Definition

Origin

Theoretical basis

Description

Training

Warnings

Training and certification

Dance Movement Therapy Techniques

Transforming movement into communication

Development of the theme into action

Attention to interaction

Using Rhythm

Release from tension

Working with props

Dance of the Elements

Definition

Dance therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses movement to develop a person's social, cognitive, emotional and physical life. Dance therapists work with people with a variety of emotional problems, intellectual decline, and severe illnesses. They work in psychiatric hospitals, clinics, mental health centers, prisons, special schools and have private practice. They work with people of all ages in group and individual therapy. Some also do research. Dance therapists try to help people develop communication skills, a positive self-image, and emotional stability.

Origin

Obviously, dance as a method of treatment belongs to the field of body-oriented therapy, as well as psychology, exercise therapy, art therapy and psychosomatic medicine. The special value and power of dance, its integration meaning lies in the fact that all physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual processes are combined into a single action. There is no medium for expressing feelings here - like paint and canvas for an artist or musical instruments for musicians, the human body is the instrument and creator.

The roots of dance movement therapy go back to ancient civilizations in which dance was an important part of life. It is likely that people began to dance and use body movement as a means of communication long before the emergence of language. Dance was the expression of the most important aspects of culture. In their cross-cultural study of dance in various societies, Bartenieff, Powley and Lomax found that the movements that people made during their daily work entered the dance style, the dance form of this culture. For example, the Eskimo's wide and steady stance, with the quick, arrow-like hand movements that were necessary for ice fishing and javelin throwing, was incorporated into the dance. Societal values ​​and norms were passed down from generation to generation through dance, thus supporting the mechanism of survival and transmission of cultural rituals. Other examples of the use of dance in cultures are preparations for something, celebrations, wars, hopes for a bountiful harvest. In many societies, dance continues to serve these important functions. It is this expressive and communicative aspect of dance, the direct expression of emotions on the preverbal and physical levels in joint movements to a common rhythm, characteristic of primitive societies, that influenced the development of dance movement therapy. The sensations and sense of unity and harmony that arise in group dance rituals give people an empathic understanding of each other.

Dance allows a person to say without risk everything that can and cannot be expressed in words; it can both stimulate and give form to deep-seated fantasies, thus symbolically expressing human possibilities and conflicts. Since dance uses the natural joy, energy and rhythm that is available to everyone, it promotes the development of awareness, understanding of "I". Movement itself changes sensations. These changing physical sensations are often sharpened in dance. They provide the basis on which arise and what was pre-verbal and unconscious often crystallizes into direct feeling and personal experience.It was the recognition of these elements inherent in dance that led to their use in dance movement therapy.

The revolutionary changes in the art of dance that took place in the first half of the 20th century determined the development of TDT. Dance pioneers such as Isidora Duncan and Mary Wigman believed that emotional and individual expression was the most important thing for a dancer. Their experience and conviction show that through the body we directly experience and respond to life. Throwing aside the strict and structured technique of ballet, they encouraged the immediate, direct expression of individuality through dance. Through dance, communication is built with oneself and the environment. These innovative dancers believed that dance involved the entire personality—body, intellect, and soul—and was a means of expression and communication.

The discovery of the psychological aspects of dance is most often associated with the name of Marion Chase, a dancer and dance teacher. In the process of studying in her classes, she noticed that some students are more interested in the feelings expressed in dance than in technique. Then she began to turn to freedom of movement, and not to the mechanics of dance.

Dance therapy emerged as a profession in the 1940s. twentieth century thanks to the work of Marion Chase. A dancer, she began teaching modern dance after she ended her career with the Denishown Company in 1930. She noticed in her classes that some students were more interested in the feelings that dance expressed (loneliness, fright, fear, etc.) , and had little interest in the dance technique itself. And then she began to help them turn more to freedom of movement, and not to the mechanics of dance.

Soon, local doctors began to send their patients to her. These were children with antisocial behavior, adults with movement problems, and psychiatric patients. Gradually, Chace began working as a Red Cross worker at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. She was the first dance therapist to work in the public service. Chase worked with patients who had emotional problems and tried to help them reconnect with others through dance. Some of them were schizophrenics, others were ex-military with PTSD. For these patients, the improvement was the ability to participate in movement classes to rhythmic music. Chase once said: "Rhythmical movement in unison with others brings a sense of well-being, relaxation and togetherness."

Chase then graduated from the Washington School of Psychiatry and was able to diagnose and prescribe treatments to her patients on a par with other doctors. Her work attracted many followers, and the first trainees began studying and teaching dance therapy at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in the 1950s.

During the same period, other dancers also began to use dance therapy to help people feel better about their bodies and themselves. These dancers included Trudy Shoop and Mary Whitehouse. Whitehouse later became a Jungian analyst and an influential member of the dance therapy community. She developed a process she called "movement-in-depth" that embodied her understanding of dance, movement and depth psychology. Her approach helped create a modern movement practice called "authentic movement". In this kind of movement, based on the principles of Jungian analysis, patients dance their sense of inner images, which helps to better help the driving forces of the past and present. One of Whitehouse's students, Janet Adler, developed the authentic movement and in 1981 founded the Mary Starks Whitehouse Institute.

In 1966, the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) was founded and dance therapy became a recognized and formally organized movement.

In 1946, Chase was invited to try out his "methods" on the mentally ill. It is this moment that is considered the beginning of the development of dance movement therapy as a treatment method. The basic skill of the dance therapist, as Marion Chase later taught, is the instinctive joy he derives from movement. Only in this case, he will be able to transmit, "infect" the client or patient with it. Currently, professional dance therapists work in more than 30 countries around the world. It is worth dwelling a little more on psychosomatics and the body-oriented approach - the first step from which the theoretical substantiation of all dance and movement practices began. For example, William Sheldon, an American scientist who laid the foundations of the "psychology of corporality", considered the movement of the human body as a word spoken by the soul. And the founder of body psychotherapy, the famous psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, proved that the muscular "shell" is the result of numerous frustrations: they first appear in childhood and are associated with repressed sexual sensations and fear of punishment. And subsequently accumulate in the body throughout life as a protective reaction to emotional experiences. This creates various tensions - clamps and blocks, which is the root cause of all diseases of the soul and body. Reich sought to restore natural breathing and spontaneous movements of the patient's body. In his opinion, this activated the movement of energy, provoked the appearance of associated memories and emotional outbursts. Thanks to this, muscle tension was completely dissolved.

He was the first to discover that after the opening of the "shell" his clients gain the possibility of a full and harmonious life. Reich's followers developed this principle and found new points of application.

For example, Lowen saw that many of his clients did not have the feeling of solid ground under their feet. To have "the ground under your feet" - to be in energetic contact with reality, to feel confidence and stability is extremely important for psychological and physical health. To get "grounded", to feel it and fix it in the body - this is the main task of dance-movement therapy techniques.

Conceptual introduction:

The main goal of dance-movement therapy is to gain a sense and awareness of one's own “I”.

School rules require children and adolescents to persevere, be patient, and perform assigned tasks. In the correctional work of a teacher-psychologist, the method of dance therapy for working with children is necessary and important. Since people (children, adolescents) in our modern culture begin to treat their body as an object, they are alienated from their body. Behavior in society requires the ability to control one's body, give it some form, shape, and restrain oneself. This leads to intrapersonal conflicts, to low self-esteem, to isolation, and, of course, complexes develop.

Dance therapy invites the body to “talk”, gives it the opportunity to “speak out”, to relax. In dance, a person develops physically and emotionally, the body and consciousness are considered as equivalent forces. Dance therapy is more interested in how movement feels than how it looks.

Joan Smallwood identified three components of the therapeutic process in dance therapy:

1. Awareness (of body parts, breath, feelings, images, non-verbal “double messages” (when there is a dissonance between a person’s verbal and non-verbal messages).
2. Increase in the expressiveness of movements (development of flexibility, spontaneity, diversity of movement elements, including factors of time, space and strength of movement, determination of the boundaries of one's movement and their expansion).
3. Authentic movement (spontaneous, dance-motor improvisation, coming from the inner sensation, including the experience of experiences and feelings and leading to the integration of the personality).

Principles of the dance therapy group:

• voluntariness of participation;
• "here and now";
• privacy;
• open expression of feelings;
• responsibility;
• activity.

Target: promoting the physical and emotional integration of the personality of group members.

Tasks:

• deepening the group members' awareness of their own bodies;
• development of awareness of the possibilities of using the body, ways of expressing feelings;
• establishing by the group members the connection of feelings with movements, the release and exploration of feelings through dance expression.

Greeting - bow.

Stages of work: Stage I - warming up

Target: Help each participant prepare their body for work.

Materials: Music player, music records.

Exercise “Dance of separate parts of the body”

Goals: warming up the participants; awareness and removal of muscle clamps; expansion of the expressive repertoire.

Materials: Musical recording with a clear rhythmic pattern.

Time: 3 min.

I invite all participants to stand in a circle. We will start our lesson with a warm-up. I will name in turn the parts of the body, the dance of which we will perform. Everyone comes up with their own moves.

• hand dance
• hand dance
• head dance
• shoulder dance
• belly dance
• foot dance

Participants strive to use the named part of the body in the dance as much as possible.

Issues for discussion:

• Which dance was easy to perform, which was difficult?
• What did you feel while dancing?
• Was it difficult or easy to come up with your own movements?

II. Stage - Main activity

Goals: Deepening the group members' awareness of their own bodies; development of awareness of the possibilities of using the body, ways of expressing feelings; establishing by the group members the connection of feelings with movements, the release and exploration of feelings through dance expression.

Exercise "Actor director"

Goals: the acquisition of new motor experience, the participants' awareness of their dance-expressive stereotypes.

Materials: rhythmic music.

Lead time: 10 minutes

Usually our movements are quite stereotyped and now we will try to change these movements with you.

And the first task will be to perform simple movements. I will call them a word, and you will carry out. From the beginning, stereotypically simple, as you do it daily, and then in some special way, as you have never done before.

Squats

The next exercise is very interesting. It's called "Actor, Director". Now let's split into pairs. One will be an actor, the other a director. The actor begins to make arbitrary movements. At the word “shift” uttered by the director, the actor radically changes his movements. The task is completed within 2 minutes. Then change roles and continue for another 2 minutes.

Discussion: Now I propose to discuss your new motor experience. What did you feel? What have you experienced? Your attitude? What movements of the partner did you pay attention to?

Exercise: “Following the leader”

Goals: Experimentation of participants with different movements and interpersonal positions of leader and follower; participants' awareness of their dance-expressive stereotypes.

Materials: Musical recordings of different styles that stimulate dance expression.

Time: 10 min.

For the next exercise, we need to split into groups of 4-5 people.

Each of the groups of 4-5 people should line up in a row, each group should have its own leader standing opposite the group. The leader must perform dance movements of the most unusual nature, and the rest of the group repeat after him, copying him. When the music changes, the leader stands at the end of the snake, and the one who walked right behind him becomes the leader, and must perform all the same functions. Everyone should bring their own movements, features. All members of the group must visit as a leader at least once.

Discussion: Describe what you experienced? How did you feel as a leader and as a follower? What was more difficult for you to come up with movements or repeat? Please describe how you feel about the exercise.

Exercise "Name"

I suggest doing the following exercise "Name". Your task is to take turns showing your name in motion. Because you want it. How do you see your name. And be sure to say it.

Discussion: Describe your mood?

And now we will complicate the exercise. Now we will all together take turns repeating the movement and pronouncing the name of each participant.

Discussion: What do you feel now, describe?

III. Stage - Completion

Goals: Restoration of breathing; stress relief and emotional arousal; consolidation of the results obtained during the training.

Materials: music player,

Exercise “Sunrise”

Goals: Relieve stress and emotional arousal; setting for positive thinking.

Materials: slow, calm music.

Time: 3 min.

Procedure: The group sits in a circle in their places. Relaxing music sounds. The facilitator slowly and clearly pronounces the following text: “Our training is coming to an end, but as philosophers say, any end is the beginning of something new. In our case, it will be awareness of oneself, one's capabilities, unity with the common Universe and its power, integration of soul and body. Sit comfortably. Relax. You can close your eyes or you can leave them open. Try to transport yourself with your inner vision to the pre-dawn seconds when the sky is getting lighter and the sun is about to rise. Watch around. Nature, as if frozen in anticipation of the sun. Trees, animals, insects - all are filled with extraordinary silence, as if they were transferred, in their expectation, to a magical land, between dream and reality, between night and day, darkness and light. A country that is not on any of the maps of the world. A country where everything is possible. Wait for you too. Wait for the sunrise like first love, with the same deep expectation, with such hope and uplift. Silently. Now, let the sun rise! Let its rays warm you with their warmth and light. Take a deep breath. As you breathe in, imagine golden light entering through your head and into your body, as if the sun had risen very close to your head. You are just empty, and the golden light fills your head and goes down, down to your toes. As you breathe in, visualize it. This golden light will help, it will cleanse your entire body and fill it with creativity. Feel how the magical solar heat spreads over your body, over each of its cells. Save these feelings. Take another deep breath. Now you can open the eyes of those who had them closed, take your usual position. From now on, if ever in your life you feel anxiety, fear, sadness, tension, let your inner sun rise...”

And, of course, we cannot finish our studies without thanking ourselves and each other for the good work.

Exercise "Clever"

Performed standing or sitting.

Leading. We stretch our hands forward, at the same time we reach for them and say: “Clever girl” (we stretch the “U” sound).

Exercise "Well Done"

Performed standing or sitting.

Leading. We stretch our arms to the sides, at the same time we lean forward, look at the right hand and say: “Well done” (we emphasize and pull the letter “e”, while directing the sound to the diaphragm).

Thanks to these exercises, clamps caused by stress are relaxed, and the formation of a number of important skills improves. In addition, these exercises give a confident positive attitude.

Discussion: How did you feel doing the last three exercises?

What sensations did you experience, what feelings did you experience?

And as expected, we need to stand in a circle and bow. Now with a bow we thank each other for our joint work.

Literature:

1. O. Oshurkova “Magic tale about a dream” magazine “School psychologist” [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: http://psy.1september.ru/view_article.php?id=200900606
2. Dance therapy [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: http://womanadvice.ru/tancevalnaya-terapiya
3. Training “Dance therapy” [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: http://www.psyoffice.ru/4-0-5609.htm
4. I. Dzhibladze “Dance therapy training” [Electronic resource]. - Access mode:

Dance therapy is a completely unique phenomenon. What does it represent? This is a direction of psychotherapy in which movement and dance contribute to both the physical and emotional integration of the individual. At this method rich story. And indeed, it is of some interest. So I would like to pay special attention to this topic.

About prerequisites

All people who are at least a little familiar with folklore, history and art are well aware that dance from time immemorial has been an integral part of various rituals, community life and other practices. It's more than just moving to music. The dance carried sacred, communicative, identification, expressive and recreational functions. He helped to freely express himself, contact with partners, emotionally discharge and relieve physical stress. In fact, dance still carries out all of the above functions today.

The healing properties of dance in the 20th century prompted psychotherapists to use them as a new method of treatment. In addition, at that time this genre appeared and became quite special. After all, it emphasized the individuality of each person and the importance of the personal. The first dance therapists were people like Mary Wigman and Rudolf Laban.

And, of course, talking about the prerequisites, one cannot help but note the teachings. This specialist assured that all experiences and emotions that a person did not express did not disappear anywhere. They accumulate in the muscles. And there are some kind of "blocks". In general, dance movement therapy, the exercises of which will be noted a little later, refers to the teachings of Reich. More precisely, to how the specialist explains the work of psychosomatic mechanisms. But its methods are not used as such.

In Russia

In our country, this direction appeared not very long ago - in the 90s. And initially there was not even such a thing as dance therapy. The theory says: in Russia it was originally presented as a method of personal growth and development. But in 1995, the concept has already appeared. And after him - ATDT (Association of Dance Movement Therapy). It was organized in Moscow. And ATDT works with the support of the American, European and International associations.

Now TDT is an independent direction in psychotherapy. And the scope of its application is very wide. Dance therapy is aimed at combating stress, Parkinson's disease, autism, post-traumatic disorders, etc.

About principles

Like any other treatment technique, this one relies on certain provisions and rules. They are followed by doctors working in this direction. The essence of the main principle is that the human body and his psyche are inseparable. And they constantly interact with each other. Dance is also perceived as a way of communication. And a person engaged in TDT comes into contact with himself, his partner and the whole world.

Another important principle is the unity of thoughts, feelings and behavior. Because any change in one aspect entails changes in the other two. In this, by the way, the principle of integrity is manifested. Also, the “highlight” is the perception of your body as not an object or object, but a process. The very awareness of this is reflected in the result, presenting the desired effect. And one more important principle - during the practice of dance therapy, the specialist turns to the creative resources of a person, as to an endless source of creative energy and vitality.

Goals

Dance therapy for children and adults aims to achieve the same result. The main goal is to expand the scope of awareness of your body, as well as its capabilities and features. It is important for a person to be able to develop trust in himself and improve his self-esteem. For this, doctors are engaged in the development of the patient's body, instilling in him a love for this business.

Another goal is to improve social skills and integrate inner experience. It is important that the person in the course of treatment establishes a special connection between movements, thoughts and feelings.

Methods

It is worth noting that there are different groups of dance therapy. The main one is clinical. This is an auxiliary type of therapy that forms an effective symbiosis in terms of treatment with medications prescribed to patients. Clinical TDT can last for a long time - sometimes for several years. But efficiency demands it. By the way, it is especially good at helping patients with speech and interpersonal communication disorders (that is, in communication). By the way, clinical TDT appeared more than 75 years ago.

TDT is also widely used in people with psychological problems. And this type of therapy is much more complex than the previously mentioned one. Because it is aimed at solving specific human problems. And such TDT is carried out both in a group with other patients, and individually. The method is usually based on analytical psychology.

And then there is dance therapy for those people who have no problems, but want something more from their lives. For example, to find out with the help of TDT your hidden "I", to find new way self-expression and start interacting with others.

Innovation

As mentioned at the beginning, TDT gained popularity not so long ago. Which is not surprising, because this is an innovation. In the course of classes with patients, the doctor uses the skills, abilities and knowledge that relate to psychology, creativity, art, physiology and therapy. It is important. After all, almost every disease is psychosomatic. And until the moment when the disease begins to manifest itself at the bodily level, it appears in the subconscious. That is, at the level of the psyche.

TDT is special in that during its implementation great attention is paid not only to mental processes and cognitive methods of rehabilitation, but also to the physical and creative part. In other words, both hemispheres are involved. And this is what a harmonious and holistic person needs. And be that as it may, but the most unexplored aspect of our world today is precisely man. Namely, how his body interacts with the psyche.

Benefit

Dance therapy, which has a very interesting history, is really effective. It is the best way to minimize physical stress and increase the mobility of a person. If you believe the notorious theory of Reich, it turns out that the same muscle "clamp" is eliminated. After all, a person begins to move, express his feelings and emotions during the dance. And the accumulated energy that was spent on maintaining the muscle "clamp" finds its application.

The value of artistic experiences is very high. In the dance, they even extract needs and desires from the unconscious, which the patient could not even guess about. In other words, he simply gets rid of them.

In addition, TDT is a great way for non-verbal interaction. It is for this reason that in recent times group classes have become popular. A person begins to contact not only with the healer, but also with other participants. And this is an additional release of tension and a more relaxed atmosphere. Group classes significantly improve the emotional and physical condition of patients. And if they are also teenagers, then TDT helps them to increase their level of self-esteem and develop a more positive image of their own body. By contacting other members of the group, young people can awaken new, previously unexplored feelings.

movements

So, we examined the methods of dance therapy in as much detail as possible. Now you can touch the attention and exercises. There are no restrictions and generally accepted standards. After all, one of the goals, as mentioned earlier, is to demonstrate freedom and creativity. The most important thing is that the movements performed by the patient should be aimed at realizing his own feelings at this particular moment. His task is to express his feelings through dance. And the therapist, watching him, must understand what the patient is trying to convey. This is where psychoanalysis comes into play. The doctor's task is to analyze the patient's behavior as accurately as possible, which will help to understand his problem.

Then the healer, together with the person, proceeds to expand the limited potential of movements. This way it is possible to liberate the patient, direct him to overcome complexes and psychological problems. This is what dance therapy is all about.

Exercise is what the patient should concentrate on during the exercise. When a person “stretches”, it is important for him to feel what exactly at the moment he feels. And the doctor, in turn, should help him come to the awareness of his physical sensations. In the last stage, the patient usually feels that his soul is one with the body, and conveys this through his dance.

What else is worth knowing?

For TDT there are no barriers. No age limits or restrictions on the diagnosis. Now there are centers that work with adults and children, which accept anyone who wants to, help to cope with personal problems, anxieties, fears, personal crisis, misunderstanding of oneself and loss of the meaning of life. There is also a marital TDT.

For children, special programs have been developed that can correct (which include autism, developmental delay. For adults, there is a program that helps to cope with compulsive overeating, anorexia and bulimia. With the help of TDT, you can even improve parent-child relationships.

And people who have decided to do TDT (or they had to do it) assure that there is an effect. All the theory described is confirmed in practice. And therapy allows not only to replenish strength, but also to know yourself, to feel your light, uniqueness and value for this world, which is confirmed by many reviews.

Education

As you can already understand, the activity of a person who owns such an art as dance therapy is very complex and multifaceted. Training of specialists of this profile also takes place in several stages. The program itself was created in 1995. This is so far the only technique that meets the requirements of the European Association of TDT. And the program is implemented by such a university as the Institute of Practical Psychology and Psychoanalysis. IPPiP is located in Moscow.

All students in this area will have to master many disciplines. The preparation is comprehensive and serious. Leading experts not only from Russia, but also from the USA and Europe are involved in teaching.

During the training, future therapists attend theoretical seminars on TDT and psychological counseling. The program also includes supervision. Students will also undergo personal psychotherapy and clinical practice.

Educational nuances

It is important to note that this is not a 4-year course, but a professional retraining, at the end of which students are issued an appropriate diploma. This document gives specialists the right to conduct professional activities in the field of psychotherapy and, of course, TDT.

For admission, you must complete an application form and write a meaningful essay (a kind of creative competition). Also, each future student is required to take an introductory course on TDT. This is necessary to identify the ability of a person to this activity. The program includes 10 hours of the basics of creative dance and 50 hours of the group TDT "Basic Life Themes". After completing the course, the person is interviewed and accepted for training.

By the way, today there is also a regional training program, which can be completed at the center of healing art and creativity in Ufa, which cooperates with the previously mentioned university (IPPiP).

Dance therapy is a non-verbal method of psychotherapy. The purpose of this psychotherapeutic technique is the expression of emotions with body language. Through movements and their analysis, the process of recovery of the patient begins.

In dance therapy there are no strict rules and certain dance movements. The patient is given complete freedom of expression. Such movement therapy is used to help sick people. Dance therapy can also be used as a preventive measure.

Since ancient times, dance has been a means of expressing feelings. In wild tribes, to this day, ritual dances accompany the main events of a person's life - the birth of a child, marriage and death, as well as recovery. Many nations recognize the miraculous power of dance, which helps to gain new strength or relax. For many people, the opportunity to dance is an opportunity to relieve stress, relax, recharge and cheer up.

At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, characteristic dance gained great popularity. Its foundation was laid by the famous American dancer Isadora Duncan, one of the founders of modern dance. She denied the classical school of dance, used ancient Greek plastique, replaced her ballet costume with a tunic, danced without shoes, expressively and emotionally revealing her personality. Character dance as a method of treatment began to be practiced in America. Some of the big names in the field are Mary Whitehouse, Trudy Scoop, Merian Chase, and Lillian Espenak. In 1966, the American Dance Therapy Association was established, and in 1967, a treatment center in New York.

Fundamentals of Therapy

The theories of Carl Gustav Jung influenced the development of dance therapy. Jung's works have helped many dancers through dance to try to penetrate into the depths of the human subconscious and overcome certain psychological problems, as well as get rid of many diseases. Some psychoanalysts have applied Jung's theories to dance therapy and even developed them further. There are various styles and directions of dance therapy. The theoretical principles of each individual direction are associated with the corresponding psychological school and therapeutic methods. However, at the heart of all styles of dance therapy is psychology.

Dance therapy is understood as a therapy of impressions and sensations, aimed at the patient's feelings at a particular moment. By dancing, the patient must express what he has experienced. By analyzing the patient's movements, the therapist tries to describe as accurately as possible his behavior during the dance and understand the person's problems. The patient and the therapist together try to expand the usually rather limited potential of movements and thus contribute to the emancipation of the person and overcoming his complexes and psychological problems. The therapist helps the patient to become aware of his movements, and through the movements to know himself. In the last stage of therapy, called integration time, the patient expresses his feelings with movement. He must feel himself and his body as a whole and express it with movements.

Indications for the use of dance therapy

At first, the founders of dance therapy successfully applied this method in psychiatric hospitals. They managed to help many patients undergoing long-term treatment in the hospital. However, this form of therapy can be used successfully in all forms of neurosis, childhood autism, learning disabilities, mental disability or senile dementia. Dance therapy is usually used as a group therapy, but can also be used individually.

Dances are treated by therapists who have received special education. In Europe they are trained by senior colleagues. In the USA there are special courses where dance therapy specialists are trained.

Dance is closely connected with the joy of life, with a holiday, good mood and pleasant communication. Dancing is always uplifting, so it is recommended for all people, regardless of their ability to dance.

Dance therapy is especially widespread in the United States, where it was created. In order to become a dance therapist, you need to graduate from a university that trains specialists in this field.

The term "dance therapy" has only recently begun to become widely known, but many people who want to improve their mental state have already become familiar with this technique.

There are centers in large cities of Russia that popularize dance therapy and professionally help adult patients and children.

Dance therapy is a type of psychotherapy in which the process of movement (dance) integrates the social, cognitive, emotional and physical aspects of a person's life.

This method of treatment is suitable for healthy people and those who are faced with emotional disorders, psychosomatic illnesses, impaired communication skills and other problems.

Dance as a form of communication has its roots in deep antiquity; at that time, the movement of the body to a certain rhythm was a ritual action that could pursue different goals: from social and communal to healing practices.

Already at that time, dance accumulated functions that reflected the social and psychological life of a person and society. What was the dance for?

1. ritual communication. Dance was a form of transmission of sacred knowledge and communication with the divine.
2. A communicative function, when, with the help of dance, a person is able to establish contact with a representative of his species (among historians there is a theory that before the advent of language, communication between people took place through dance).
3. Identification function, when with the help of dance an individual shows his belonging to a particular community.
4. expressive function. Dance acts as a way of expressing feelings and relieving tension.
5. A cathartic function, when through dance a person gets the opportunity to immerse himself in intense negative experiences and thereby get rid of their toxic influence, get spiritual cleansing. (Catharsis is the intense experience of liberation and rebirth as a result of intense shock or suffering.)

Movements to music have coped with these tasks throughout the history of human existence. The healing properties of dance were known among the Indian tribes.

In China, a number of specific dance-gymnastic exercises such as Tai Chi Chuan were a popular practice during treatment.

shaolin monk

In England in the 19th century, there was a theory among doctors about the beneficial effect of dance on the treatment of diseases associated with the physiological and psychological state of the patient, and thanks to the work of choreographers Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey, the first theories of dance-movement psychotherapy were developed in Great Britain.

Martha Graham

The prerequisites for the development of dance therapy as a successful treatment method were formed long time, but in the twentieth century, 2 events happened that had a great influence on the formation of the direction. What led to the birth of dance therapy:

1. The emergence and rapid popularization of psychoanalysis in Europe and America, thanks to which they began to study unconscious mental processes.
2. The emergence of a new type of modern dance, whose prominent representatives are Isadora Duncan, Rudolf Laban and Mary Wigman. By rejecting the canonical forms of dance, turning to new plots and using unusual dance and plastic means, representatives of this direction sought to convey personal, unconscious experience and individual self-expression.

The founder of dance therapy as a method of treatment is Marion Chase, who was a dancer and teacher.

While teaching dance with students, Marion drew attention to the division between students: if some focused attention directly on the dance technique, then others were occupied with the sensual component and self-expression.

By changing her teaching methods, she allowed her students to convey more emotions through freedom of movement, which made it possible to come to an understanding of the psychological benefits inherent in dance as a form of perception of the world and emotional interaction with it.

Working with children and adolescents in various educational institutions, she managed to make the right impression on psychologists so that her method of treatment began to be taken seriously.

After that, she did dance-movement therapy with people who experienced both psychological and movement problems, and in 1946 Marion was invited as an active dance therapist at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, where, thanks to her work, efforts and knowledge, patients, up to As a result, those considered hopeless were able to learn group interaction and expression of emotions, after which their treatment proceeded in the classical form, but with great success.

As an independent discipline, dance therapy began to develop after 1966, when the American Association for Dance Psychotherapy was formed.

Advantages and features of the method

Mostly, people who learn about the world around them and determine their place in it through movement, through their body, turn to dance therapy.

Movement in their case is seen as a way to express and understand themselves, because at some stage they lost touch with themselves, harmony and a sense of integrity.

Without feeling contact with their body, people lose contact with their deep, lively and creative beginning, connection with their own nature. The principles and goals of dance movement therapy, on the basis of which the treatment methodology is based, are as follows:

1. There is an integration of bodily and mental experience. There is an integrity of mental, behavioral processes and emotional involvement of the individual. Changes in one aspect entail changes in others.
2. With the help of dance, you can communicate on three levels: with the world as such, with other members of the group, with yourself. This creates a unified and own system of communication.
3. Movement allows you to reveal the creative potential, which is the essence and root cause of human energy.

It is important to remember that dance therapy is primarily a direction of psychology, not art. The beauty of dance gestures and movements, plasticity, performance technique and dance direction are not key aspects of therapy.

Thanks to involvement in the creative process, which can open the way for a person to explore and realize himself, his abilities and limits, the patient gets the opportunity to work out other tasks. What dance gives:

1. Improves physical and emotional state.
2. Self-esteem and self-esteem increase, a person learns to trust himself in a new way and builds his own favorable image.
3. The experience of integrating feelings, thinking and movement becomes important for relationships with oneself and with others.

In addition, in cases of group therapy in patients with psychological problems, the process of interaction with people is being established, new communication skills are being taught.

Classification options for dance movement therapy

Considering dance therapy from different points of view, at least two classifications can be distinguished, reflecting the approach to the treatment methodology and the requirements for the education of a dance therapist, to the complexity and uniqueness of the complex of measures to help patients.

The first classification is based on the number of participants. Allocate the following types dance therapy:

• individual;
• steam room;
• group.

The most popular and well-developed today is the latter, since it allows you to effectively and efficiently treat many people at once. Usually all participants are involved in the process at once, but different formats are also possible (for example, when someone moves and someone watches).

Accordingly, the second classification is based on the requirements for the specific education, experience and skills of the dance therapist who conducts the treatment.

Here are the types of dance therapy according to this classification:

1. Clinical dance therapy for patients with mental disorders is used as an additional method of treatment along with medication. It is considered the most difficult type of dance therapy. It is widely used in cases where patients have a speech disorder and have difficulty communicating with other people. For the appearance and consolidation of improvements, a long-term therapeutic effect is required.
2. Dance psychotherapy for mentally and physically healthy people with specific needs. Or for somatic patients who experience difficulties at the physiological level and consider dance therapy, first of all, as an additional way to treat disorders associated with movement and coordination.
3. Dance art therapy for people who do not suffer from mental illness, but who have a desire to develop, their skills and take a fresh look at the world. In this case, therapy serves as a way of self-expression, expanding the idea of ​​yourself, your body.

Both group work and individual lessons can be really rewarding and bring new, inspiring experiences.

TDT techniques and their characteristics

In dance-movement therapy, there are several possible types of dance, which are used depending on the safety of physical capabilities.

1. An unstructured dance consisting of spontaneous and varied movements. This option is often chosen for the treatment of neuroses. Spontaneous movements are perceived as an element of the game, with which you can express emotions and sensations.
2. A structured dance, to which, for example, a round dance can be attributed. The circle dance has special therapeutic properties, gives a sense of belonging, community and closeness.

In addition to the circle dance, exercises characterized by a clear and competent structure include techniques aimed at relaxation and concentration or movement in the environment.

For patients with psychotic disorders, mirror responses can be perceived as aggression, which adversely affects the effectiveness of therapy. For group members to feel comfortable and safe, the therapist must be empathic and sufficiently qualified.

Dance Therapy for Children

Today, dance therapy for children is one of the most popular ways to treat young patients with communication disorders. Teaching children to dance in general education, developmental and leisure centers takes place in rhythm classes with a professional teacher. C rhythm has a positive effect on the development of plasticity and grace in a child. He learns to hear the rhythm and understand the music, to coordinate what he hears with the movements of the body.

First, the teacher teaches children the elements of dance, helps to form and develop new motor skills, but imitation itself is only half the work. In working with children for the development of creativity, there are elements of performances and games, when children can use fictitious images, turn on fantasy, appeal to their own emotional experiences and reveal emotions.

Ask an expert in the comments