DMT or Dance and movement therapy, is a type of therapy that uses movement to help individuals achieve emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration. Dance therapy can be used to treat a number of physical and mental health issues. Though it falls under the terms of psychotherapy, it can be beneficial to physiotherapists to treat movement disorders like Parkinson's.
According to the American Dance Therapy Association, “Dance/movement therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual.”
In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, the researchers concluded that dancing can boost the connectivity between both cerebral hemispheres, and long-term dance practice positively affects brain activity.
Dance or movement therapy can be helpful for improving self-esteem and can be useful for people who struggle with body image issues, depression, eating disorders, PTSD, low self-esteem, grief or anxiety. People don't need a background or special abilities in dance to benefit from Dance/Movement Therapy. A variety of dance styles are used in DMT which has four stages: Preparation, Incubation, Illumination and Evaluation.
TOP 5 ADVANTAGES OF DANCE THERAPY
- Ability to Express Emotions: Dance can be used to express any mood sadness, joy, anger, fear, and more. Think about the last time you saw a dance performance, and how you knew the emotions being portrayed without any direct dialogue. The word “emotion” comes from the Latin word “emovere,” which means to move, move out, or move through.
- Reduces Stress: The endorphins released when you're dancing reduces stress and anxiety, and ultimately gives you a sense of overall well-being. You can feel it for yourself after just one hour of salsa dancing. The dance moves and rhythm relieve you of the pressure and keep your mind relaxed.
- Physical fitness and Gross Motor Skills Development: Dancing can be a way to stay fit for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. Dancing can improve your muscle tone, strength, endurance and fitness. Dancing is a great way to meet new friends. See your doctor for a check-up if you have a medical condition, are overweight, are over 40 years of age or are unfit.
- Improves Self-esteem and Confidence : Studies have found a link between dance and confidence. Dancing improves skillsets, fosters commitments, and cultivates a positive self-image. Dancing gives you the potential to accept your body as it is and appreciate its own beauty, movement, and rhythm. It also allows you to change the perception of yourself from worst enemy to best friend.
- Encourages Imagination and Creativity: In dance, there are three components that stir our imagination: the movement of our body or the movement of others (kinesthetic imagery), the music that accompanies the movement (auditory imagery), and the emotions that arise from the physical sensation in our body while we dance (interoceptive imagery).
DANCE Vs DANCE THERAPY
Dance is a performance art form consisting of choreographed sequences of movement. It is about expression, aesthetics, and often physicality and skill. Dance/movement therapy is first and foremost a form of psychotherapy, facilitated by a master’s level clinician that uses, movement, a component of dance, to assist with emotional and behavioral challenges. In dance/movement therapy, the “dance” comes from the individual, not the therapist, as an organic expression of the self.
Dance therapists are licensed professionals who use dance and movement as part of a therapeutic process to address clients' physical, emotional, and behavioral needs. One of the therapist’s responsibilities is to support and validate that individual’s existence through witnessing and even mirroring movements that arise in the therapeutic relationship.
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