Dancing at 6:64. Relational-biographies for philosophical clarity of a dance movement psychotherapist

Abstract

This article discusses the relational co-creation of a dance movement psychotherapist’s (DMPs) philosophical perspective. Through participation of people who have a beneficial influence on my life I have explored how my way of being as a DMP is shaped by my life in dance and interpersonal relationships. The development of relational-biographies to elicit data offers a unique perspective that may be valuable for other embodied practitioners and students to gain clarity on their philosophical and theoretical frames of reference. My autoethnographic writing process has given me greater awareness of the subtle webs of connection on which we move together, the importance of how and when we tell life stories, of revelling in the body I have now, and of my great appreciation for implicit shared learning through interpersonal relationships. This philosophical shaping provides a more coherent inter-relational frame of reference for my dance movement psychotherapy practice, teaching and supervision.