Dance Movement Therapy
What is Dance Movement Therapy (DMT)?
Traditionally, therapy is associated with an image of an individual sitting on the couch and talking for long hours over sessions and sessions. DMT tends to be a different form of therapy. It is the psychotherapeutic use of movement as a process which furthers the emotional, cognitive and physical integration of the individual. DMT would have the individual express themselves with the help of their body and sometimes just being with the stillness in no motion as well. DMT can often be overwhelming as it's usually compared to dancing which entails moving in a particular manner and having a set of skills that people are apprehensive of. Dancing may or may not be therapeutic in nature, is usually more product focussed than process, and doesn’t include the aspect of the intervention.
Dance Movement Therapy, on the other hand, may be beneficial for people of every age and cultures. It has been located to be specifically useful to people with unique needs. DMT has many advantages starting from frame awareness, self-expression, self-acceptance, the usage of energetic imagination, supporting relieving stress, and specialises in diverse different elements of intellectual health. Concerns in people which have been addressed with DMT aren't constrained though might be starting but not limited to ADHD, Autism, depression, anxiety disorders, trauma, gender identity, bullying, etc.
Why Dance Therapy Is Different From Regular Dancing?
While the word “dance” is a part of the discipline, Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) focuses more on movement rather than the typical understanding of “dance”. Movement, in dance movement therapy ranges from micro (involving breath, postures, gestures, shadow movements) to macro (full bodied). In a DMT session, each movement is seen as a form of communication. Rather than coordination or fixed routines, DMT focuses on the organic movements of the body, as we see in everyday life. It aims to observe, work through and modulate these movements of the body to help bring about a change in behaviour, thought process or emotional understanding of an individual.
People in treatment with a qualified dance therapist have the right to confidentiality, and dance therapists provide a safe space for people to express themselves. Movement becomes more than exercise—it becomes a language. People in treatment communicate conscious and unconscious feelings through dance, which allows a therapist to respond in kind. Dance therapists help people work on issues through the use of a “movement vocabulary” that is centred around physical expression instead of words.
What are the advantages of DMT?
- It is an effective treatment for trauma that might be too painful to address through talk therapy.
- It increases Self Awareness- Any kind of movement in itself is a very basic and common mode of expressing oneself or one’s needs. This type of therapy, then, takes it one-step further and enables individuals to be more self-aware.
- Emotional wellbeing- Dancing is closely related to the emotional wellbeing of a person. The motion-emotion connection helps you get rid of anxiety, depression, frustration, fear, and pressure, making you emotionally sound.
- For those dealing with PTSD or other forms of trauma, dance therapy can be a restorative experience. It can provide the means with which to test reality, to become more grounded, to reach otherwise lost positive body memories, and most of all, reclaim one’s own body. The same is true for children of trauma. Dance allows them the opportunity to express their emotional states and experiences with stressful situations without words.
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