رقص/حرکت درمانی برای کودکان مبتلا به تروما زلزله در تایوان: یک کاوش اولیه

This study used short-term dance/movement therapy to examine children who were at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the 9/21/99 earthquake in Taiwan. Fifteen elementary-school age children (grades one through five) who were at high risk for PTSD participated in a two-day “Happy Growth” dance/movement therapy program. This program was designed by a team consisting of one dance/movement therapist and three clinical psychologists. At the beginning of the program, the children's behavior was obstreperous and disorderly. During the program, they made coffins and tombs, and then they built castles. The way in which the group process developed was extremely different from the direction that the therapists had originally planned. In terms of the phenomenon displayed through dance/movement therapy, three therapeutic issues were emphasized: (1) What impact does psychophysical liberation have on the possibility for healing? (2) Is making Death Rituality the mourning process for survivors? (3) What is the significance of “holding” by the therapist in dance/movement therapy? The implications from the study are discussed.

At 1:47 AM on September 21, 1999, a violent earthquake registering 7.3 on the Richter Scale rocked Taiwan. The epicenter was in the mountains in central Taiwan in Jiji Village, Nantou County. This earthquake is called the 921 (September 21) Earthquake, or the Jiji Earthquake. The entire island experienced severe tremors that continued for 102 s. The earthquake killed 2415 people, left 29 missing, and injured 11,305; in addition, 51,711 buildings collapsed and 53,768 were damaged. The most severe impact was in central Taiwan, and this was the most damaging disaster in Taiwan since World War II (Ministry of Interior, 2002).