Urban movement as liberation site in dance movement psychotherapy: walking resistance

This article explores time-limited dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) with a female offender diagnosed with borderline personality disorder looking particularly at the development of the therapeutic relationship and attachment theory. DMP can help increase the ‘capacity to think’ and provide alternative approaches for managing emotions opposed to ‘acting out’ difficulties in relating. The therapeutic relationship in DMP can provide a containing, holding environment in the absence of healthy attachments, early experiences of deprivation and trauma. Laban Movement Analysis, psychodynamic and mentalisation approaches were used to underpin the assessment, formulation and therapeutic interventions.

This is a qualitative research that explores the potential benefits of using Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) influenced by a person-centred psychotherapeutic approach as an intervention with young boys displaying sexually harmful behaviour (SHB). Recent studies have shown the connection between SHB, poor early attachment and abuse. There is evidence of the positive effects that DMP has when working with attachment. However, a literature search seems to indicate a lack of research on DMP with the population mentioned above. This research therefore explores the benefits of DMP with young boys who display SHB. The findings show connections between DMP, SHB and attachment theory. Boys displaying SHB may benefit from DMP interventions, because it offers something new and complements the existing interventions.

This study aims to present various approaches to Dance movement psychotherapy in a new psychotherapy paradigm by analyzing the similarities between Dance movement psychotherapy and Sensorimotor psychotherapy. In the past, psychology has developed based on experience-oriented clinical statistics, but with the development of advanced technologies to measure brain activity such as magnetic resonance imaging(FMRI) in the early 1990s, understanding of brain-neural-body interactions has increased. As advanced technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging(FMRI) can be used to measure physical responses in physical psychotherapy such as Dance movement psychotherapy, the perception of this is changing. One of the basic principles of Dance movement psychotherapy is that the body and mind constantly interact (Schoop, 1974).This reflects psychological development, psychopathology, subjective expression, personal pattern, and personality aspects. Sensorimotorpsychotherapy is a body work-oriented language-based psychotherapy developed by Pat Ogden, inspired by the structural integration work of Ron Kurtz and Rolf. Dance/movement psychotherapy is a treatment method applicable to lifelong development subjects, but it can be more effective if it is used in conjunction with other disciplines. As there are limitations and suggestions for every study. It is not easy to achieve effectiveness for all subjects with only a single specific psychotherapy technique. Therefore, this study aims to prove the effectiveness of Dance movement psychotherapy and explore the possibility of expanding Dance movement psychotherapy by comparing and analyzing Sensorimotor psychotherapy and Marian Chace, the founder of Dance movement psychotherapy. Marian Chace's Dance movement psychotherapy theory has early experience-oriented characteristics and is one of the representative techniques in the field of Dance/movement psychotherapy. Therefore, we would like to prove the effectiveness of Dance movement psychotherapy by comparing and analyzing with the current theory of Sensorimotor psychotherapy based on neurophysiology, and explore the possibility of expansion of Dance movement psychotherapy based on this.

Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) is the youngest of the arts therapies with practitioners coming together to form the first professional association in the discipline in the UK in 1982. DMP is currently used in clinical and non-clinical settings with a wide range of client groups (e.g., people with mental health problems, learning disabilities, and medical and/or complex conditions). This chapter highlights some similarities and differences between DMP and music therapy (MT). DMP and MT belong to the same family of arts therapies and practitioners are expected to define their work in similar ways, while sharing similar standards for training and agreed requirements for professional practice and registration. Both DMP and MT, along with other arts therapies, share some common features of practice such as the way they view and use the arts, the central role of creativity, imagery, symbolism and metaphor, the significant place of non-verbal communication in the development of the client-therapist relationship and in the transformative aspects of the therapeutic process.

To explore clients' experiences of dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) in a day hospice setting. DMP is a creative arts therapy, enabling people to use movement to express themselves and promote physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing. This is the first known research about DMP in palliative care in the UK. A case study approach explored four clients' experiences of DMP in depth. Participants' ill bodies had become obstacles to them expressing their sense of self. The safe therapeutic conditions, gentle movement, music, words and props in DMP enabled them to express interconnected physical and emotional pain and loss of sense of self. DMP enabled them to reintegrate with their estranged bodies, releasing tension by expressing themselves as a whole person. Wider practice of DMP could relieve holistic pain by enabling people with terminal illnesses to express a complete sense of who they are as a human being.

Dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) is considered to be a relevant and appropriate intervention for people with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). A number of studies have reported DMP techniques and approaches in therapeutic work with children. Wider therapeutic practice in special education and other settings for children with ASD includes the use of structured narrative approaches in treatment. To date there is limited literature reporting DMP practice with adults with ASD. The aim of the study was to introduce a structured narrative approach in the form of the six-part story within DMP with an adult with ASD. A practice-based research approach was used to generate therapist observations and collect in-therapy responses from one patient. The study results indicate that DMP practice can incorporate structured narrative approaches in work with adults with ASD.

Background: The present review provides an original examination of published literature on the use of Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) as an intervention for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).Method: The review was systematically conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A protocol consisting of four phases: identification; screening and selection; data extraction and synthesis; quality assurance was developed and registered with the PROSPERO. A search strategy was developed using population and intervention as the key concepts and ten databases were searched between 6.1.2018 to 4.4.2018 and 10.07.2021 to 20.07.2021. The intervention characteristics were extracted based on the TIDieR template for intervention description and replication checklist. Quality assessment and level of evidence of all the included studies were evaluated using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) for treatment criteria.Results: Nine research studies with a total of 133 participants were identified through a systematic search process. There was only one mixed-methods study with the component of randomisation found during the literature search. Collected information was synthesised in relation to (a) ways in which dance movement psychotherapists work with children; (b) data collection methods and findings. Results from the reviewed literature suggest that DMP can potentially promote various aspects of well-being in children with ASD. Eight out of nine studies mentioned the effects of DMP on improving different social and communication skills. However, results from quality assessments and synthesised outcomes indicate that research in DMP is still in its infancy.Conclusions: We conclude that further large-scale, high-quality studies are required to generate further evidence that explains the processes involved in DMP, the effectiveness of DMP, the relationship between therapeutic factors of DMP, and research findings for children on the autism spectrum.Systematic Review Protocol Registration: PROSPERO, identifier: CRD42018087912.

The present study is a Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) pilot intervention designed to address the psychological challenges faced by Greek breast cancer patients, after surgery and around radiotherapy treatment. It was designed as a 12 weeks’ project, involving patients of diverse age and educational level, mostly living in rural areas. The personality and psychopathology inventory Symptoms’ Check List-90 (SCL-90), the therapist’s records and video self-observation were used in a mixed method approach. Thirteen subjects initiated the study, but they were gradually reduced and only four completed it. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS-25 addressing this fact. Positive results of qualitative interpretation of the therapist’s data and SCL-90, as well as changes in movement patterns and self-perception evaluated via video self-observation, showed that the intervention was beneficial for the patients who completed it. However, the fact that not all the participants were able to finish the program, implies that although DMT intervention at an early stage can help some patients deal with strong emotions, careful evaluation of eligible individuals should precede. Besides the patients’ medical condition, demographic and personality characteristics should be considered in the design of future similar studies.

Impact of Dance Movement Psychotherapy on the wellbeing of caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Written from the perspective of a student practitioner, this research explores dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) as a resource to unpack and offer restorative support regarding trainees’ lived experiences, to prepare for and process clinical work. Noting trainee DMPs’ responses to client work, and considering how their contextual relationships with their own bodies influenced these responses, this paper explores how witnessing and engaging with the physical lived experience of the practitioner may influence psychotherapeutic practice. This research explores DMP techniques as a resource for DMP practitioners to create embodied self-portraits, with a focus on the writer’s personal process during training. By allowing tentative access to self-support and containment during clinical work, embodied self-witnessing was found to be an effective method of self-acceptance. It further assisted in creating an understanding of the practitioner’s personal experience as a significant resource. When interacted with mindfully, these learnings could improve trainees’ burgeoning DMP practice.

This paper is an account of time-limited dance movement psychotherapy in an inner-city London school during my final year of training for an MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy. I describe the treatment of a traumatised 9-year-old boy using psychoanalytic theories, in particular Winnicott's ideas. This patient suffered at an early age from the drastic separation of his father and, when he was 6 years of age, various dramatic events led to the hospitalisation of his mother due to psychiatric problems. The impending ending of the therapy and the trainee's repetition of a ‘neglectful transference’ triggered powerful memories of traumatic past separations, which aroused deep-seated anxieties in the patient and trainee alike. The work towards a ‘good enough’ ending in the new therapeutic relationship was of great value to the patient's recovery. Parallels are drawn with the trainee's feelings of ending her dance movement psychotherapy course.

This study aims to examine the key mechanisms of autonomic regulation in Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP), with a particular focus on kinesthetic empathy, through a theoretical literature review.Autonomic imbalance contributes to a wide range of psychological and physical disorders, and body-based therapeutic approaches such as DMP are increasingly recognized as effective interventions. Drawing on a literature-based methodology, this study analyzes domestic and international sources to explore how kinesthetic empathy operates as a central mechanism contributing to autonomic regulation from a neurophysiological perspective. The findings indicate that autonomic regulation in DMP can be conceptualized in three stages: (1) formation of kinesthetic empathy, (2) bodily resonance and emotional attunement, and (3) sensory awareness and emotional regulation. Kinesthetic empathy emerges as a key mechanism that integrates sensory, emotional, and nervous system processes, thereby facilitating autonomic stabilization. Although this study is limited by its non-empirical, literature-based approach. it strengthens the neuroscientific foundation of DMP and provides a conceptual basis for future experimental research and clinical application.

Backing the backbones—A feasibility study on the effectiveness of dance movement psychotherapy on parenting stress in caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This exploration – conducted through a mixed-method case study – considered potential for dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) to have positive impact on psychological, social, relational and emotional stress factors in couples experiencing infertility, increasing their ability to improve their quality of life and reach their fullest potential. The researcher considers the concept that for those experiencing infertility, their progression to their full potential in terms of anticipated and imagined life is interrupted. Reflecting on the DMP experience as a journey of self-creation, perhaps DMP can help clients look beyond whether they achieve a pregnancy or not, and re-imagine themselves, thus move towards actualisation of a new unmet potential. The purpose was to establish efficacy of further research into DMP intervention with this population.

In this research, I reflect on the use of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA), which is commonly used in Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP). Considering bodies are not detached from their cultural background, and movement is a result of life experiences, LMA may not capture specific movement qualities from each and everyone around the world. This implies the expansion of the knowledge produced in DMP, and opening space for references external to Europe and the US to surface, which could potentially impact on DMP practice. For this study, I used an autoethnographic approach with a blend of two data collection models: auto-observation; and semi-structured interview. Three interviews were done. The results explored the blind spots related to LMA and its applicability. This investigation aimed to stretch the boundaries of knowledge within DMP, to open the discussion and draw attention to different perspectives concerning LMA and inspire future research.