Dance Therapy: 4 Best Techniques for Healing With Rhythm

Dance Therapy: 4 Best Techniques for Healing With Rhythm – Have you ever moved to the rhythm of your favorite song and felt the weight of the world lift from your shoulders?

Perhaps it’s no surprise that researchers have found that dance therapy can improve our cognitive function, emotional wellbeing, and behavior, making it a valuable tool in psychological treatment (Strassel et al., 2011).

“Dance is a social, creative form of human activity impacting on wellbeing through emotional involvement in active or passive participation at all levels of mastery.”

Karkou et al., 2017, p. 13

This article explores the incredible benefits of dance therapy, introduces several techniques, and identifies what’s needed to become a dance therapist.

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What Is Dance Therapy?

Moving to music is widely recognized as a powerful tool for improving wellbeing. Dance has the potential to improve us physically, psychologically, and socially (Strassel et al., 2011; Karkou et al., 2017).

The American Dance Therapy Association (n.d., para. 1) defines dance/movement therapy “as the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual.”

In recent years, “an increasing number of research publications have shown evidence for positive effects of dance participation on individuals’ health and wellbeing across a large spectrum of age groups and societies” (Karkou et al., 2017, p. 13).

Why dance movement therapy?

Dance therapy, sometimes referred to as dance movement therapy, involves “teaching dance technique to clients to create a basic non-verbal vocabulary” (Karkou et al., 2017, p. 219).

The goal is for the client, or dancer, to experience the mind–body benefits listed above along with the cathartic nature of performance—a delicate balance between the private and public self (Karkou et al., 2017).

Dance therapy, unlike more spontaneous, noninterventional acts of dancing, “is practiced in rehabilitation, medical, educational, nursing homes, and daycare center settings as well as in disease prevention and health promotion programs” (Strassel et al., 2011, p. 50).

Dance therapists believe that healthy functioning relies on integrating mind, body, and spirit, which can be enhanced through dance (Loman, 2005).

Brief history of dance therapy

Dance has been a vital aspect of human culture for thousands of years, serving as a valuable social activity and a component of many healing traditions, including birth, sickness, and death (Strassel et al., 2011).

Working in the 1940s, the founders of dance therapy often began as dancers who transitioned into teaching.

Marian Chace was one such dancer in the 1930s. When she opened a studio to teach professionals, she found many clients attended even though they had no intention of becoming performers. She subsequently had considerable success with psychiatric patients, improving their communication and empathy and increasing the quality and quantity of their interactions (Loman, 2005).

It wasn’t until the 1960s that dance therapy became more widely accepted as a profession, along with the recognition of the potential psychotherapeutic benefits arising from its ability to engage and connect mind, body, and spirit (American Dance Therapy Association, n.d.; Loman, 2005).

What is yoga dance therapy?

Dance therapy has a long history of partnering with other disciplines beyond dance that encourage a connection between mind and body, such as martial arts (Barton, 2011; Karkou et al., 2017).

The ancient physical, mental, and spiritual practice of yoga has also been successfully combined with mindfulness and dance-based therapy programs to offer stress reduction and coping skills and improve prosocial behavior in people experiencing severe mental illness (Barton, 2011).

While limited research is available, yoga dance therapy appears to offer a valuable movement-based psychotherapeutic addition to treatment programs to improve intrapersonal experiences and relationships (Barton, 2011).

10+ Proven Psychological Benefits

Dance improves how we feel as a result of the following mechanisms and pathways in the human body and even changes the makeup of the brain (Karkou et al., 2017).

• Endorphins
  The increase of circulatory hormones believed responsible for the “runner’s high” may be linked to the feel-good effects experienced during dancing.
• Cortisol
  In times of stress, the body releases the hormone cortisol. Dance is believed to regulate the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, potentially protecting us against long-term stress.
• Brain neurotransmitters
  Physical activity, including dancing, is linked to enhancement of the transmission of brain chemical neurotransmitters, potentially delaying fatigue, increasing concentration, and offering antidepressant benefits.

In addition to affecting the brain and improving physical abilities, there are many and varied psychological benefits associated with dance therapy, including (Karkou et al., 2017; Loman, 2005; Fernandez-Arguelles et al. 2015; Burkhardt & Brennan, 2012):

• Strengthening group coherence
• Increasing willingness to help others
• Improving self-esteem and self-confidence and reducing anxiety
• Overcoming emotional struggles such as breakups, eating disorders, loneliness, and fatigue
• Positively affecting physical, cognitive, social, emotional, spiritual, and creative processes
• Boosting self-esteem and improving human relationships
• Reducing the risk of falling in older adults and therefore increasing their confidence and independence
• Increasing reports of “feeling good,” including reports of euphoria, more energy, relaxation, and calm

Dance therapy for autism

Dance therapy has proven helpful across many different ages and social groups.

Indeed, children with autism respond well to dance interventions (Athanasiadou & Karkou, 2017).

Researchers reported significant improvements in the children’s ability to form relationships in response to dance-related techniques, such as increasing physical awareness, mirroring and attunement, and role-play (Athanasiadou & Karkou, 2017).

Similar benefits have been reported in other groups with related special needs, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and multiple sclerosis (Karkou et al., 2017).

How dancing can help with depression & trauma

“Depression is a disabling medical illness characterized by persistent and all-encompassing feelings of sadness, loss of interest, or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities, as well as problems in emotion regulation” (Karkou et al., 2017, p. 839).

The body movements associated with dance therapy have proven an effective treatment for depression, encouraging emotional expression and regulation (Karkou et al., 2017).

Childhood trauma can have far-reaching effects on the individual, and some studies even suggest that without support, the body can hold on to that pain and anxiety for many years.

Dance therapy’s mindfulness-informed body awareness and movement interventions can help trauma victims develop a stronger sense of self and learn to relate to their bodily symptoms differently (Karkou et al., 2017).

How to Do Dance Therapy: 4 Techniques

Dance therapists use various techniques to enable clients to better understand their own and others’ feelings and take part more fully in human relationships (Loman, 2005).

Mirroring

Mirroring is a popular tool used by dance therapists to establish nonverbal relationships. The therapist joins the client as they move, mirroring them to initiate trusting and meaningful contact.

Attunement

Closely linked to mirroring, attunement involves movement empathy. “Muscular tensions felt in one person are felt in the other” (Loman, 2005, p. 72).

Therapists don’t need to duplicate the shapes and gestures of the client, but can instead move toward a less intense, soothing pattern to calm an upset adult or child.

Integrated development

Therapists observe and work through the client’s developmental phases using the power of movement.

The process can help the client progress through mental roadblocks, regressions, and delays in their development and personal relationships. “A developmental dance/movement orientation addresses an individual’s intrapsychic, interpersonal, and spiritual evolution” (Loman, 2005, p. 73).

Authentic movement

Authentic movement is used to reach back to a client’s earlier experiences. The individual lies on or near the ground, attending to bodily sensations and recreating a situation similar to that of an infant immersed in a sensory world.

The relationship is between the mover (the client) and the witness (the therapist). “The heart of the practice is about the longing, as well as the fear, to see ourselves clearly” (Loman, 2005, p. 73).

4 Exercises & Activities for Your Sessions

Many exercises and activities available to the dance therapist help clients of all ages reconnect with their physical, mental, and spiritual selves.

Often, they are performed in either groups or pairs (Loman, 2005; Karkou et al., 2017; Lachetta, n.d.), and we share a selection of activities here.

Embodying a character

The therapist asks the client to choose a character from a book, movie, or play — perhaps a superhero, cartoon character, villain, or even an animal.

Next, they are tasked with embodying that character through dance and movement.

The therapist guides them through the movements and helps them explore different emotions and experiences associated with their character.

Group circle dance

The group forms a circle and begins dancing together to a specific rhythm or beat in a piece of music chosen by the therapist to encourage connection and collaboration.

They are asked to pay attention to their own and others’ movements as they dance.

After a few minutes, the therapist suggests they try synchronizing their movements across the group to create a sense of unity and togetherness, breaking down individuality and encouraging connection.

Tuned walking in pairs

Clients form teams, walking side by side while listening to music or sounds through headphones. Each pair may have a unique piece of music.

The therapist chooses the music or sounds based on a specific theme or mood, such as nature sounds or upbeat music.

As they walk, the partners try to synchronize their steps with the rhythm of the music or sounds.

They are asked to pay attention to the sensations in their body as they walk and try to stay in tune with their partner.

Movement mirroring

Partners face each other and take turns mirroring their movements.

The therapist guides the pair through different movements, such as slow, fluid, fast, and energetic, possibly adding music.

As they attempt to copy each other’s movements, they are asked to pay attention to how their body feels and the physical patterns made by their partners.

They should try to create a sense of flow and connection between each of their own movements and those of their partner.

Many of these exercises are so helpful in treatment because they build trust and connection between partners and within the group (Loman, 2005).

Becoming a Dance Therapist: Courses & Certifications

There are many options for studying dance therapy, from certification to bachelor’s to master’s degrees (online and in-person). So, it is vital to consider the syllabus, cost, location, and whether the timings work for you.

The following is a representative sample of what is available.

Introductory Studies in Dance/Movement Therapy Certificate: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, US

Students learn about the skills involved in expressing and understanding emotion through movement, the background and theory of dance therapy, and how to use movement analysis during treatment.

Novice dancers are introduced to how therapists can use movement in violence prevention, behavior management, and social skills development.