotherapy. Working with couples in crisis arouses powerful and confusing questions regarding the transference and counter-transference tensions within all aspects of the therapeutic triangle: intra-subjective in each member of the couple, their inter-subjective space, their interaction with the therapist and within the therapist herself. One of the ways of coping with these multifaceted dyads is the use of somatic cues in all three members of the triad. The paper provides three clinical vignettes, which illustrate some of the advantages of the combination of the two theories in relational couple therapy.     

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.     

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.