|
Dance
Therapy
By, Kaitlin
McNamara, Undergraduate Student,
College of Health and Human Performance,
University of Florida, Gainesville,
FL
When many of us think of rehabilitation,
we may often think of physical therapy
where various exercises are prescribed
in order regain strength in a particular
part of the body. Yet there are other
types of rehabilitation techniques that
are intended for the mind and soul that
I feel are just as important as conventional
techniques. These types of mind/body
methods that take on a non-verbal group
approach, and focus dance as a means
of conversation, are considered dance/movement
therapy. Dance therapy is described
by the American
Cancer Society as "therapeutic
use of movement to improve the mental
and physical well being of a person
which focuses on the connection between
the mind and body to promote health
and healing (1,
p397) ."
Dance therapy is considered a type
of Complementary
and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
CAM is a group of healthcare systems
and practices that are not considered
to be a part of conventional medicine
which is practiced by those with a M.D.
degree (2).
Dance therapists can be employed in
hospitals, mental health centers, special
schools, day care centers, prisons,
and private practices (3).
Dance therapy uses movement to improve
the mental and physical well being of
an individual, focusing on the relationship
between the mind and body.
The benefits of dance therapy can be
limitless. Physically, it provides exercise,
improves mobility and muscle coordination,
and reduces muscle tension. Emotionally,
it improves self-awareness, self-confidence,
and interpersonal interaction (4).
Thus far, dance therapy has been prescribed
for those with cancer, chronic illness/pain,
depression, stress, anxiety, body tension,
autism, and mental or learning disabilities.
Documented chronic illnesses include
anorexia, bulimia, cancer, Alzheimer's
disease, cystic fibrosis, heart disease,
diabetes, asthma, AIDS, and arthritis
(5).
Dance has been a crucial part of health
in many cultures. Dance as a ritualistic
form of healing can be traced back to
native cultures across the world: North
and South America, Asia, and Africa.
Then Carl
Jung began using a technique called
"active
imagination" to express subconscious
thoughts. Jung used dance to help his
patients express their feelings (6).
The use of dance as a type of medical
therapy began in 1942 by Marian
Chace, who worked as part of the
staff of the Red Cross at St. Elizabeth's
Hospital in Washington D.C. Once psychiatrists
found that their patients received benefits
after attending Chase's classes, dance
therapy became prevalent. Chace was
the first dance therapist employed by
the federal government. She once said,
"This rhythmic action in unison
with others results in a feeling of
well-being, relaxation, and good fellowship
(3)."
Along with Chace, Trudi
Schoop and Mary
Whitehouse also began using dance
therapy. The American Dance Therapy
Association was founded in 1966 to establish
standards in this medical therapy field.
There are now more than 1,200 dance
therapists in forty-six states of the
United States and twenty-nine foreign
countries (4).
Dance therapy use various techniques
based on the Freudian
approach, Jungian
approach, and object relations orientation
(3).
The Jungian method gives way to the
authentic movement technique in which
people work with their thoughts and
dreams to establish meaning to their
lives. Therapists who follow the Jungian
technique guide their patients in moving
when he or she feels "the inner
pulse." Freudian technique allows
patients to uncover their deep subconscious
feelings by expressing them through
the art of dance. Furthermore, in the
object relations technique, patients
are instructed to examine their problems
by considering their relationships with
their parents. An example was given
where a patient would work through his
fear of abandonment by repeatedly dancing
close to and at a distance from the
therapist (3).
The overall goal in dance therapy is
to express emotions through dance, which
will then allow patients to talk about
their feelings more freely and hopefully
help them to live healthier lives. To
obtain a Dance
Therapists Registered (DTR) title,
one needs to have a strong background
in psychology and acquire a master's
degree in dance or a degree from an
approved ADTA school. One must also
complete at least 700 hours of clinical
training to become certified. An Academy
of Dance Therapists Registered (ADTR)
title is awarded after a completion
of 3,640 hours of clinical experience
(5).
According to Dzagbe
Cudjoe, various styles of modern,
folk, and ballet can be implemented
into a dance therapy session, but the
focus of the sessions are not on technique
and performance, but rather on the mind-body-spirit
(6). Although
Cudjoe claims she does not teach any
particular styles of dance to her participants,
but she guides them in a way which enables
them to create his or her own dance
focusing on breathing, relaxation, and
visualization. In dance/movement therapy,
everyone can take part, even those who
are confined to a wheelchair. Adaptive
dancing or wheelchair dancing can include
the waltz, foxtrot, rhumba, and even
tap dancing. Those who are capable of
feet movements can tap with their feet,
while those who cannot simply tap with
their hands by use of gloves with taps
attached (6).
A personal observation of the power
of dance was experienced by Judith Hanna
(1995) when she was diagnosed with pes
planus, in an attempt to strengthen
her feet. She claimed that dance has
its limitations, but overall it seems
to help prevent the devastating effects
of injury, disease, and stress. Since
dancing can involve sight, sound, touch,
smell, and kinesthetic feeling, dance
can provide a multi-sensory experience
which as a result will cause a person
to stimulate both right and left sides
of the brain (7)
A case study was done on a long-term
survival patient with stage IV epithelial
ovarian carcinoma who did not receive
conventional
oncology but instead facilitated
mind-body therapies
(1). Epithelial ovarian carcinoma
is considered a significant health problem
because it is the fifth highest in cancer
incidence and four highest in deaths
of women. A 20 year old woman underwent
chemotherapy for 5 months and then refused
it after being told her life expectancy
was about 3 months. Instead she decided
to explore dance therapy. Data has been
collected that show the efficacy of
alternative medicines in improvement
of chemotherapy-associated toxicity
and cancer-related symptoms; symptoms
may include nausea, vomiting, pain,
fatigue, anxiety, and mood disturbances
(1). Dance therapy specifically
was reported to promote a positive self
image, reduce stress and depression,
reduce chronic pain and body tension,
decrease isolation, increase interpersonal
interaction, and encourage a sense of
completeness. So far, the patient
is now 27 years after her first diagnosis
and remains clinically free of disease
(1).
Another case study was completed on
the effects of individuals with cystic
fibrosis and the use of dance/movement
therapy (DMT). Body image, quality of
life, mood, and coping are sometimes
difficult factors for people with cystic
fibrosis, so dance/movement therapy
was explored for cystic fibrosis symptomatology
(8). "A
meta-analysis of sixteen DMT studies
indicated a success rate of approximately
30% for people treated with DMT over
untreated individuals (8,
p76)." The study called
for three individual or small group
DMT sessions over a period of 7 to 10
days. Each session began with a warming-up,
then stretching, followed by mobilizing,
and lastly releasing tension; there
was also a short period of improvisation
and expression with use of imagery and
breathing exercises (8).
Based on what a few patients said, clinical
benefits were present. One patient reported
feeling more capacity and vitality in
her lungs after her sessions. She additionally
requested a session immediately before
her pulmonary functioning tests (8).
Although DMT may not have worked for
everyone, it can definitely have some
positive effects.
Wilhelmina
Korevaar is a medical doctor that
has started an MDance
clinic and she uses dance therapy
as a technique to reduce chronic pain
in various types of patients. Korevaar
knew that neuromuscular rehabilitation
and cognitive behavioral therapy were
the only two successful methods of treating
pain. She claims that sometimes working
out in the water or on a bike is not
adequate and it is hard to get women
out walking, but this is something that
people would do in the course of their
day-to-day life – hearing music
and dancing (9). She continues to work
with professional dancers to figure
out which moves will alleviate different
types of pain optimally.
Dance therapy is becoming more and
more prevalent in all types of cases.
Whether a person is suffering from a
deathly disease, or is suffering from
chronic back pain, dance therapy can
aid in relieving pain, in eliminating
symptoms of a condition, and in promoting
a more positive outlook on the individual's
self-esteem and their quality of life.
The benefits can be numerous, and I
feel dance therapy should be implemented
as an option for people with any type
of problem, even if it,s mental, social,
or individual. A patient was quoted
saying, "when there is no cure,
we might as well work on healing (8,
p77)." With the research
completed on cancer patients, dance
therapy has been found to help cure
the disease when other treatments have
failed, but if there is no cure out
there why wouldn't someone want to take
a different approach of treatment and
actually feel good about themselves
despite their complications? Being in
touch with your mind, body, and soul
can bring about a positive attitude,
one that may be strong enough to fight
anything as long as a person puts forth
enough effort. For healing to occur,
it must first start with the individual,
and dance therapy can be a good place
to start
References
1. Lev-Ari,
S., Maimon, Y., and Yaal-Hahoshen, N.
(2006). Long-term survival of a patient
with widespread metastases from epithelial
ovarian carcinoma receiving mind-body
therapies: a case report and review
of the literature. Integrative Cancer
Therapies, 5(4): 395-399.
2. National
Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine. Retrieved April 2, 2008, from
the National Institutes of Health Website:
http://nccam.nih.gov/
3. Boughton,
B. (2005). Dance therapy. The Gale Encyclopedia
of Alternative Medicine, 4.
4. Dance Therapy.
Retrieved April 2, 2008, from the American
Cancer Society Website: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MIT/content/MIT_2_3X_Dance_Therapy.asp
5. Dance/movement
therapy. Retrieved on April 2, 2008,
from the American Dance Therapy Association,
Inc. Website: http://www.nccata.org/dance_therapy.htm
6. Dance to
Health. Retrieved on April 3, 2008,
from Dzagbe Cudjoe’s Website:
http://www.dance-to-health-help-your-special-needs-child.com/dance.html
7. Hanna, Judith.
(1995). The Power of Dance: Health and
Healing. The Journal of Alternative
and Complementary Medicine, 1(4): 323-331.
8. Goodill,
S.W. (2005). Dance/Movement Therapy
for Adults with Cystic Fibrosis: Pilot
Data on Mood and Adherence. Alternative
Therapies in Health Medicine, 11(1):
76-77.
9. Bunch, William.
(2004). Dancing through the pain: physician
executive launches new business to treat
patients with chronic pain (profile).
Physician Executive, 30(4).
. |
