A Dance/Movement Therapy Clinical Model for Women with Gynecologic Cancer Undergoing High Dose Rate Brachytherapy: A Literature-Based Study

Abstract

The diagnosis of gynecologic cancer not only has obvious physical ramifications for the patient, but also produces secondary psychological stressors that negatively impact the patient’s quality of life. These secondary stressors may include altered self-image, sense of isolation or of betrayal by one’s body, anxiety, depression, and complications related to sexuality. Additionally, these stressors may be persistent even ten years post diagnosis. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) has been shown to directly address these issues through a holistic approach to healing the mind-body connection to contribute to a patient’s abilities to cope with, and potentially, alter the progress of their illness. However, there are no published studies to date showing the utility of DMT as a psychosocial support intervention specifically with gynecologic cancer patients. The present literature-based research study collates results from various studies, in a matrix model format, to demonstrate the potential efficacy of DMT as it could be applied to patients with gynecologic cancer being treated with high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy, which presents the patient unique challenges both psychological and physical. A ten-week clinical model is designed for an intervention program to be initiated upon diagnosis and continued through the treatment. It combines elements from established DMT practices to specifically address psychological and psychosocial issues relevant to the targeted patient population.%%%%M.A., Creative Arts in Therapy – Drexel University, 2007