Movement observations in multiple personality disorder: A preliminary report

Abstract

Dance/movement therapy, with movement as its unique theoretical and clinical framework, has the potential to contribute to the diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). The literature on MPD has increased significantly in the past 13 years. Dance/movement therapists working in psychiatric facilities are likely to encounter people who carry this diagnosis and, therefore, need to develop a general understanding of the disorder and to become sensitive to its manifestations in movement behavior. A subject diagnosed as having MPD was observed by videotape and analyzed across nine personalities with respect to three parameters: predominant body parts, tension-flow rhythms, and efforts. The results indicated that each personality had a distinct pattern in terms of these parameters and suggested movement as a fertile area of inquiry about MPD.