Although dance/movement therapy (DMT) is often used in conjunction with traditional therapies for treating children with psychiatric disorders, the evidence base for this therapy is currently small. The goal of this retrospective research is to examine whether DMT, embedded within larger psychiatric therapeutic programs, affects changes in mood states of adolescents suffering from a variety of psychiatric illnesses. Participants include 402 predominately white, non-Hispanic patients (14–21 years old, with a mean age of 14.56 ± 1.70 years) who completed 671 mood measures between August 2010 and December 2011. Participants completed the Fast Assessment of Children's Emotions before and after a group DMT session. When controlling for pre-mood scores, there was a significant change in all mood states and a significant odds of a change in total mood score, per unit increase in pre-total mood score, after one DMT session (odds ratio = 1.84; p ≤ .01). There was no significant association between patient characteristics and changes in individual or total mood scores, indicating that DMT may be useful for a wide range of patients. The results from this formative study will help researchers develop prospective studies focusing on therapeutic effects of DMT for a wide range of patients.
Through the efforts of Marian Chace, dance/movement therapy (DMT) was established in the 1940s, after psychiatric patients reported its therapeutic benefits. Shortly after, in 1965, a group of dance/movement therapists founded the American Dance Therapy Association, in order to continue Ms. Chace's work of utilizing movement for physical, emotional, and cognitive integration of the human experience (American Dance Therapy Association, 2009 and Schmais and White, 1986). Since establishment, DMT has grown to include collaboration between dance/movement therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists, in order to meet the needs of a wide range of patients.
Beyond serving as a non-confrontational means for expression, DMT has two main overarching goals for therapy sessions. First, it is important for patients to have a mind-body connection by identifying present emotions and sensations, connecting them to a particular part of the body, and sharing that experience. This process best happens through creating a safe structure within the therapy group and allowing patients to explore inner emotions through their physical body (Sheets-Johnstone, 2010). Second, it is therapeutically beneficial for patients to create something novel. This can lead to a sense of empowerment and potentially motivate patients to accomplish treatment goals. This creative process encourages individuals to transform inner experiences into external realities, thereby promoting awareness and more flexible coping strategies (Cropley, 1990 and King and Pope, 1999). Furthermore, by utilizing the healthy, creative aspects of an individual's personality, DMT not only provides the opportunity to stimulate creativity within a therapy session, but also within other aspects of the participant's life (Sandel, Chaiklin, & Lohn, 1993). In summary, the two main goals of a DMT session are to provide an integrative mind-body experience and to stimulate creativity.
A shared belief among individuals associated with DMT is that participants can use dance/movement to express themselves in ways that words cannot (Levy, 2005). DMT provides an external outlet for participants to express internal experiences and to then have these experiences witnessed by others. The kinesthetic components of DMT introduce participants to a non-verbal, yet expressive language to describe challenges they face (Sheets-Johnstone, 2010). Additionally, DMT may allow individuals to evoke, connect, and express powerful emotions more immediately than traditional therapeutic interventions, due to its use of body felt experiences (Brooks and Stark, 1989 and Kuettel, 1982). Through observing movement, the dance/movement therapist can assess a participant's physical and psychological strengths and limitations, using this information to shape the direction of the therapy session.
