How Dance Therapy Can Help People Deal With Disabilities?

“There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.” — Vicki Baum

Dance therapy often referred to as Dance/Movement therapy or DMT, is a form of treatment that employs movement to assist patients in achieving emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration. Dance therapy may be used for stress reduction, disease prevention, and mood management while benefiting both physical and mental health.

DMT’s physical component aids in the strengthening of muscles, coordination, mobility, and reduced muscular tension. Dance/movement therapy may be used on all sorts of people and groups. Overall, dance therapy promotes self-awareness, self-esteem, and a secure environment for feelings expression.

What Can Dance Therapy Help With?

Dance/movement therapists assist individuals in therapy to enhance their body image and self-esteem. Dance/movement therapy is a type of treatment that draws on the idea that motion and emotion are linked. The creative expression of dance therapy has been shown to boost communication abilities and foster dynamic connections. It’s commonly used for physical, psychological, cognitive, and social issues such as;

• Physical Issues — Chronic pain, Childhood obesity, Cancer, Arthritis, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular disease.
• Mental Health Issues — Anxiety, Depression, Disordered Eating, Low Self-Esteem, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder are all examples of mental health issues.
• Cognitive Issues — Dementia & Communication issues
• Social Issues — Autism, Aggression/violence, Domestic violence trauma, Social interaction, and Family conflict.

Dance Therapy vs. Regular Dancing

Dancing has long been recognized as a beneficial exercise for individuals of all fitness levels. Dancing increases cardiovascular endurance, muscular tone, balance, and coordination in most individuals. Dance may also help people feel better about themselves and boost their body image. Movement/dancing therapy goes above and beyond the routine benefits of dance/movement therapy by providing additional therapeutic effects.

The right to confidentiality is guaranteed to people in treatment with a qualified dance therapist, and they can seek solace in a secure environment. Movement becomes more than just exercise; it becomes a language. People who are undergoing therapy communicate conscious and unconscious emotions through dance, allowing their therapists to respond in kind. Dance therapists assist consumers by using a “movement vocabulary” that emphasizes physical expression rather than words to address problems.

Body language, non-verbal behaviors, and emotional expressions are all evaluated by dance/movement therapists. Treatment plans are customized to meet the demands of specific groups.

DMT Practitioners in Australia

Dance movement therapists come from a variety of fields, including dance, education, and the health sciences. Dance movement therapy practitioners must go through extensive training as well as supervised clinical practice. They can be employed as full-time dance movement therapists or include dance movement therapy in their work across a wider scope.

Dance movement therapists use their expertise in movement observation and analysis to assess individuals, develop and evaluate therapeutic programs. They are trained in counseling skills and group facilitation. They also understand the physical, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of human behavior as connected components. Designing and implementing programs for a variety of client groups is among their core responsibilities.

Your turn…

Dance therapy can be an incredible path towards recovery from physical, emotional, and mental distress. Let your body speak and heal the way nature intended to!

Talk to a licensed dance therapist near you today or contact AEON.

Originally published at https://aeondisabilityservices.com.au on September 15, 2021.