We began learning through moving, by moving. We encountered objects, terrain, other people, and in many cases, dogs. Or cats. We moved to function and to express our needs. Eventually, through the nonverbal, we expressed our emotions: our joys, our sadness, our deep dissatisfaction with not getting the ice cream cone in the middle of the supermarket….
In our encounters with the world, we were both shaped by the world and we shaped it: each of us was affected and effected by those and what we came upon. For some of us, we danced when no one was looking. For others, we danced whenever there was an audience, or a video camera.
But we all danced, in some fashion, and through these embodied interactive experiences, we are able to understand how and what we feel and know as truth. This is why dance movement therapy is effective.
Rhythm is organizing. Space is “our place” and gives us access to a locus of control. Expression is clarifying. Choicemaking is empowering. The trusting therapeutic relationship allows for exploration and evolution of who we truly are, and what each of us brings to this world.
For more about the modality, here are some links: