DancinG Your Way To Mental Health

Dance Therapy

Dance and movement therapy is a part of CREATIVE ART therapy that mainly uses creative arts (Music, Dance, movement, art, poetry and psychodrama) as a form of therapy. Expressive and creative therapies are based on the assumption that people can heal through various forms of creative expressions. Dance /movement therapy (DTM) is defined by the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) as the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual, for the purpose of improving health and well-being.

Dance therapy is mainly connected to the theory that “the mind, body and spirit are interconnected and inseparable” that is, changes in the body reflect changes in the mind and vice versa. Non-verbal, body language and movement communication plays an important role in expressing a person’s feelings, emotions, desire and thoughts. A Dance/movement therapist thus closely watches a person’s movement to assess their behavior or emotions. Dance in a way helps a person channel in his/her emotions and let these negative emotions out through body movements. Through this form of therapy the client will thus gain a deeper sense of self- awareness, self confidence, realization of one’s body and control over one’s body. Dance therapy is different from other forms of rehabilitative treatments as it uses an individual’s creative expression to treat the person’s mind, body and spirit. It promotes healing by encouraging self-expression.

Dance therapy is said to reduce stress, improve self-confidence, and enhance mobility and muscle coordination. It is sometimes incorporated into programs for people with chronic conditions. According to research dancing involves both mental effort and social interactions, these stimulate and fire up various parts of the brain, sensory and motor control regions thus forming more complex neuron connections which help improve memory, reduce stress and anxiety, improves mood, cognitive skills and decision making. Dancing release a feel-good hormone called serotonin, which decreases tension and stress. Dancing can also treat Parkinson’s disease and lower the risk of dementia.

Who is a

Dancer

A dancer learns to tell a story by expressing and letting out what is on their mind over non-verbal movement communication hence clearing out their headspace and preparing it to bear new creative ideas

- Gagan Somaiah

DANCE

Dance is theoretically defined as “to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps”. Thus discipline and alertness is key in dancing, it activates the mind to think cognitively and improves body kinesics. Dancing helps a person understand themselves by understanding their body because when you dance every muscle is in motion; muscles on your face are trying to emote to the music, your feet is trying to keep up with the beat, all your sensory organs are rustling. It sometimes could be the most intriguing feeling for a person because in dance the most important thing you learn is to surrender yourself to the music and let your sensory and kinesics organs take over, thus forgetting irksome thoughts and feelings. Dance is a great stress-buster, a lot of people use dance to release negative energy and tension. Dance helps you express yourself through non verbal communication and movement, this plays a crucial role when the client is shy or nervous to talk about his/her feelings and problems could learn to communicate it through dance. Dance in itself is a conversation where thoughts, feelings, desires and emotions are conveyed either between the dance and his/her audience or the dance and him/herself.”A dancer learns to tell a story by expressing and letting out what is on their mind over non-verbal movement communication hence clearing out their headspace and preparing it to bear new creative ideas”- Gagan Somaiah.

Dancing also helps build confidence and self-esteem, the more sanguine a person becomes in expressing themselves the more confident he/she becomes as an individual. They learn to accept themselves for who they are and tend to have a more optimistic outlook towards life. It also helps improve social skills. Dancing has a lot of biological benefits as well, it improves the working of your heart and lungs, it increased muscular strength, fitness and flexibility, helps you manage your weight, your bones tend to get stronger and thus a reduced risk of osteoporosis, improves body coordination, agility, balance and spatial awareness.

What does dance mean to you ?

STUDIES RELATED TO DANCE THERAPY

Research shows that using dance movements as a form of therapy activates several brain functions at once: kinesthetic, rational, musical, and emotional. This type of movement requires mental, physical, and emotional strength to work simultaneously.
The affects of dancing is also therapeutic to psychiatric participants and those who are emotional disturbed.
Dance groups reported less depression. Studies show that not just physical activity or listening to music is enough; the combining of the two into dance is the most beneficial for achieving a positive impact.
Another research shows that dancing helps calm children who suffer from behaviors such as disorderly, hyperactive and misbehavior. Children who undergo dance therapy report an increase in self-confidence and a positive body image after the dance intervention. They tend to have stronger communication and social skills, such as team work, after the dance intervention.

WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH ?

Understanding Mental Health

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