How Good Is Dance Movement Therapy for Your Mental Health?

Dance Movement Therapy: Dancing Heals

In our world today, the mental health field is witnessing the rise of a vast deal of new techniques, theories, and approaches to prevention, treatment/therapy, and rehabilitation. There has definitely been an increased focus on the relationship between the body and the mind and how it influences our lives – particularly on the physical, psychological, and social levels. This new focus on the body-mind relationship has led us to the development of a new interdisciplinary approach to therapy known as Dance Movement Therapy. 

According to the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA), Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) can be defined as a form of psychotherapy that uses movement to improve well-being and health by connecting the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical aspects of the concerned individual.^[1] 

Before discussing the specifics of DMT, an essential distinction between dance and dance movement therapy should be made. Although it is true that DMT uses body movement – the main component of dance – as both an assessment method and an intervention, one should not be mistaken for the other. In a typical dance class, dancers (or anyone taking the class) learn certain movements or ‘dance steps’ – which are later combined to result in a certain choreography. When it comes to DMT, however, the main focus is no longer on following and learning a choreography, but rather on using movement as a communication tool in the therapeutic process. 

Dance movement therapy can be practiced in a myriad of settings, including mental health clinics, rehabilitation centers, medical settings, nursing homes, and private clinics/practice – among others. That being said, it is important to note that DMT has been shown to generate positive results for individuals with developmental, medical, social, physical, and psychological impairments. It has also been shown to be effective with people of all ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds, and can be delivered in various formats such as individual, couples, family, or group therapy.^[1]

Dance movement therapy aims to promote the participation of individuals in a group, build a sense of community and belongingness among group members, provide an opportunity to create social interactions, and build connections. DMT also helps individuals to develop a sense of awareness (or increases it), to achieve body awareness in certain cases where the individual has a certain disorder, to boost self-confidence and self-esteem, and to re-integrate individuals back into a group or society. 

What does a DMT session look like? There is a wide range of techniques that dance movement therapists can apply during a DMT session – these usually depend on both the needs and the abilities of the participants. The techniques used could consist of subtle movements that are not difficult to complete and can progress to expressive movements, and even improvisation at times. DMT can be used in the treatment of physical, psychological, cognitive and social difficulties.^[1] 

• Physical difficulties include chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and arthritis.
• Psychological difficulties include anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and PTSD.
• Cognitive difficulties include dementia and communication issues.
• Social difficulties include autism, aggression, domestic violence, and social interaction. 

Although dance movement therapy is a relatively new discipline, it has been practiced for over 80 years, and evidence about its effectiveness has come to light. Literature reviews conducted in 2019 demonstrated that DMT proved itself to be effective as an intervention method for treating adults with depression.^[2] These reviews found that it contributed to reducing anxiety and depression, as well as improving interpersonal skills, cognitive skills, and overall quality of life.^[3]

Dancing can be defined in a myriad of ways and ranges from small simple gestures to the movement of one’s entire body. It can be practiced in various forms, either briefly or for long periods of time, and may follow a certain structure at times or it can, in other instances, not follow any specific rhythm. 

As human beings, we rely on movement and non-verbal communication during our first few developmental years – even before we start using language. Thus, it comes as no surprise that, being an innovative, holistic, multidisciplinary approach that heavily relies on movement, DMT has demonstrated successful results thus far in the treatment of physical, psychological, cognitive and social issues. 

The outcomes of Dance Movement Therapy (applied in different settings with different people) have been promising. Therefore, there is no doubt that this new discipline will continue to develop and flourish in the years ahead – because dancing, heals.

References:

[1] Admin, A. (n.d.). What is Dance/Movement Therapy? American Dance Therapy Association. https://adta.memberclicks.net/what-is-dancemovement-therapy

[2] Karkou, V., Aithal, S., Zubala, A., & Meekums, B. (2019). Effectiveness of Dance Movement Therapy in the Treatment of Adults With Depression: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analyses. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00936

[3] Koch, S. C., Riege, R. F. F., Tisborn, K., Biondo, J., Martin, L., & Beelmann, A. (2019). Effects of Dance Movement Therapy and Dance on Health-Related Psychological Outcomes. A Meta-Analysis Update. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01806