Movement/Dance therapy refers to the therapeutic use of dance and movement for the purpose of supporting emotional, motor, and intellectual functions of the body. The term movement/dance therapy is often abbreviated as DMT and is commonly used in the United States and Australia. In the United Kingdom, this therapeutic treatment is referred by the name dance movement psychotherapy. The abbreviated form used in the United Kingdom is DMP.
DMT makes one of the many forms of expressive therapies. Identification of the relationship between motion and emotions is the main goal of this field. Movement therapy has one of the longest histories. In the ancient world, dance was used during healing rituals in fertility, sickness, birth, death and similar events. In Europe and the United States, the belief that dance was more than just one of the expressive arts came up between 1840 and 1930 and continued to develop into what it is today.
Although dance was used for healing purposes since a long time ago, its actual establishment as a therapy and a profession occurred in the 1950s. The founder of American Dance Therapy Association, Marian Chance was among the individuals that established dance as such. The development of DMT assumes two waves through history. The first wave was spearheaded by Chance, while the second one attracted a lot of interest from American therapists.
The theory of DMT bases on the belief that there is constant interaction between the mind and the body. Conscious and unconscious movements people make base on the dualist premise of mind body. Those movements reflect personality and affect total functioning in people. As such, the relationship between clients and therapists are in a small part based on body language and other non-verbal cues. A sense of wholeness is offered to every individual by DMT by exploring the unity of the spirit, body, and mind.
There are four main stages involved in this therapy that need to be completed. Each stage is composed of smaller goals that the client needs to accomplish, which contribute to the larger purpose of DMT. There is a huge variance in the stages and goals depending on the individual. The stages generally progress from one to the next. However, the stages may also be revisited over and over through the entire process.
The therapy involves four stages, which include preparation, evaluation, incubation, and illumination. The name warm-up may also be used for the preparation stage. This stage entails preparation of adequate and safe room with no distractions or obstacles. Supportive relationships with the witnesses are also formed at this point. Participants need to close their eyes and still be able to move around.
The incubation stage involves the leader prompting participants to go into subconscious. The prompt is given verbally. The subconscious is an internal environment of relaxation and serenity that the participant needs in order to exploit their emotions. Incubation is followed by the illumination process, which is integrated through dialogue. The witness offers dialogue to the conscious awareness to allow for self-reflection.
Motivations hidden in the subconscious are resolved and uncovered through self-reflections. Positive as well as negative effects are associated with excess self-awareness. The session comes to a conclusion with the therapist evaluating insights gathered and discussing their significance.
DMT makes one of the many forms of expressive therapies. Identification of the relationship between motion and emotions is the main goal of this field. Movement therapy has one of the longest histories. In the ancient world, dance was used during healing rituals in fertility, sickness, birth, death and similar events. In Europe and the United States, the belief that dance was more than just one of the expressive arts came up between 1840 and 1930 and continued to develop into what it is today.
Although dance was used for healing purposes since a long time ago, its actual establishment as a therapy and a profession occurred in the 1950s. The founder of American Dance Therapy Association, Marian Chance was among the individuals that established dance as such. The development of DMT assumes two waves through history. The first wave was spearheaded by Chance, while the second one attracted a lot of interest from American therapists.
The theory of DMT bases on the belief that there is constant interaction between the mind and the body. Conscious and unconscious movements people make base on the dualist premise of mind body. Those movements reflect personality and affect total functioning in people. As such, the relationship between clients and therapists are in a small part based on body language and other non-verbal cues. A sense of wholeness is offered to every individual by DMT by exploring the unity of the spirit, body, and mind.
There are four main stages involved in this therapy that need to be completed. Each stage is composed of smaller goals that the client needs to accomplish, which contribute to the larger purpose of DMT. There is a huge variance in the stages and goals depending on the individual. The stages generally progress from one to the next. However, the stages may also be revisited over and over through the entire process.
The therapy involves four stages, which include preparation, evaluation, incubation, and illumination. The name warm-up may also be used for the preparation stage. This stage entails preparation of adequate and safe room with no distractions or obstacles. Supportive relationships with the witnesses are also formed at this point. Participants need to close their eyes and still be able to move around.
The incubation stage involves the leader prompting participants to go into subconscious. The prompt is given verbally. The subconscious is an internal environment of relaxation and serenity that the participant needs in order to exploit their emotions. Incubation is followed by the illumination process, which is integrated through dialogue. The witness offers dialogue to the conscious awareness to allow for self-reflection.
Motivations hidden in the subconscious are resolved and uncovered through self-reflections. Positive as well as negative effects are associated with excess self-awareness. The session comes to a conclusion with the therapist evaluating insights gathered and discussing their significance.
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