An autoethnographic study of a dance movement therapy practitioner and its link to analytical psychology

Abstract

DMT as a therapy is among the new entrants in the field of psychology, which explores the connection between the inner world to that of the outside world through the expression of body movement. This connection between the two worlds has created a lot of curiosity both positive and negative in the field. This curiosity arises from the fact that even before the child is born, he uses his body to interact with the world outside. These movements precede even the first cry of the baby, implying that movement in any form is the most natural expression of emotions. Hence, to understand these natural movements and how it helps individuals to come in term with themselves we have used autoethnography as the primary research data. This has helped us to understand the process or the journey that a practitioner goes through while undergoing the DMT course. Analytical psychology was used as a theoretical anchoring to understand the conscious and the unconscious processes.