Why Dance Therapy? Applications Of Dance Movement Therapy And Primitive Expression In Psychiatric Disorders.

摘要

Dance/Movement Therapy (D/MT) considers movement as both the means of assessment and the mode of intervention. The therapist focuses on the expressive, communicative and adaptive movement behaviors as they emerge in the therapeutic relationship. Primitive Expression (PE) is a form of dance therapy providing physical and neuropsychological benefits. It involves ethologically and socially-based forms which are supplied for re-enactment, as well as an incentive for successful performance and a challenge to "transcend". The D/MT example presented here describes a session during which movement improvisations are used as a tool in order to build object relations with an autistic child. As a result, many areas, including body image, impulse control, self-esteem, attention span and socialization skills, can be improved. The PE example involves a group of 9 psychotic patients. It is shown that a relatively short duration of PE treatment led to observable changes in their kinesthetic output, their energy level, creativity and communication.