Dance and movement therapy is an expressive approach to emotional healing. This technique recognises the profound link between our body and emotions. Movement and dance is a powerful method used to process trauma and stress, feel more connected to your body, gain a stronger sense of your boundaries as well as a gentle way of maintaining your emotional balance.
Background: History of Dance and Movement as Emotional Therapy Tools:
Dance has been used for centuries as a form of ritual, celebration, and expression of the human experience. The modern practice of dance and movement therapy emerged in the 20th century, blending elements of dance, psychology, and creative arts therapies. What culture does not use dance in a therapeutic way? Spanish Flamenco is a prime example, with each dancer getting a turn to fully express themselves, all the while being encouraged from the sidelines.
Movement and dance as a therapeutic tool that has been incorporated into many emotional and psychological fields including somatic experiencing.
Research Supporting Dance and Movement as Emotional Therapy Tools:
Dance and movement therapy can help:
- reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety
- emotions flow and balance some call this regulation. It feels like you are not overthinking, just with your feelings without judgement which can result understanding your feelings, increasing self compassion, feeling more resilience and overall more peaceful.
- improve body awareness by assisting you to recognise your unique physical manifestations of the full spectrum of emotions like anger, fear, happiness and peace. This stronger connection to your body helps you in to tune in with how you are feeling in every day life.
- boost self-confidence: realising the wisdom, strength and effort of your body can lead to acceptance, appreciation and increased self-confidence.
- process trauma with minimal impact on every day function (some call it the side door to trauma).
How We Use It In Our Clinic:
Livvy, along with the guidance of a trained dance teacher, uses movement and dance in sessions to assist clients to:
- express, explore and release emotions.
- tune in and unlock to your inner needs, feelings including what makes you feel free, function better…the real you
- comfort and sooth your your unique nervous system
Therapeutic movement and dance can allow the body to express, heal, and transform. Whether you’re dealing with emotional challenges, trauma, or simply seeking self-discovery and personal growth, our dance and movement therapy tools can guide you. If this idea scares you, that is understandable, we have been somewhat conditioned to associate movement and dance with an audience.
This is not how movement is used as a therapeutic tool though. Therapeutic dance an movement classes require an the environment comfort and safety, otherwise it defeats the purpose. There is no audience, there is no technique that needs to be mastered. Movement and dance can be subtle and supportive. Livvy also used movement in her individual sessions according to principals of brain integreation and somatic experiencing.
If movement and dance is something that interests you as tool for finding your flow, balance, becoming more tuned in to your body and emotions, then contact Livvy. You may also enjoy reading more about using somatic tools to enhance your emotional wellbeing.
How can I support you?
Book your initial appointment today