THUNAIHave you observed a new born?
How is he / she communicating?
Movement is the first language. We start moving before we are born in utero, an action that continues until the end of life itself.
Our bodies speak and express, it is a storehouse of information, it is the catalyst for a change and it is where the change happens, the bearer. In other words, when the individual intends to make a transition from where they are to where they want to be, the body is, the entity that supports the change, and it is the entity that changes.
Dance and Movement therapy (DMT) works on the premise that the body and the mind are one inseparable unit, that is mutually supportive of each other. Which means that a change in one will cause or create an effect on the other. All movement is reflective of both intrapsychic dynamics and one’s socially evolved mode of relating.
The use of non-verbal and paralinguistic indicators in the process of DMT gives chances for the therapist to unlock information that may/ or not be available in other forms of therapy. For example, a dance and movement therapist found out that a 10-year-old blind girl was being sexually abused by a parent figure.
On evaluation by the school authorities, it was found that the girl was a subject of abuse by her step-father from an early age. The therapist used movement observation, analysis and kinesthetic empathy to get information and make hypotheses.
These are conscious tools that a dance and movement therapist uses to draw inferences. By observing patterns and methods of movement, by consciously incorporating aspects of a patient’s movement into their own expressions, by reflecting and mirroring the essence of the observed movement, a dance and movement therapist sets the process of surfacing a problem and healing the problem.Therefore, a dance movement therapist studies the body dynamics to postulate and ‘counsel’ a patient into recovery, more like a specialized stream of psychotherapy or counselling.
The techniques in Dance therapy, sets many processes in motion towards healing and recovery.
Body integration: Looking at the body as a unit where change in one part makes a change in another part, therefore affecting the body as a whole. Something, like a ripple effect.
For example, for a person suffering from trauma because of a serious head injury, a dance therapist may encourage subtle movements of the fingers and toes, mirroring with the patient at the same time. This experience may cause a sensation of control and relaxation in the body.
Appropriate effect: During the dance therapy session this refers to changing an individual's distinctive response processes, to unrestrained communication behaviour. For example, certain movements aid in surfacing submerged feelings and manifestations of it, which may trigger an uncontrolled / controlled expression of emotion. Such as sporadic laughing, autistic movement, etc.
Understanding of behaviour: By making a person aware of their movement behaviour, the therapist can help in gaining understanding of the feeling state at that moment of movement or in response to earlier emotions and experiences.
For example, a patient with a case of getting panic attacks in crowded places; by working and moving with the therapist, realised that a past experience of being gagged, blindfolded and robbed was manifesting itself into panic attacks in places with restrictive movement.
Social interaction: The creation of nonverbal relationships during the process of the dance therapy session, the patient gains an understanding of inert emotions. Sometimes in group therapy sessions, feelings of closeness with the group, development of group cohesiveness are effects of social interaction.