Dance and Movement Therapy
By Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D.
Dance therapy, sometimes called "movement therapy," is a holistic approach to psychiatric disorders, incorporating
an array of medical, psychological, social, and spiritual concerns.
>[?
Dance therapy, with its unique emphasis on
nonverbal communication in assessment and treatment, is an innovative therapeutic approach to address the needs of people with depression,
anxiety disorders, and eating disorders.
The goal of dance therapy is to involve patients by encouraging expression through movement. Sessions can be individual
or organized in groups, adding the additional element of social interaction. Typically, a session lasts 30 to 40 minutes,
and regular weekly attendance is generally recommended.
Two recent studies have looked at the effect of dance therapy and depression favorably. In one study, 40
participants with depression were divided into 4 groups, half of which received dance and movement therapy session,
while the other subjects received no intervention. At the conclusion of the study, the dance therapy group showed a
significant reduction in depression. In a second study, 12 inpatients with major depressive disorder received movement
therapy sessions. Five of the participants showed a significant improvement on movement therapy days.
It’s theorized that dance therapy is effective with psychiatric disorders because it involves exercise as well
as social interaction with a psychotherapist and group
Dance therapy has reduced anxiety in a variety of settings, including breast cancer patients, substance abusers, and torture survivors.
In a study using dance therapy with breast cancer survivors who had mastectomies, the use of dance and movement in a therapy
setting significantly reduced anxiety and produced a feeling of well-being. In addition, dance therapy helped the women in
the study address their fear of death and grief over multiple losses, including anxiety over bodily disfigurement,
and worry about alienation from others.
Dance therapy, or dance/movement therapy, is effective as a technique to help those with eating and body image problems.
One of the most crucial tasks of any psychotherapeutic approach for eating disorders is helping the client to express their
feelings and experiences. Dance therapy helps the client to pay attention to bodily-felt experience which have emotional significance.
This can lead to deeper self-knowledge and the ability to recognize physical cues such as hunger and satiation.
Research has demonstrated that dance therapy helps people with eating disorders to name and modulate strong emotions.
That is, by attending to a bodily felt sensation, the individual can start to notice different intensities of the sensation
and through attention to breath and movement, notice what changes occur. Many patients are than better able to self-soothe
anxiety and other feeling states on their own outside of the therapy session.
References (To view, roll mouse over the "References" heading; to hide, click on the heading)
295. Ritter M, Low KG. Effects of dance/movement therapy: A meta-analysis. Arts Psychother 1996;23: 249–60.
296. Brooks D, Stark A. The effect of dance/movement therapy on affect: a pilot study. Am J Dance Ther 1989;11: 101–12.
297. Stewart NJ, McMullen LM, Rubin LD. Movement therapy with depressed inpatients: A randomised multiple single-case design. Arch Psychiatr Nurs 1994;8: 22–9.
Erwin-Grabner T, Goodill SW, Hill ES, Von Neida K. Effectiveness of dance/movement therapy on reducing test anxiety. American Journal of Dance Therapy 1999 Mar;21(1): 19–34.
95. Dibbel-Hope S. The use of dance/movement therapy in psychological adaptation to breast cancer. The Arts in Psychotherapy 2000;27(1): 51–68.
96. Cervasco A, Kennedy R. Comparison of movement-to-music, rhythm activities, and competitive games on depression, stress, anxiety, and anger of females in substance abuse rehabilitation. Journal of Music Therapy 2005;42(1): 64–80.
97. Harris DA. Dance/movement therapy approaches to fostering resilience and recovery among African adolescent torture survivors. Torture 2007;17(2): 134–55.
98. Letizia B, Andrea F, Paolo C. Neuroanatomical changes after eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment in posttraumatic stress disorder. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 2007 Fall;19(4): 475–6.
126. Rice J, Hardenbergh M, Hornyak I. Disturbed body image in anorexia nervosa: Dance/movement therapy interventions. In: Hornyak L, Baker E (eds). Experiential therapies for eating disorders. New York: The Guilford Press, 1989, p. 252–78.
127. Krantz A. Growing into her body: Dance/movement therapy for women with eating disorders. American Journal of Dance Therapy 1999;21: 81–103.
128. Kruger D, Schofield E. Dance/movement therapy of eating disordered patients: A model. The Arts in Psychotherapy 1986;13: 323–32.
129. Kaji M, Miyagi T, Ito A, Komori C, Matsuo T. Development of a dance/movement therapy program in Japan: A Case Study. American Journal of Dance Therapy 2002 Mar;24(1): 17–26.
130. Franks B, Fraenkel D. Fairy tales and dance/movement therapy: Catalysts of change for eating-disordered individuals. The Arts in Psychotherapy 1991;18: 311–9.
131. Esplen MJ, Garfinkel PE. Guided imagery treatment to promote self-soothing in bulimia nervosa: a theoretical rationale. J Psychother Pract Res Spring 1998;7(2): 102–18.
San Jose Therapy Counseling Psychotherapy psychotherapist therapist
