Dance and Movement Therapy

By: Emily Sexton

The American Dance Therapy Association defines dance and movement therapy as “the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration of the individual.”[1] Dance Therapy is practiced in an enormous variety of settings today such as: hospitals, mental health facilities, nursing homes, and schools[2]. The non-verbal nature of dance and movement lends the therapy to the mentally ill, as well as healthy individuals[3]. Dance therapy is traditionally practiced in four separate stages known as preparation, incubation, illumination, and evaluation[4]. It is practiced both professionally and privately.  Professional educators are labeled as registered dance movement therapists (R-DMTs) or board certified dance movement therapists (BC-DMTs)[5].  As stated in the peer reviewed article “ A Systematic Review of the Evidence for the Effectiveness of Dance Therapy” by Strassel, Cherkin, Steuten, Sherman, and Vrijhoef: “Dance therapy should be considered as a potentially relevant add-on therapy for a variety of conditions that do not respond well to conventional medical treatments.”[6] Published in 2011, this study sought to analyze the therapeutic benefits and value of dance therapy.