Dance Therapy
Dance therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses movement to further the social, cognitive, emotional, and physical development of the individual. Dance therapists work with people who have many kinds of emotional problems, intellectual deficits, and life-threatening illnesses. They are employed in psychiatric hospitals, day care centers, mental health centers, prisons, special schools, and private practice. They work with people of all ages in both group and individual therapy. Some also engage in research.
Dance therapists try to help people develop communication skills, a positive self-image, and emotional stability.
Origins
Dance therapy began as a profession in the 1940s with the work of Marian Chace. A modern dancer, she began teaching dance after ending her career with the Denishawn Dance Company in 1930. In her classes, she noticed that some of her students were more interested in the emotions they expressed while dancing (loneliness, shyness, fear, etc.) than the mechanics of the moves. She began encouraging them by emphasizing more freedom of movement rather than technique.
In time, doctors in the community started sending her patients. They included antisocial children, people with movement problems, and those with psychiatric illnesses. Eventually, Chace became part of the staff of the Red Cross at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. She was the first dance therapist employed in a formal position by the federal government. Chace worked with the emotionally troubled patients at St. Elizabeth's and tried to get them to reach out to others through dance. Some of them were schizophrenics and others were former servicemen suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Success for these patients meant being able to participate with their class in moving to rhythmic music. "This rhythmic action in unison with others results in a feeling of well-being, relaxation, and good fellowship," Chace said once.
Chace eventually studied at the Washington School of Psychiatry and began making treatment decisions about her patients along with other members of the St. Elizabeth's medical team. Her work attracted many followers and the first dance therapy interns began learning and teaching dance therapy at St. Elizabeth's in the 1950s.
Other dancers also began using dance therapy in the 1940s to help people feel more comfortable with thems...
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...d to practice. After two years they may receive an additional recognition when they become an Academy of Dance Therapist Registered. They can then teach dance therapy and can supervise interns.
Dance therapists can also obtain psychological credentials by taking a test and becoming registered by the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc.
Key Terms
Authentic movement
A type of movement that is influenced heavily by Jungian analysis, and works by analyzing the internal images of the patient. Patients are also urged to dance only when they feel the "impulse" to move.
Freudian analysis
A type of psychological treatment where the therapist seeks to help the patient resolve conflicts and traumas buried in the subconscious.
Jungian analysis
A method of psychological treatment where the patient strives to understand the internal, often mythic images in his or her thoughts and dreams.
Psychotherapy
A medical treatment that seeks to resolve psychological traumas and conflicts, often by discussing them and emotionally reliving difficult events in the past.
Test anxiety
A name for the stress and anxiousness that commonly occur in students before they take exams.
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...Merce Cunningham continues to be on the pioneering edge of dance. His innovative techniques continue to astound audiences around the world with his creativity and expertise. In every time period throughout history, there has always been a select few who have changed the times. Whether it is Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, or Merce Cunningham, society will always be indebted to these individuals for the contributions they have made in various aspects our lives.
Physical Therapist is a “Healthcare professionals who evaluate and treat health problems resulting in injury and disease”-Trisha Hawkins. Physical therapy is the act of healing through therapy that is physical, meaning the patient is getting better. Physical therapy helps people on a daily basis with numerous problems from every race and gender. Physical Therapist originated during World War 1 (1914-1918). The purpose was to rehabilitate wounded soldiers so they could fight more. The word rehabilitation is derived from the words “to enable” and “again”. There are four different kinds of physical therapy: Bedside which is at home at the patient house, Neurological which is at bedside but often used when there is traumatic injuries, orthopedic which the place varies and its often used when there is bad injuries and breaks and Cardiopulmonary and the place varies but it’s used when there are heart surgeries. Becoming a Physical Therapist is hard work but it is very rewarding, there is many perks to being one and if you’ve experienced any injuries at home, there is many at home remedy you can try.
Shelder (2010) describes seven distinguished features of Psychodynamic approach compared to other available therapy forms in his review: focus of effect in relation to client’s express of emotions; understanding resistance in terms of avoidance of important topics and/ or distracting behaviors in therapy sessions; exploring client’s patterns in terms of behaviors, reasoning, emotions, experiences, and connections to others; bringing in the client’s past; examining relational factors and dealings; highlighting the importance of therapy, and bringing in dreams, wishes, or fantasies for exploration.
Reality Therapy Introduction William Glasser, who “published his first book, Mental Health or Mental Illness?” was the foundation of “Reality Therapy” in 1961.” (Corey, 1977/1991) “Dr. Glasser began his work in an adolescent girl’s juvenile facility.” (Mary Lahey, 2013 PowerPoint Presentation) This was in total opposition to a popular theory of the times by Sigmund Freud. Freud’s Psychoanalysis theory states that each individual is unique, that there are factors outside of a person's awareness (unconscious thoughts, feelings, and experiences) which influence his or her thoughts and actions, that the past shapes the present, that human beings are always engaged in the process of development throughout their lives.
Kraus (1969) found that " a major influence in helping to bring dance into public schools and colleges was the work of the French dramatic teacher, Francois Delsante " (p.127). By the beginning of the 20th century, dance had become accepted by public schools throughout the United States and was now a required class. The only negative part about dance being taught in public schools, was that not all teachers who taught the dance classes were certified because there main objectives were to teach core classes. Throughout the United States, dance classes provided a form of exercise for children, but the dance were so basic it was not until public schools adopted the concept of modern dan...
Marian Chace did not care about technique. She encouraged her students to focus on feeling the different emotions that they would experience through dance rather than being hanged up on the technique. Marian Chace said her work focused on how her students together as one could work to achieve the state of feeling well, relaxed, and have a sense of good fellowship. Interested in this ideas of dance movement therapy Marian Chance studied as the Washington school of psychiatry. At the Washington school of
Overby, L. (1992). Status of dance in education (Report No. ED348368). Washington, DC: Eric Clearinghouse on Teacher Education. Discusses the status of dance as a part of the elementary school curriculum. This Digest examines the rationale for dance in education, the status of dance education, and selected issues in dance education.
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Ideally, the client identifies current sensations and emotions, particularly ones that are painful or disruptive. By applying the therapy, patients are confronted with their unconscious feelings and needs along with the assistance to accept and assert repressed parts of them. The most powerful techniques involve is role-playing is when the patient talks to an empty chair as they imagine that a person associated with an unresolved issue is sitting in the chair. As the patient talks to the "person" in the chair, the patient imagines that the person responds to the expressed feelings. This is significant so that patients’ trust their innate feelings in order to relieve suppressed stress.
There are many benefits to any and all types of dance mentioned above. One major benefit that is commonly known is that it is a source of physical exercise. However, dance can also make you smarter, reduce stress, increase serotonin levels and can give one a sense of well-being. Dancing can also improve your posture and your weight and lower your risk for heart and blood vessel