Abstract

This study developed a program that can help recover from depression and anxiety, which have emerged as a social problem along with the phenomenon of the COVID-19 pandemic, from a perspective of art therapy instead of using medicines. The purpose of this study is to develop a new program with simple movements, breathing exercises, and meditation that have been reorganized with a focus on Korean dance that provides aesthetic senses to help people recover from stress, depression, and anxiety, thereby providing the program as a progressive muscle relaxation therapy through concentration meditation for the public. The rhythms of Korean dance consist of breathing beats, and therefore, their beats are formed by interworking with the length of breathing. In this study, breathing exercises were appropriately applied to the movements of Korean dance movements through an active reflection of this advantage. The movements of Korean dance as a progressive muscle relaxation therapy are gentle and smooth, and thus form a phenomenon that is easily accessible by anyone. This program was intended to help people recover from their psychological stress by creating a dramatic harmony of the body and the spirit through an adequate application and reorganization of the upper body’s gently curved dance movements and the lower body’s rather static dance movements. The process of dance movement therapy via Korean dance is to learn movement techniques that participants can immerse themselves in. This process should enable them to express their immersion and perform appropriate movements even if these movements are not proficient. Dance movements have been applied to the program after being changed to a neutral status in order to allow men to participate in dance movements that used to be centered on women, and appropriate Gutgoeri rhythms for breathing exercise were also applied. This study organized a therapy program with Korean dance’s movements and sensitivity that are most suited to Koreans, which can also serve as a public health program that can relax, supplement, and cure contracted muscles and energy under the tensions of life built over a long period of life. In doing so, it intends to prevent greater stress, depression, and anxiety of the public than before and improve their abilities to resist external circumstances by strengthening their immunity. The results of this study will also be able to promote the qualitative growth of national policy programs related to the improvement of public mental health, and to develop professional dance movement therapy instructors and enhance their expertise through the utilization of a dance movement therapy program. In addition, this program will contribute to job creation for dance majors and positively influence emerging dance industries.

Full Text
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