Learning About Ourselves With Dance/Movement Therapy
Dance/Movement Therapy practitioner Aurélie shares how music and movement can lead our bodies to teach us more about our inner selves.
By Aurélie Chaudieu
Since humans have been humans, dance has played an important role in many societies worldwide – to celebrate weddings or birth, to mark the entry to adult life, or to facilitate the mourning process through funerals. The healing power of dance lies in the free and authentic expression of who we are and how we feel through movement and beyond words.
A safe process for self-exploration and self-expression
In Dance/Movement Therapy, clients are not aiming to perfect any dance techniques, nor are they perfectly reproducing dance patterns or choreography. Free expression of the body and mind is what is prioritized. Bua, a Thai dance enthusiast, explains the difference between a DMT session and her usual dance class: “It is quite important to understand that it is not to dance beautifully, but more like to understand the movement, understand your body”.
The key focus in DMT is not the result but the process. Participants are invited to go with the flow and move at their own pace. Slowing down provides the opportunity to listen to our bodies and allows us to focus on learning about the connection to ourselves and our potential.
Privacy and confidentiality in a contained and safe space are also core to the experience. A therapeutic relationship between clients and practitioners allows the client to safely express a wide range of emotions in a supportive and non-judgmental environment. DMT is often described as “a kind of meditation where you can just feel free, confident, and safe”.
Learning about our emotions and gaining self-awareness
Music and movement can have an incredibly powerful effect on our mental and emotional health. DMT sessions allow clients to strengthen positive feelings such as joy, optimism, and hope, just as much as they address more difficult emotions such as anger, shame, and guilt – the latter of which are often directly linked to conditions such as depression, anxiety, and stress. This is achieved by offering the space to express and release tension held in the body through movement. DMT client, Sanjeev, explains that: “Sometimes even though we verbalize something, we may not express everything that is stored in our bodies. Some people may be more familiar with movements than with talking”.
A DMT session also helps its participants to gain more self-awareness. By freeing the mind from stress and other constraints, those engaging in the practice are taking time to care for themselves; they are able to be expressive, reflect, and explore their inner self.
Dance/Movement Therapy is an effective medium available to people from all walks of life. Bua summarises her experience with DMT as awakening: “I think a lot of the time, we are stuck in our heads and not really connecting to other parts of the body. Being able to make that connection really unblocks a lot of things in your life - psychologically and emotionally. I think that everybody should give it a try”.
Photo courtesy of the author.
About the Author
Aurélie is a life-long passionate dancer, life-mentor, and former NGO’s Head of Advocacy. As a registered DMT practitioner, she provides tailored services for individuals, NGOs, and corporations worldwide, using the healing power of art and movement to build resilience through creativity and the body-mind connection.
StepAhead – Art & Movement for Resilience & Creativity www.stepaheadworld.com
FB: www.facebook.com/stepaheadlifementoring
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