What is Dance Movement Therapy?
Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is a type of creative arts therapy that uses movement and dance to reach insight, process the past, and develop new ways of connecting to ourselves and others. In my sessions with clients, I use DMT in many different ways, depending on the client’s comfort with movement and what issues they would like to work on.
*Sessions may consist of structured or improvised movement, music, meditation, yoga, breathwork, qigong, psychoeducation, or sharing/discussion.
What are some ways dance therapy shows up in a session?
As a dance therapist, I enjoy both structured movement and improvised movement. Structured movement is designed to help clients build a movement vocabulary that can allow them to tap into their body as a vehicle of expression, and improvised movement helps people connect to their unconscious so that they can more deeply understand and know themselves. Moving to rhythm to develop clarity, as a way to connect, and as a way to become more grounded, even with powerful feelings, is another aspect of dance movement therapy that may appear in a session. Breathwork, yoga, and qigong also support the work. As we improve our connections to ourselves, our connection to the world around us improves as well, and vice versa. Stronger and more peaceful relationships come from this improved connection. Discovering our own individual, authentic ways of moving and using movement education to increase mental, physical, and emotional health also tends to increase basic life satisfaction because there is more emotional honesty and therefor, more of a chance to really connect in life and find what speaks to you. I would be happy to be a part of this process with you.