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.