No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
Empowerment-Focused Dance/Movement Therapy for Trauma Recovery
Abstract
Empowerment-Focused Dance/Movement Therapy is a multifaceted approach for healing the emotional and physical impacts of trauma. Dance/movement therapy experiences are introduced for guiding body-based self-discovery and transformative creative expression. The primary goal is to build new psychophysical capacities through expanding expressive freedom, strengthening self-esteem and developing new emotional resources. Based on the theories and methods of dance/movement therapy pioneer, Blanche Evan, this novel evolution of Evan’s methods emphasizes sensitivity to cultural context for healing trauma in the global community. The approach prioritizes emotional safety and the cautious titration of trauma recovery experiences. First developed for sex trafficking survivors and marginalized populations in Kolkata, India, Empowerment-Focused Dance/Movement Therapy is a broadly effective approach for healing trauma.
... Acerca da autoestima, o potencial das artes é citado como adequado para estimular a autoestima em contexto prisional (Voorhis, 2013). Embora os dados encontrados no presente estudo não apresentarem efeitos positivos, as médias encontradas validaram dados da literatura que apontam baixa autoestima em contexto prisional (Gibbons, 1997;Voorhis, 2013), ratificado em estudos atuais (Torkaman et al., 2020) e confirmando que históricos de vitimização, violência sexual, estigmatização e traumas são indicativos de baixa autoestima (Bernstein, 2019;Torkaman et al., 2020). ...
... Em relação à vivência de experiências corporais positivas, as categorias de mudança (corpo ativo e criatividade), do aspecto cognitivo e evocação de memória citadas, evidenciaram a autotransformação via mudança interior e a entrada do indivíduo no mundo da psique humana (Bernstein, 2019;Colace, 2020;Milliken, 2012;Stromsted, 2009). Relatado nas falas: "Antes da dança entrar na minha vida aqui na prisão, eu era sedentária, uma pessoa que só vegetava, porque tudo aqui virava rotina" (T8); "Aprendi coisas novas, danças novas que eu nem conhecia que existia esse tipo de dança, de levar sua mente para outro lugar, de ser, pensar de ser um pouco livre" (T6); "Tinha perda de memória, depois da dança eu consegui ter lembranças" (T1). ...
... No tocante à promoção de estados emocionais positivos, transformação e liberdade foram categorias que remeteram ao mundo da simbolização, pois comunicam o estado interior (Bernstein, 2019;Colace, 2020;Victoria, 2012), percebidas em frases como: "Faz-me sentir menos presa e me sentir muito bem" (T2); "Antes de participar da dança corporal, eu era ignorante" (T4); "E também eu era tímida, eu andava que nem um homem e isso eu tinha vergonha, então a partir de um momento, eu fui mudando aos poucos e me sinto uma mulher" (T3). ...
O presente estudo objetivou investigar os efeitos de uma intervenção de Dança Criativa e Movimento Expressivo na Imagem do Corpo, Autoestima e Comportamentos agressivos em presidiárias. Partiu-se do pressuposto que a prisão é uma instituição educativa por conta da transversalidade das práticas sociais ali desenvolvidas. O método foi quase-experimental randomizado com abordagem quantitativa, através dos instrumentos: Questionário de Imagem Corporal de Bruchon-Schweitzer, a Rosenberg Self-Esteen Scale e o Questionário de Agressividade de Buss-Perry. Foi realizada também uma abordagem qualitativa através de uma análise de conteúdo. Os escores mensurados, verificaram uma média da imagem corporal total favorável, porém, os resultados quantitativos apontaram uma não significância. Sobre a autoestima a média detectada ratificou uma baixa autoestima e dados encontrados não significativos. Acerca da agressividade os dados indicaram uma significância na hostilidade. Sobre a análise qualitativa, todas as variáveis foram significativas. Os dados finais sugerem mais estudos com amostra maior e abordagem quantitativa.
... Studies documenting the practice of DMTP with survivors of torture or mass human rights violations and Type III traumas considered trauma to be a matter of both isolation (Gray, 2017) and resilience, framing it as adaptive communal, social, personal or physiological survival (Campbell, 2019;Cantrick et al., 2018;Cristobal, 2018;Dieterich-Hartwell, 2017;Dunphy et al., 2014;Gray, 2017;Harris, 2019;Margolin, 2019). Eight studies defined trauma indirectly by means of a comprehensive definition of sexual violence that incorporated a description of the act, perpetrator intent and the impact on both individuals and society (Bernstein, 2019;Cristobal, 2018;Dunphy et al., 2014;Fargnoli, 2017;Harris, 2019;Margolin, 2019;Stanek, 2015;Tantia, 2014). Studies of the use of DTMP for developmental trauma described trauma through detailed description of relational and body-based harm (Colace, 2017;Manford, 2014;Pierce, 2014;Tantia, 2014). ...
... A split emerged between interventions whose purpose was community experience and healing (Campbell, 2019;Dunphy et al., 2014;Orkand, 2020), that adapted group interventions to the needs of specific communities (African American adolescents, Rwandan genocide survivors and postconflict Timor-Leste society, respectively), and those centreing individual needs, whether in individual (Colace, 2017;Dieterich-Hartwell, 2017;Manford, 2014;Pierce, 2014;Tantia, 2019) and/or group (Bernstein, 2019;Fargnoli, 2017;Margolin, 2019;Pierce, 2014) settings. Further justifications for group settings were the need for equitable, collaborative, culturallyaffirming and empowering practice and economic necessity (Bernstein, 2019;Campbell, 2019;Dunphy et al., 2014;Margolin, 2019;Orkand, 2020). ...
... A split emerged between interventions whose purpose was community experience and healing (Campbell, 2019;Dunphy et al., 2014;Orkand, 2020), that adapted group interventions to the needs of specific communities (African American adolescents, Rwandan genocide survivors and postconflict Timor-Leste society, respectively), and those centreing individual needs, whether in individual (Colace, 2017;Dieterich-Hartwell, 2017;Manford, 2014;Pierce, 2014;Tantia, 2019) and/or group (Bernstein, 2019;Fargnoli, 2017;Margolin, 2019;Pierce, 2014) settings. Further justifications for group settings were the need for equitable, collaborative, culturallyaffirming and empowering practice and economic necessity (Bernstein, 2019;Campbell, 2019;Dunphy et al., 2014;Margolin, 2019;Orkand, 2020). Individual settings were common where interventions targeted developmental/complex trauma or severe symptomatology (Colace, 2017;Federman et al., 2019;Harris, 2019;Manford, 2014;Pierce, 2014;Tantia, 2014) or used psychoanalytic or neurobiological attachment frames to emphasise the role of the therapeutic relationship (Colace, 2017;Manford, 2014;Pierce, 2014). ...
This study surveys contemporary approaches to trauma within dance movement therapy/psychotherapy (DMTP). 17 qualitative English-language studies (2010–2020) were examined using qualitative and embodied arts-based research methods. Trauma was conceptualised as a multi-layered, complex phenomenon for the lived and collective body, isolation, and adaptive survival, reflecting DMTP’s understanding of experiences of individual and systemic harm, the enactive self, dissociation, neurobiology, human rights and wider context. Trauma implicated bodily, intrapsychic, relational, communal, social, economic and structural realms. Goals were safety, freedom, pleasure and agency. Dance was a flexible, multimodal, gestalt container for simple-yet-complex interventions linking inner sensing, creative exploration and enactive movement to meaning-making and cognitive and identity restructuring. Therapeutic competence, ego and relationship to power shaped DMTP’s work with individual and collective trauma. DMTP might consider how to better communicate its approach to treating trauma, relevance of therapist/lived-experience, professional and collective identities and enactive healing-justice approaches to sexual violence.
... From the data it seems as if the dance-at-home experiences created spaces for participants to interact with the Self in an honest and true way, encountering their emotional, intellectual, creative and embodied selves. In so doing, participants discovered the Self: 'I found myself'(Lira) 'I got to know myself'(Mikayla) and they got to re-define the Self (Mia, Josua), affirming the value of creative movement for the discovery of the authentic Self -We could 'really be our true self' (Ami-Lee) -as scholars (Bernstein 2019;Kauppila 2007;Marx and Delport 2017;Smith 2002) suggest. These scholars however refer to dance-making in community with others, whereas in many of the above responses, dance-making occurred alone. ...
... Am I just a waste of space?' and found validation of his worth and existence during dance-making. This affirms Bernstein's (2019) claim that re-discovering creativity is empowering in times of feeling powerless. But why? ...
This study seeks to understand the impact of a new distance dance-at-home course on South African university students’ quality of life in the era of pandemic. The following research questions guided the enquiry: What were students’ experiences of this dance-at-home course? and How did participation in this dance-at-home course contribute to student wellbeing and connection, during a time of trauma and isolation? Since online streaming was not a feasible option at this Eastern Cape university, most of the course consisted of dance-making activities students could do alone or with their family members, at home. 48 students volunteered to participate in this study. Reflective journals, questionnaires, and interviews were used as data collection methods. Data revealed that participants in this dance-at-home course experienced a kind of freedom that was transformative and life changing, as it added to their quality of life during a period of trauma and isolation. Through dance-making at home, participants were able to find the freedom within, find the freedom to express their culture, find a lifeline in times of crisis, and find meaningful connection in times of isolation. Implications are that this course can be facilitated in refugee camps and spaces of war, assisting persons to find the freedom within, in times of crisis.
KEYWORDS
Dance education; intervention; mental wellbeing; multicultural classroom; distance education
... Dance is a vital part of human existence and a global phenomenon that holds the intrinsic ability to penetrate the hearts and minds of spectators regardless of their language, race, nationality and social status (Bannerman, 2014;Ohio State University, 2020). It has been described as a viable tool for promoting cross-cultural communication, exchange and cooperation (Hagen & Bryant, 2003) and promoting wellbeing (Alpert, 2010;Bernstein, 2019). Cross-culturally, dance is endowed with deep meanings that dancers artistically use to communicate to their audience through body movements (Bannerman, 2014). ...
... Such comments corroborate claims that music is a powerful tool, which conveys audience into diverse emotional conditions (Statler, 2012) and effects proven therapeutic changes in their behaviour, emotions and mood regardless of socio-cultural difference, nationality and language barriers. It also validates the medical benefits of dance for lowering stress, addressing loneliness, healing depression (Alpert, 2010) and trauma (Bernstein, 2019) which are characteristics of the lockdown and the social distancing protocols imposed to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus globally. ...
South Africa’s soft power has been in the ascendancy since its emergence from the end of apartheid rule. As a regional hegemon in Africa, Pretoria also wields the most impressive soft power assets on the continent. Although South Africa has produced cultural exports that command global appeal, there is a dearth of studies
on the soft power and diplomacy of the country, in particular the attraction of its music and dance in the global arena. As the novel coronavirus surged in 2020, South Africa witnessed the transnational acceptance and global adulation of its iconic Jerusalema song
and the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge. This article is the first scholarly attempt to explore the soft power nuances and foreign policy implications of the Jerusalema song. The authors claim that Jerusalema offers South Africa an unexplored foreign policy opportunity to use the diplomacy of music and dance to subtly project a positive image in the unprecedented period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
... Penelitian akan menggunakan metode kepustakaan atau library research merupakan kegiatan menganalisis tulisan yang mencari tahu terkait suatu peristiwa untuk mendapatkan fakta seperti menemukan asal, sebab dsb (Hamzah, 2020 Bentuk kegiatan tari yang sering dijumpai dalam proses pengkajian merupakan kegiatan tari dance/movement therapy atau DMT. DMT berfokus dalam menggunakan tubuh sebagai ekspresi melalui gerakan, gestur, postur, sensasi kinestesis dan sentuhan (Martinec, 2018), yang berfungsi untuk meregulasikan diri dengan ekspresi diri dan kebebasan bergerak (Bernstein, 2019;Martinec, 2018;Parker, 2018;Stanwell-Smith, 2018;Welych-Miller, 2019), memperbaiki hubungan diri, terkoneksi kembali tubuh dengan pikiran, (Chakraborty, 2020;Harris, 2009;Mintarsih & Azizah, 2020;Welych-Miller, 2019), memberikan ruang yang memberikan rasa aman (Martinec, 2018;Welych-Miller, 2019). ...
Indonesia emas 2024 diprediksikan, dengan banyaknya usia produktif di Indonesia. Namun kekerasan seksual pada anak meningkat pada tahun 2019 ke 2022 terakhir. Peningkatan yang memperhatikan, mengakibatkan penelitian dilakukan untuk mengkaji hasil pustaka yang membahas terkait meringankan trauma anak korban kekerasan seksual, dengan menerapkan kegiatan tari. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pustaka terkait bentuk dan dampak dari kegiatan tari untuk meringankan trauma anak korban kekerasan seksual. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah penelitian kualitatif jenis kepustakaan. Penelitian menggunakan jurnal ilmiah, buku elektronik, non-elektronik sebagai metode untuk menganalisis mengenai bentuk dari kegiatan tari untuk anak korban kekerasan seksual, dan dampak kegiatan tari untuk meringankan trauma anak korban kekerasan seksual. Hasil analisis dari penelitian ini adalah kegiatan tari seperti dance/movement therapy dan creative art therapy yang memberikan kebebasan bergerak yang membantu anak dalam mengekspresikan diri secara non-verbal, eksplorasi gerak dengan imajinasi anak dapat membantu mengekspresikan perasaan yang dimiliki tanpa perlu diverbalisasikan. Dampak dari kegiatan tersebut adalah peserta memperoleh kepercayaan diri, pemahaman emosi, ekspresi, terhubung dengan dirinya sendiri, mampu bersosialisasi, dan mempercayai orang tua atau pengasuh. Penelitian ini memberikan potensi untuk diterapkan dengan jenis tari lain seperti salah satunya tari kontemporer.
... Dance/movement therapy (DMT), a field that is founded on somatic principles, is set apart from other somatic modalities by its psychotherapeutic use of creative movement and dance which builds on individuals' strengths and resources, and promotes their emotional, physical, social, and cognitive health (ADTA, 2016). Several studies have suggested DMT as a valuable treatment option for survivors of trauma and those facing a wide range of life stressors (Bernstein, 2019;Dieterich-Hartwell & Melsom, 2022;Dieterich-Hartwell et al., 2020;Gray, 2015;Koch & Harvey, 2012). Based on clinical research and literature, some elements appear particularly salient regarding healing from trauma. ...
This article describes the journey of a health equity research study that changed course due to challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the precarity of the population of focus. Although the mixed methods intervention and dance/movement therapy protocol did not transpire as intended, we gained much relevant insight from the 12-month process. We here highlight the original six-week protocol, recruitment efforts and important clinical observations during the recruitment phase, as well as a detailed synopsis in form of a case study of the one participant who completed the study. We also take a critical look at the limitations of clinical human research and raise the question when to pivot from or abort a project, keeping in mind what ultimately matters, the respect, value, and care of an individual. We close with implications for engaging in research with vulnerable communities.
... Studies show that males tend to act out sexually, while females tend to display more internalized behaviors (Estes & Tidwell, 2002). Therapeutic approaches to treating incest victims include discoursebased approaches (Seligman, 2004;Herman, 2015), the feminist approach (Fraenkel, 2019), models based on physical interventions (Reyes, 2018), and creative arts therapies (Bernstein, 2019). Of these therapeutic approaches, success rates were mentioned in only one study, where 70.8% of members in a psychotherapy group for adults coping with sexual assault, including incest survivors, experienced a reduction in anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms 6-12 months after treatment (Taylor & Harvey, 2009). ...
Incest occurs worldwide in all socioeconomic classes. To the best of our knowledge, literature on music processes with incest survivors is scarce, and studies focusing on voicework as a main technique for incest survivors in group settings have not been found. The current study aimed to explore incest survivors’ expectations regarding the use of their voice before participating in a vocal group therapy, and their lived experience of using their voice following the therapeutic process. Seventeen women living in an inpatient alternative center, coping with complex posttraumatic stress disorder due to incest, participated in a voicework group led by two music therapists. The women were divided into two groups of eight and nine women each and participated in eight sessions. Data were collected through focus groups before and after the therapeutic experience. Interpretative phenomenological analysis yielded themes indicating that before the therapeutic process, participants’ expectations regarding the use of their voice reflected low self-esteem, self-criticism, loneliness, shame, fear of exposure, and avoidance of singing. Following the therapeutic process, participants experienced their voice in a way that enabled them to feel self-acceptance and courage to sing, togetherness, bonding, belonging, a strengthening of existing relationships and ability to establish new ones, and awareness of body and emotions in the “here and now.” An overall examination of the findings indicates that participants progressed from experiencing lack of self-compassion before the therapeutic experience to enhanced self-compassion at its completion. The findings are interpreted via the self-compassion concept and implications are presented.
... Studies show that males tend to act out sexually, while females tend to display more internalized behaviors (Estes & Tidwell, 2002). Therapeutic approaches to treating incest victims include discoursebased approaches (Seligman, 2004;Herman, 2015), the feminist approach (Fraenkel, 2019), models based on physical interventions (Reyes, 2018), and creative arts therapies (Bernstein, 2019). Of these therapeutic approaches, success rates were mentioned in only one study, where 70.8% of members in a psychotherapy group for adults coping with sexual assault, including incest survivors, experienced a reduction in anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms 6-12 months after treatment (Taylor & Harvey, 2009). ...
Objectives:
We examined whether anxiety and depressive symptoms associated with self-reported history of financial exploitation (FE) are more pronounced among Holocaust survivors (HS), especially those with high-level posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
Design:
Self-report questionnaires completed online via Qualtrics.
Setting:
An online-based survey conducted in Israel.
Participants:
A community-based cohort of 137 Israeli older adults born prior to 1945 were included in the study sample. HS (n = 61) were participants who reported living in a European country occupied or dominated by Nazi or pro-Nazi regimes between 1939 and 1945. Groups were further subdivided into survivors with low or high levels of PTSD symptoms (≥31 on the PTSD Checklist; PCL-5).
Measurements:
Questionnaires assessed FE history, posttraumatic symptoms (PCL-5), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7). Age, education, self-rated health, and non-Holocaust lifetime adversity were also measured and included as covariates.
Results:
Hierarchical linear regression models revealed that relationships between FE and depressive and anxiety symptoms were significant only among survivors (p = 0.005 and p = 0.008, respectively). The interaction between PTSD symptom level group and FE was also significant for both depressive (p = 0.007) and anxiety (p = 0.012) symptoms, such that survivors with PTSD who reported FE had significantly greater symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to all other groups.
Conclusions:
Findings suggest that the experience of FE may be particularly impactful among survivors who continue to struggle with posttraumatic symptoms related to the Holocaust. Future studies may consider examining whether findings are relevant to other groups with PTSD.
... Music therapists engage their participants in improvised music making, responding sensitively and musically to their musical and non-musical expressions, and attuning to their movements, feelings, and intentions (Hardy & LaGasse, 2018;Kim et al., 2008;Slootsky & Gold, 2016). Music making is therefore a creative and expressive way for children to build resilience (McFerran et al., 2020;Pasiali, 2012), and for those who have experienced trauma to develop increased capacity, as they expand their expressive freedom, strengthen their self-esteem, and build their emotional resource (Bernstein, 2019). ...
Mauri Tui Tuia is a professional development programme established by the first and second authors who are a Registered Arts and Dance Movement Therapist and a Registered Music Therapist respectively. Mauri Tui Tuia seeks to empower educators to develop a kete of tools to support children in building resilience and maintaining wellbeing, through the medium of trauma-informed music and dance movement therapies. In this paper we discuss the theories that underpin the mahi (work) and give a broad overview of some of the ways our unique collaborative practices can potentially provide sustainable support for our communities in the wake of traumatic events, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
... The dance experiences provided spaces where students could breathe deeply, have fun, relax and experience some relief from the stress and anxiety they were experiencing, which resonates with what scholars Stinson (1997), Marx and Delport (2017) and Bernstein (2019) suggest. ...
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic struck South Africa and the dance education course for pre-service student teachers had to be re-imagined for distance learning. Globally, many dance educators moved to synchronous online learning platforms, but in South Africa most students struggled with internet access, data, devices and the lack of appropriate physical space to work synchronously. Hence, I designed an asynchronous teaching method that facilitated dance experiences to my vastly diverse students, at home. Students were provided with instructions for dance-making activities that they could do either by themselves or with their family members. For this course, they had to provide evidence of participation in these activities by means of video recordings, photos or writing a short reflection. Pedagogically, this new method of teaching dance education is unique, since students participated in the dance asynchronously and in isolation, rather than the usual synchronous participation in community with their peers. This course however encouraged participants to involve their family members in the dance, which unlike other dance education methods, o ered opportunities to share the actual dance experiences with family members, bringing the dance into the home and community environments. This enabled students to have autonomy over their own dance experiences to choose not only how they wanted to create each dance, but also, which dance vocabulary they wanted to explore and Critical reflections on professional learning during Covid-19:Context, practice and change 321 develop. Students could thus choose how they wanted to express themselves without the usual confinement of required stylistic criteria. From these movement expressions emerged an organic decolonised approach to both experiencing and teaching dance. Moreover, these dance experiences seemed to build connection in times of isolation and facilitate experiences of healing in times of trauma. This paper reflects on this surprisingly e ective new dance teaching praxis which emerged from distance education.
... In practice, we can better understand the relevance and authenticity of work, fully understand our comprehensive ability and practical ability, reflect on this basis, and continuously improve our quality and related ability [2]. Private art education institutions account for the majority of art education institutions [3].Private art education institutions are in the forefront of the times in carrying out work related to the integration of production and education. It plays a guiding and reference role in the reform and development of higher education. ...
In order to improve the effect of dance teaching action analysis, this paper uses dance action skill feature identification method to analyze dance teaching action and combines teaching and technology to simulate dance action. Moreover, this paper conducts dynamic modeling of dance movements and analyzes the typical properties of several dynamic modeling techniques. At the same time, this paper takes the double-joint dance movement limb as the control object for comparative analysis. The comparison shows that the fractional sliding mode approaching law has better smoothing properties. In addition, this paper selects the control method combining fractional calculus and sliding mode control theory to improve the tracking speed and following effect of the double joints of dance movements. Finally, this paper studies the variance virtual spindle cross-coupling control method based on fractional-order sliding mode to further improve the synchronization accuracy of dance movement limb joints. From the experimental data, it can be seen that the application effect of dance movement skill feature recognition in dance teaching movement analysis is very good.
... After asking about medical history and physical examination, it was confirmed that all the study subjects were healthy, free of endocrine and cardiovascular diseases. 2 During the experiment, the subjects did not perform other high-intensity exercises, and their daily routines and routines remained unchanged. ...
Introduction
Immunity is closely related to health. When the body's immunity is strong, it is healthy. On the contrary, various diseases appear. Sports dance is an entertainment and fitness sports project that integrates sports, music, aesthetics, and dance, the body movement dance as the necessary content and two-person or collective exercises as the primary form of exercise. Studies have shown that long-term adherence to Tai Chi exercise can significantly increase the serum immunoglobulin IgA, IgG, and IgM levels.
Objective
The paper explores the effect of physical dance exercise on serum immunoglobulin and T lymphocyte subsets of college students.
Methods
The thesis randomly selected 16 male and female students in the first-grade physical dance optional course of public physical education as the experimental group. They performed physical dance exercises three times a week, 40 minutes each time, and the training intensity was controlled at a heart rate of 135-150 beats/min. Ten weeks; besides, 16 male and female students in the first grade were selected as the control group, and no physical dance exercise was performed; all the subjects were drawn from the elbow venous blood on an empty stomach at the same time before and after the experiment to measure serum immunoglobulin and T lymph Cell subpopulation content.
Results
After ten weeks of sports dance training, the serum immunoglobulin IgG of both men and women in the experimental group increased significantly (P<0.01), and the CD4⁺% and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio of T lymphocyte subgroups showed extremely significant and significant increases (P <0.01, P<0.05), serum IgM tended to increase, IgA, CD8⁺% tended to decrease, but there was no significant change.
Conclusions
Long-term physical dance exercise can improve the body's immune function. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment results.
Keywords:
Immunoglobulins; T-lymphocyte subsets; Students; Immunity
Interpersonal trauma is a pervasive issue with devastating consequences for women and girls of diverse identities. Research has shown that there are many potential physiological consequences for experiencing trauma, and as such, treatment for trauma should incorporate the body. Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) has been emerging in the current literature as one body-oriented treatment approach effective in helping women and girls heal from interpersonal trauma. This review uses textual narrative evidence synthesis to examine how practitioners are currently using DMT for this population, what treatment outcomes have been observed, and what the racial/ethnic identities and international contexts are for survivors who have benefited from DMT. Inclusion criteria for the present review included peer-reviewed studies published in English between the years 2000 to 2022, reporting data on the use of dance or movement to help women and/or adolescent girls aged 12 and older heal from interpersonal trauma. Studies were identified through electronic databases, and 16 total studies met criteria. This review found that the characteristics and structure of DMT vary greatly between different practitioners, the participants of DMT are very diverse, and there are many commonly observed outcomes such as increased physical ability, increased emotional capacity, mind-body integration, safety, aid with trauma processing, empowerment, social support, and fun. This review also gives recommendations for practitioners who wish to utilize dance and movement in treatment: offer group interventions; use the body to create metaphor, imagery, and symbolism; give survivors choices in how they participate; use music purposefully; and don’t forget to cultivate joy.
Contending with the structural erasure and appropriation of their land, culture, history, and traditions imposed by the settler state, Palestinians have adopted/adapted traditional cultural elements to further their nationalist aspirations and assert their rights as Palestine’s Indigenous people. In the diaspora, Palestinians practice and perform the dabke folkdance, as a tool of anti-colonial memory maintenance and knowledge transfer. In this context, the dabke has been (re)shaped to keep up with the invasive nature of settler colonialism, by evolving to protect indigeneity, resist imagined settler geographies, and represent an embodied landmark of Palestinian existence and history. In this paper, we examine the digital platforms of a diasporic dabke dance academy in Ontario, Canada, highlighting the innovations of using social media to broadcast the teachings and performance of dabke while promoting Palestinian cultural continuity against settler colonialism. We employ the theoretical framework of sumud, a specifically Palestinian mode of steadfast anti-colonial being/becoming to explain that the performance of dance, and the subsequent broadcasting via digital social media platforms is an innovative approach to counter settler colonialism. Cultural and community leaders such as dancers, teachers, and choreographers celebrate Palestinian resilience, resistance, and restoration, while mobilizing global solidarities through social media and dance.
У статті розкрито особливості інтегрованої соціально-психологічної програми реабілітації постраждалих внаслідок дії екстремальних стрес-факторів та проведено оцінку її ефективності. У запропонованій програмі, яка містила методологічний, змістовий та технологічний компоненти, психологічний вплив спрямовувався у напрямку підтримки постраждалих (емоційної, екзистенційної, смислової), подолання психоемоційних травмуючих станів і переживань (тривожності, самотності, почуття провини, образи, агресивності), внутрішьоособистісних конфліктів (мотиваційних, рольових, ціннісних), негативного «Я-образу» (неадекватної самооцінки та рівня домагань, невпевненості у собі), кризи ідентичності (персональної та соціальної) та на підвищення соціально-психологічної адаптації, налагодження конструктивної комунікації, міжособистісної взаємодії і успішної інтеграції постраждалих у соціум. Серед формувальних заходів, задіяних в інтегрованій програмі реабілітації, дієвими виявилися: соціально-психологічний тренінг корекції емоційних станів із використанням музикотерапії та тренінг соціальної адаптованості з задіянням психокорекційних тілесно-орієнтованих вправ; арт-терапія, психологічний дебрифінг й індивідуальна терапія, з задіянням технік експозиційної гіпнотерапії та методу десенсибілізації (EMDR) та ін. Ефективність програми доведена зниженням проявів симптомів емоційної травми, тривожності, депресії, поряд із підвищенням тенденції до оптимальних копінг-стратегій переживання дії стрес-фактору, а також зростанням показників самоорганізації та розвитку стресостійкості, стабільності психічної організації, усталеності до складних ситуацій та обставин; показників психодинамічних властивостей (сенситивності, нейротизму, саморегуляції тощо); інтелектуальної та мисленнєвої діяльності; особистісних властивостей (впевненості у собі, ціннісного ставлення до себе, інших, світу тощо). Ключові слова: особистість, стрес-фактор, екстремальні умови, реабілітація, соціально-психологічні умови реабілітації постраждалих.
CEL NAUKOWY: Celem artykułu jest przybliżenie literatury dotyczącej fizycznych konsekwencji traumy oraz możliwości ich leczenia z wykorzystaniem terapii taniec/ruch (DMT). PROBLEM I METODY BADAWCZE: Głównym problemem badawczym jest zagadnienie interwencji DMT oraz jej zastosowania w leczeniu cielesnych komponentów traumy. Metodą badawczą jest analiza wybranej literatury przedmiotu. PROCES WYWODU: Efektywność DMT jest analizowana na podstawie badań wśród ofiar prze- mocy seksualnej i dzieci uchodźców. W tych grupach wykorzystanie tańca okazało się mieć pozy- tywne skutki dla uczestników. Dyskusji poddane zostają zalety tej metody, jak również ograniczenia. WYNIKI ANALIZY NAUKOWEJ: Przeżycie traumy wiąże się z dysregulacją na poziomie całego organizmu. Wykorzystanie ruchu i tańca w jej leczeniu jest interesującym polem badań i może stanowić skuteczne uzupełnienie interwencji wśród osób, które doświadczyły traumy. DMT jest metodą już stosowaną w praktyce terapeutycznej, a przeprowadzone badania wskazują na pozytywne skutki jej zastosowania. WNIOSKI, INNOWACJE, REKOMENDACJE: DMT w kontekście traumy wymaga dalszych analiz i badań. Unormowanie praktyki terapeutycznej oraz narzędzi badawczych pomogłoby określić jej skuteczność. W Polsce może być to użyteczna alternatywa w leczeniu ofiar wojny w Ukrainie.
The topic of raving has not yet been addressed in dance/movement psychotherapy (DMP) literature, despite being a meaningful activity shown to facilitate personal transformation. Whilst studies on rave culture have highlighted its therapeutic benefits, none of them focus on recovering substance abusers. This research identifies links between raving and DMP, looking at what each practice can offer this client group. Three key commonalities were identified whilst reviewing the literature on raving, DMP and substance abuse: strengthening spirituality, enhancing one’s sense of self, and creating a sense of belonging. Through analysing data from participant interviews, my embodied responses and my own experiences, five more were revealed. Findings from this study were considered for their relevance in DMP clinical practice.
Little is known about how individuals with histories of sexual trauma experience dance in non-clinical settings. Dance educators outside of the clinical sphere, such as in dance studios and higher education dance programs, may lack knowledge surrounding how the experience(s) of sexual trauma can alter one’s movement and involvement in the dance space. Although a growing body of research exists, specific guidelines for developing a trauma-informed curriculum are needed. This study utilized 21 qualitative interviews with dancers who had experienced sexual violence to explore how various Western dance styles intersect with their sense of mind-body connection, agency, and bodily autonomy. We explore how these dancers describe their understanding of empowerment, relationship to space, bodily disconnect, and kinesthetic perceptions, both pre- and post-trauma. Results indicate a distinct discomfort and pulling away from the body for dancers, followed by a regained sense of safety in movement when accompanied by trauma-informed atmospheres and curricula. Guidelines for establishing a trauma-informed curriculum are provided.
Desde el surgimiento de la Maestría en Arte en la Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, las implementaciones artísticas derivadas de los trabajos prácticos profesionalizantes de estudiantes y proyectos de investigación artística de docentes del Núcleo Académico Básico son un muestrario de las inquietudes teóricas y metodológicas en torno a las prácticas de gestión, análisis, educación y producción artísticas contemporáneas. Esta publicación reúne cuatro textos sobre la productividad académica y artística contestarias a la atención de problemáticas y acciones sociales del contexto regional. «Cuerpo, feminidad y pantalla» lleva de título el primer apartado de capítulos integrado por dos textos. En el primero, «La representación de las mujeres en el cine mexicano: estereotipos y rupturas», de Aída Alonso y Brenda Rodríguez, se traza un recuento, a partir del análisis narratológico, sobre la figuración y escenificación de personajes femeninos en destacadas películas y géneros cinematográficos nacionales, desde la denominada época de oro hasta la actualidad. En esta indagación, Alonso y Rodríguez dan cuenta de la construcción de la identidad de género y los símbolos de la mujer en la cinematografía mexicana –niña ingenua, joven virgen, madre abnegada, esposa sumisa, abuela protectora, rumberas y ficheras como objeto de deseo, mujer fatal, prostituta, bruja, etcétera– hacia sus giros paradigmáticos en cineastas como Matilde Landeta, Luis Buñuel, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, el Colectivo Cine y Mujer –conformado por Rosa Martha Fernández, BeatrizMira, Guadalupe Sánchez y Sonia Fritz–, la generación de cineastas mujeres dela década de 1990 –como Busi Cortés, Maryse Sistach, María Novaro, Dana Rotberg, Guita Schyfter, Eva López, Marcela Fernández Violante, María Elena Velasco la India
María– y la generación contemporánea con perspectiva feminista –en la que destacan Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez, Issa López, Tatiana Huezo, Lucía Gajá, Natalia Beristáin, Ana Laura Calderón–. Sin duda, es un escrito que invita a la reflexión en torno a la configuración de la imagen de la mujer como alegoría simbólica desde la mirada masculina y su reconfiguración en los esquemas de representación por su agenciamiento desde los feminismos actuales.
En el segundo capítulo, «Una video-danza para la vida: enfrentar el miedo al covid-19 a través del arte», de Sarahí Lay Trigo sucede una relatoría de su proceso creativo como investigadora y bailarina, al producir una coreografía dancística en soporte audiovisual desde un impulso de la incertidumbre y el autoaislamiento emocional como persona afectada. En colaboración con un compositor musical –su propio hermano– y un videasta –anónimo– reflexiona su práctica en colectivo sobre los «modos de ser» y «modos de hacer» de la danza en tiempos de confinamiento. En esta investigación artística busca visibilizar las formas en las que se condicionaron los cuerpos y las emociones de bailarines y espectadores por la hibridación de las tecnoconvivencias al crear y percibir obras de danza con tecnologías de transmisión y retransmisión audiovisual. En paralelo, entonces, ante las nuevas pericias creativas socioemocionales como enigma poético, se trata de un caso autorreferencial sobre la experiencia vivida en la puesta en movimiento de la danza, la cámara y la música para amplificar y somatizar aquello que se busca nombrar desde el desafío social.
El apartado «Arte, educación y deseo» se compone de tres capítulos sobre las prácticas de educación de las artes vivas en Aguascalientes, específicamente el teatro y la música. El primero de estos textos se titula «Cien años de evolución de la enseñanza de la técnica de actuación en Aguascalientes: 1923-2023», escrito por Julio Cervantes y Carlos Padilla, quienes en sus diversas investigaciones individuales observaron coincidencias históricas sobre la práctica en la formación de actores en diversas compañías, escuelas, centros culturales y universidades teatrales de nuestra localidad. Cervantes y Padilla escriben a cuatro manos para sumar sus hallazgos históricos-documentales en pro de una genealogía sobre las técnicas y sistemas de actuación en occidente desde los griegos hasta el primer sistema de actuación desarrollado por Constantin Stanislavski, a principios del siglo xx. En paralelo, revisan los procesos y técnicas de enseñanza y profesionalización de la actuación en la ciudad de Aguascalientes desde una aproximación documental y testimonial, con actrices y actores docentes, para evidenciar, a pesar de su diversidad, el énfasis del uso del sistema de Stanislavski durante la conformación del ser actuante y la persona en escena en los actuales programas académicos de Licenciatura en Actuación y Licenciatura en Teatro de la Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes y la Universidad de las Artes, respectivamente.
El capítulo «Cognición corporeizada en las experiencias de escucha musical: fundamentación teórica y resultados de dos estudios empíricos», en coautoría por Vitalis López y Juan Pablo Correa, expone un aparato teóricometodológico sobre la cognición encarnada y un estudio comparativo en torno a las habilidades metacognitivas de la escucha de la música en dos momentos: durante del dictado musical en la formación de estudiantes de tres programas educativos de la localidad, y durante las experiencias de escucha musical de obras de sonido complejo en grupos de melómanos habituados. Desde los estudios socioculturales, la fenomenología y la neurociencia cognitiva, este texto busca exponer las capacidades sensoriomotrices del cuerpo en torno a sus estímulos y modos de percepción musical, y la situación extramusical derivada del contexto cultural del sujeto. Este texto compone una narrativa desde la especialización, de manera clara y concisa, para explicar fehacientemente el fenómeno de las experiencias afectivas en la escucha de la música.
Quienes lean este libro hallarán enfoques plurales y críticos sobre los fenómenos artísticos actuales en las artes vivas y temporales. Los razonamientos y hallazgos de nuestras queridas autoras y nuestros queridos autores, sin duda, quedan expuestos al comentario y debate en pro de incidir dialógicamente en nuestros entornos artísticos y culturales.
New Orleans is no stranger to trauma. The Crescent City has a vast history of environmental calamities and oppression. Yet, New Orleans is renowned for its "joie de vivre"-or "love of life." Specifically, this community is known for its unique practice of second-line parades. Researchers have noted the healing power of second-line processions, but none have analyzed the practice and psychology of this ritual through a trauma-informed lens. The aim of this conceptual paper is to begin the conversation, rather than deliver hard fast conclusions, on the potential therapeutic function of second-line parades in response to grief. Relevant literature is presented to illustrate second-line parades, trauma theory, and to provide evidence that the therapeutic effects of second-lining may, in part, be explained by trauma theory. This paper concludes with remarks on conceptualizing the second-line funeral as a sophisticated trauma-informed approach to grief and a note for future research.
The delivery of health care is undergoing a rapid evolution that is dramatically changing the way health care professionals perform their job responsibilities. In this increasingly stressful work environment, professionals are experiencing alarming rates of burnout. Recent efforts to enhance wellness have been directed toward organizations. However, because of the nature of the work performed in intensive care units, interventions to develop individual resilience are also needed. Currently, medical centers are environments in which the emotional impact of work-related trauma is often minimized and rarely processed. Some individuals may struggle to describe or express the impact of those traumas. Through nonverbal interventions, creative arts therapy can help people access, explore, and share authentic emotion in visual, musical, physical, or written form. By reconstructing meaning through transformative methods, participants may confront, reflect, and better cope with traumatic experiences while catalyzing social support networks and deepening relational bonds in the workplace.
Honoring differences: Cultural issues in the treatment of trauma and loss
- K Nader
- N Dubrow
Nader, K., Dubrow, N., & Stamm, B. (Eds.). (1999). Honoring differences: Cultural issues in the treatment of trauma and loss. Series in trauma and loss (pp. 553-579). Philadelphia: Brunner Mazel.
Treating survivors of trauma in the global community
- B Bernstein
Bernstein, B. (2013). Treating survivors of trauma in the global community. In D. Maller & M. Fritchele
(Eds.), The Praeger handbook of community mental health (pp. 109-126). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Press.
Dancing beyond trauma
- B Bernstein
Bernstein, B. (1995). Dancing beyond trauma. In F. Levy (Ed.), Dance & other expressive arts therapies:
When words are not enough (pp. 41-58). New York: Routledge Press.
The child's world its relation to dance pedagogy
- B Evan
Evan, B. (1950). The child's world its relation to dance pedagogy. In R. Benov (Ed.), (1991) Collected
works by and about Blanche Evan (pp. 49-93). Palo Alto, CA: Blanche Evan Dance Foundation.
From survivor to healers: Dance/movement therapy and expressive arts therapy in Kolkata, India
- B Bernstein
Bernstein, B. (2009). From survivor to healers: Dance/movement therapy and expressive arts therapy in
Kolkata, India. In IEATA Newsletter Edition #1 of 2009 (pp. 4-7).
Collected works by and about Blanche Evan
- R Benov
Benov, R. (Ed.). (1982). Collected works by and about Blanche Evan. Palo Alto, CA: Blanche Evan
Dance Foundation.
Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst
- R Sapolsky
Sapolsky, R. (2017). Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst (pp. 553-579). New York:
Penguin Press.