DANCE MOVEMENT THERAPY uses movement and dance creatively to help a person to further their emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration. This frees us to experience and express the full range of human emotion in a safe environment where feelings can be expressed, acknowledged and communicated.

Dance Movement Therapy is founded on the principle that movement reflects an individual's pattern of thinking and feeling.

Dance Movement Therapy is always guided by a trained Therapist.

Dance Movement Therapy has recently been introduced in Ireland and it has been practiced on a session basis with various clients. It is provided in a variety of settings including educational, disability, medical (e.g. cancer treatment, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis), mental health and geriatric settings. It is also used within the areas of addiction and substance misuse. As it draws on tools such as movement analysis, knowledge of developmental movement patterns and authentic movement, it can help be used with babies, people who have poor cognitive functioning (severe and profound learning disabilities, dementia, Alzheimer’s), those requiring physical rehabilitation (paralysis, stroke etc),  babies etc.

Dance Movement Therapy can take place individually or in a group setting.

For over 50 years, DMTs have been leading the way in understanding how body and mind interact in health and in illness. While the origins of dance as a healing art lie in ancient history, the contemporary profession incorporates dance, movement & psychological theories and therapeutic practices developed primarily in Europe and the U.S.A. The profession is also informed by continuing international research. 

The American Association of Dance Therapy was established in 1965. In the UK, the Association of Dance Movement Therapists (ADMT) was established in 1983 and it became a professional body with a registration process in 1996. The first DMT training was in 1985. Now there are 5 training courses in the UK and in 2004 Dance Movement Therapy was accepted as a profession to be regulated by the Health Professions Council. 

Here is a basic reading list and links to other Dance Movement Therapy professional associations: 

Bloom, K. (2006) The Embodied Self Movement and Psychoanalysis. Pub. Karnac London

Chodorow, J. (1991). Dance therapy and depth psychology, the moving imagination. New York: Routledge.

Hervey, L. W. (2000). Artistic inquiry in dance/movement therapy. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas.

Kestenberg Amighi, J., Loman, S., Lewis, P. & Sossin, M.K. (1999). The meaning of movement. Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach.

Koch, S. and Brauninger, I. (Eds) (2006) Advances in Dance/Movement Therapy: Theoretical Perspectives & Empirical Findings. Pub Logos Verlag Berlin 2006

Levy, F. J. (2003, 1992). Dance movement therapy: A healing art. Reston: The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.

Levy, F. J (Ed.). (1995). The dance and other expressive art therapies: When words are not enough. New York: Routledge.

Meekums, B. (2002) Dance movement therapy: A creative psychotherapeutic approach. Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage.

Sandel, S., L., Chaiklin, S., & Lohn, A. (Eds.). (1993). Foundations of dance/movement therapy: The life and work of Marian Chace. Columbia, MD:

Stanton-Jones, K. (1992). An introduction to dance movement therapy in psychiatry. New York: Tavistock and Routledge.

Tortora, S. (2006) The Dancing Dialogue using the communicative Power of Movement with Young Children. Paul H. Brookes Baltimore 2006

Peer-reviewed Journals

American Journal of Dance Therapy http://www.springer.com/psychology/journal/10465

Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbmd20/current

The Arts in Psychotherapy http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01974556

Associations

Association of Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK http://www.admt.org.uk/index.html 

American Dance Therapy Association http://www.adta.org

Dance Movement Psychotherapy Scotland http://www.dmpscotland.com/

European Network for the Professional Development of Dance Movement Therapy http://www.european-dancemovementtherapy.eu

American Dance Therapy Association http://www.adta.org

Dance Movement Therapy Association of Australia http://www.dtaa.org

German Professional Association for Dance Therapists http://www.btd-tanztherapie.de/BTDengl

Swedish Association of Dance Therapy http://www.dansterapi.info

 

What type of dance or movement is it?

Whatever movement style you are most comfortable with, for example, it might depend on what music you like. DMT is not a class or about becoming a good dancer.

Do I need to be a good dancer, physically fit or able-bodied?
No. DMT is not a dance or fitness class so you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.

Do you have to dance the whole time?

No. There’s talking time as well. It depends on you and how you’re feeling on the day.

Should I do individual or group DMT?

Individual DMT gives you the chance to really focus in on some personal issues. As you’re on your own with the therapist, you’re free to talk about and explore what you want, knowing that it’s a confidential space just for you. 

Group DMT can be helpful if there is a common issue that a group of people want to explore, such as living with an eating disorder or anxiety. Group DMT also gives you a chance to focus on how you are socially and how you interact with other people. It can be helpful for people who find it difficult being in a group and want to get more confidence.  There are usually 6 people in a group and everyone has to agree to confidentiality. A DMT group runs for at least 8 weeks and is cheaper than individual DMT.

 

What happens in a DMT session?

A DMT session usually involves:

1) a check-in at the beginning to find out what’s been going on for you since the last session

2) a warm-up which will warm up your body and help you to focus on the here and now

3) an open part in the middle for you to explore what is important to you that day

4) a cool-down which will help you cool down and get ready to go back out to the world

Before you start therapy, you will get a chance to meet with the therapist and talk about your life and the issues that you want to explore and deal with. A "contract" will be drawn up between client and therapist to agree on number of sessions and frequency of DMT sessions.