Dance therapy, also known as movement therapy, is a way for people to gain insight to their own inner world, through the outer world that we live in. This is a newer form of therapy that is just now becoming recognized as beneficial to one’s personal growth. It is a more creative and fun way to reach personal goals. So many of us lead hectic, busy lives, and wish to slow down and find our own abilities through art and expression. Here are just a few of the many ways in which dance therapy can be helpful for anyone who enjoys movement.
- Movement helps us to connect our inner world with our outer world. When our minds and bodies are fully connected, we are at ease. There are so many ways to become disconnected from your own body in today’s fast paced society that’s obsessed with appearances. But luckily, through dance therapy, you can find this connection again. Therapy is becoming normalized which is a wonderful thing. When people talk about going to therapy, what they are usually referring to is cognitive behavioral therapy. This mainly focuses on our mind, and our behavior. What sets dance therapy apart from the way people usually see therapy, is it brings our bodies into the equation. When we not only understand, but create a connection with our bodies, it adds the missing piece to the puzzle- and movement is a great way to reach this mind body connection.
- Dance therapy is a way to become more embodied. What exactly is embodiment? It is expression that gives form to an idea, emotion, or desire. When we are fully embodied, it means we’re able to express whatever comes up for us throughout life- and this form of expression is not necessarily shown through words. Rather, embodiment is shown and understood through our movements, our facial expressions, and our gestures. Being able to become fully embodied is such a gift because it means we have created a mind body connection that can be universally understood, no matter what language we speak. Being embodied means we’re revealing our thoughts, wishes, and concerns in a way that’s connected to our hearts. Think of embodiment as the next level of communication.
- Creating a mind body connection is a way to fully embrace self acceptance. When we are fully embodied, and when we have finally created that mind body connection, we accept ourselves the way we are. This is why it’s so important to add movement into the therapy equation- our physical bodies are what we have in this world, and if we feel disconnected from it, other components of our lives will be lacking as well. By learning to embrace ourselves exactly how we are in this moment, we’re creating harmony within ourselves. And when we have harmony within ourselves, there’s absolutely nothing we want to change about ourselves. Once we reach a state where there’s nothing we want to change about ourselves, it’s like removing mud from water- suddenly, everything is much clearer and things flow in a beautiful way.
Different forms of healing are becoming more widely recognized than ever before. In Western society, things that were almost unheard of for improving mental and physical health twenty years ago, are now widely accepted. One big example is yoga- it was difficult to find a studio before, and it wasn’t fully understood, but now there is a studio around every corner. People are also now understanding the benefits of yoga, more than ever before. Similarly, dance therapy is becoming a more widely accepted and celebrated medium for healing in today’s world. This will only continue to expand, and reach more people. Anyone who can move can try dance therapy, and anyone who tries it will quickly find the calming, harmonizing effect of this practice.