Dance Therapy

Understanding Dance Therapy

The information available on dance therapy is stark, mainly because it is still considered to be an unconventional form of treatment. Art therapy, which involves processing negative thoughts and emotions through visual art such as painting, suffers the same lack of exposure. However more people are hearing about it as dance therapists are experiencing breakthroughs with their clients.

Dance therapy is based upon the idea that the mind and body are connected to each other in such a manner that physical injury affects emotions, and vice versa, meaning that dance therapy is in essence able to heal a myriad of psychological problems. Dance is usually centered on the appearance of movement and creating something pleasing to an audience’s eyes, however dance therapy discovers all sorts of movements, focusing on the way the body is empowered through movement rather than what looks good.

Dance therapy was founded in the United States by Marion Chace during the 1960s. Since then, the American Dance Therapy Association was formed to help regulate and maintain the quality and information of certified dance therapists all over the nation. The ADTA is the only cooperative in existence whose sole purpose is to promote dance therapy and provide support to its members. Movement professionals pay a small yearly membership fee to reap the benefits of such an organization, and most are affiliated with the ADTA in some way, keeping everyone connected and on the same page.

What Is The Goal?

Dance therapy’s goal is to promote healing in those suffering from both mental and physical illnesses. Those who are battling cancer, as well as their healthy caretakers, have partaken in such sessions in order to feel empowered and able to better handle their situation. In the physical sense, dance therapy can be a great form of low impact exercise, is able to increase mobility and coordination, and helps the body to feel healthier and ready to fight. Emotionally, individuals gain more self esteem, self-awareness, and a great outlet to diffuse all of the conflicting emotions they may be feeling due to the plight of their illness. Since dance therapists believe the concept that mind and body work together to form one being, they also validate the claim that dance therapy will resolve the issues of both the body and soul.

What Is Done?

Dance therapy comes out of the development of a language that does not involve words. This empowers patients to realize what their body is feeling and what it is trying to tell them. A therapist will usually ask a person to dance free of choreography, and will then evaluate their movements in such a manner to either help to diagnose a certain condition or help with the healing process of an already determined one. You will find dance therapy taking place in a variety of environments, in both individual and group forms. Many people who participate in this genre of “free dance” experience a distinct development in their self expression and in turn, are able to communicate and share their feelings more easily with both their therapist and those in their daily life.

Becoming a Dance Therapist

If you or someone you know aspires to be a dance therapist, it is a great goal to have! To be a certified therapist, you will be immersed in the world or alternative medicine, and must have a master’s degree in order to start their 700 hours of required supervised training. Overall, most therapists have completed over 3600 hours before starting their own practice. With the unique demands of both a psychology background and a firm training in dance education and technique, dance therapists are rare. There are only about 1200 therapists in this field, both in the United States and abroad. If you aspire toward such a profession, you are choosing perfect timing, as momentum is continuing to build and this alternative therapeutic approach prepares to take center stage.