The effect of dance therapy on patients with mental and somatic disorders – a review of research

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of the study is the evaluation of the effectiveness of dance therapy in patients with mental and somatic disorders, based on a review of current research, and indication of the importance of dance therapy in the treatment of psychophysical disorders, and the presentation of scientific and historical basis of this method and also of therapeutic techniques which are used. Method: The review of literature included 13 selected clinical studies on the effects of dance and movement therapy in patients with mental disorders such as depression (4), autism spectrum disorders (1) and somatic disorders (4): obesity (2) hearing impairment (1) and dementia (1), conducted in the years 2002-2015 around the whole world. Search strategy: Medline and PsycArticles databases were searched and presented research was extracted from the titles, abstracts and full texts of the publications. The primary selection criterion was the finding of dominant mental and somatic disorders, which were treated using dance therapy. As a result, a list of the most common diseases was created, and randomly selected publications on the use of dance therapy in the treatment of patients with psychophysical disorders were presented. The study was based on titles and abstracts, and then on full texts, original papers with control groups as well as other forms of research. Results: All studies have shown the positive effect of dance therapy on patients with mental and somatic disorders, as evidenced by measurements taken during and after treatment (this is discussed in detail regarding each study). Conclusion: From the presented research results, we may conclude that dance therapy is adjuvant to traditional forms of treatment in the case of mental and somatic disorders. However, there are not enough clinical trials and reports to provide clear and reliable assessment of the effectiveness of dance therapy.