Dance therapy. Helen Payne

Dance and movement therapy

Dance movement therapy (DMT) is a field of psychotherapy. As a separate trend, it took shape around the 50-70s of the 20th century, first in the USA, and then in the 60-80s in Great Britain, Germany and Israel.
In the 80-90s, TDT was developed in other European countries, Asia, Australia and Russia. The official year of birth of TDT in Russia can be considered 1995, when the TDT Association was created in Moscow.
It is clear that unofficially everything began much earlier.
Dance movement psychotherapy uses movement and creative expression in the context of a psychotherapeutic relationship that shifts from a purely verbal to a body-oriented approach.

The process includes verbal and non-verbal communication, during which creatively actualizes self-expression, self-acceptance, the ability to make choices, make decisions and consciously develop, making your life more and more fulfilling, creative and meaningful. TDT is an interdisciplinary field: it exists at the intersection of psychotherapy and dance art. In addition, it is nourished by many other areas of knowledge. Among them: anatomy, physiology, psychophysiology, kinesiology, neuropsychology, a variety of theories of movement and dance, psychology, etc. - i.e. almost everything that can be attributed to the areas of knowledge about the body, movement, dance, psyche,

creative process

and creative expression.
MAIN SOURCES OF TDT

It is impossible to understand the essence of TDT without referring to the main sources that feed TDT as a separate school of psychotherapy.

In this regard, four historical aspects should be highlighted:
1. This is the development of science, and primarily of psychoanalytic schools associated with S. Freud’s discovery of mental reality and consideration of the psyche as the dynamics of conscious and unconscious processes in human ontogenesis. S. Freud gave impetus to the development of depth psychology, where three main schools can be distinguished:
Psychoanalysis by S. Freud

By the 40s and 50s, psychoanalytic trends had become quite strong in psychotherapy as an alternative to traditional hypnosis. Many other schools emerged that either refuted or developed these basic theories and practices - thus making invaluable contributions to the general understanding of psychological laws.

TDT was born, already relying on traditions and new psychotherapeutic schools and directions. Dance therapists (depending on their inclinations and general psychotherapeutic training and experience) could use the universal language of movement to relate and contrast their practice with any psychological concepts. TDT is a kind of meta-level that can draw parallels and combine knowledge, experience and concepts of various psychotherapeutic directions. At the same time, TDT develops its theory based on the idea of ​​psychosomatic unity.

2. The beginning of the century became the era of modernity in art: new forms, new principles were tried. The dance also went beyond the usual. Isadora Duncan is a well-known dance innovator in Russia. She was unique as a performer and expressed exactly those ideas that were the banner of modernist art.

She didn't leave school behind. The founding of new dance forms of dance pedagogy is associated with other names. And, first of all, it is worth highlighting the Austrian dancer, choreographer and philosopher Rudolf von Laban. He was an outstanding teacher and theorist of movement and dance.

It was R. Laban who put into practice the principle of the value of individual expression in dance. Having abandoned the usual ballet training, he developed his own approach to teaching and staging movement techniques, which made it possible to maximize the individual expression of each dancer. In addition, he created a system for recording and describing any human movement (like notes for recording music), which is currently the theoretical basis and method of analysis and diagnosis in TDT. His teaching was continued in the 60-70s by Irmgard Bartenieff, who added a special system of exercises (Bartenieff Fundamentals), harmonizing movement and teaching the correct and economical use of the body in movement. Currently, Labananalysis and Bartenieff Fundamentals are integral part

The middle name is the German dancer and choreographer Mary Wigman, the founder of dance expressionism. She was most interested in human affects. Emotional experience gave birth to bodily form and determined the quality of movement. In ballet, on the contrary, a set of certain forms serves to express different contents. Mary Wigman contributed
in dance pedagogy and choreographer's art of improvisation.

Dance improvisation is methods of spontaneous movement. When a person moves spontaneously, he expresses himself very accurately and honestly: in spontaneous movement, unconscious aspects of the personality can materialize. The unconscious can become visible, take shape, thus a person is able to reconnect with lost parts of himself, his psychological resources. And if you realize this, then the opportunity opens up for self-knowledge and gaining greater personal integrity and integration - and this is the main part and goal of the psychotherapeutic process. Those. it turned out that improvisation itself confronted dancers and teachers with the healing power of dance.

It is no coincidence that all the first dance therapists were students of R. Laban and M. Wigman or their followers.

For example, Marian Chace had her own studio. And gradually her interest shifted more and more from performing arts to the process of exploring individuality in dance improvisation. She saw her students open up and change as individuals, becoming more whole, more themselves.

There is a legend that among her students there were people who were simultaneously in psychotherapy. And psychotherapists paid attention to the improvement in the condition of their patients, which was associated with classes with M. Chase.

Gradually, some psychotherapists began to refer their patients to dance improvisation classes at her studio. And in 1946, Marian Chase was officially invited to work at the psychiatric hospital. St. Elizabeth in Washington, DC, where her method was born in close collaboration with psychiatrists. Probably, this date can be considered the birthday of TDT.

3. It is worth mentioning separately about Wilhelm Reich and his teaching about muscular-emotional blocks and characteristic armor. He was one of the most talented students of S. Freud, who was the first among analysts to pay attention not only to what the patient says, but, above all, to how he says it. Reich said that unexpressed emotional experiences are not
disappears, but remains in the muscles and “gets stuck” there in the form of muscle blocks. Emotions in the form of muscle clamps, remaining unexpressed and unconscious in the body for years, form a muscular armor, or characteristic armor, which reflects the methods of psychological defenses (often pathogenic) and its character structure, formed under their influence.

V. Reich, being an analyst, proposed not just verbal analysis, but he directly influenced muscle blocks in order to release them and the emotions hidden in them, and on this basis analyze situations, relationships with people that caused these feelings and experiences.
TDT refers to this understanding of psychosomatic mechanisms formulated by W. Reich, but practically does not use his working methods.

4. It is impossible not to mention the original purpose of dance and ancient healing practices, where dance was an integral attribute, and which was completely lost in modern civilization.
Even before the advent of language, movement and gestures were the means of communication of primitive people. And in the first human communities, dance was one of the main components of community life: both as an individual way of expressing (fear, sadness, joy, etc.) and as a way of transmitting cultural heritage. Until now, in Aboriginal tribes, instead of asking:
"What tribe are you from?" they ask: “What dance are you doing?”

The dance accompanied all rituals of passage (birth, wedding, death, etc.), all holidays and celebrations, events Everyday life(hunting, fishing, etc.), military campaigns. It was in dance that a person conveyed his relationship with the unknown and unknown, with nature, his connection with the Universe and with gods and spirits. Dance served as a means of spiritual and healing practice. And the basis of this is not an aesthetic form, but an expression of the Innermost in a person.

And TDT, after many, many centuries of treating dance as an elite art form, returns dance to its original meaning: it doesn’t matter how you move, what matters is what you sense, feel and think, what matters is what you express with your dance.

After all, the body is the only thing in a person that does not lie and can help him reveal and express himself in all his fullness and truth.

Abraham Maslow said that "...just as man has instinctual needs that are part of his biological nature, he also has higher needs; for example, the need to be significant, the need for esteem and the need for freedom of expression."

If we translate this into the language of dance therapy, it is the need to be visible, which is only possible in movement.

So, to summarize the above, dance therapists turn to the healing power of dance, to the power of creative expression in movement, and also use the achievements of modern dance pedagogy, and turn to movement studies and the experience of various psychotherapeutic schools (primarily psychodynamic, existential, humanistic and transpersonal ).

BASIC PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES OF TDT

1. The body and psyche are inseparably interconnected and have a constant mutual influence on each other. For a dance therapist, it is an axiom to understand that the body is a mirror of the soul, and movement is an expression of the human self. By making the body more flexible, we make the soul more flexible, and vice versa. Therefore, the goal of therapy is to achieve self-awareness by exploring the body's reactions and actions. 2. Dance is a communication that occurs on three levels: with oneself, with other people, and with the world. In this regard, the task will be to create a safe space, a therapeutic relationship, so that, by analyzing the relationship with the therapist, and/or with other people, if this is group work, a person could find more effective ways

interactions in his environment.
3. Holistic principle, i.e. the principle of integrity, where the triad of thoughts - feelings - behavior is considered as a single whole, and changes in one aspect entail changes in the other two.

4. The body is perceived as a process, and not as an object, object or subject. The word process emphasizes that we are not dealing with something given, static, but with something constantly changing. The essence of such a process is best reflected by one of the principles of Tao: the ability to see statics in movement and movement in statics.

We have learned to control the body, give it certain forms, appearance, restrain it, and we think that it will remain unresponsive and will not give any feedback. And then inexplicable symptoms and pain arise, a constantly felt tension in the body appears, stiffness appears, and the range of movement becomes more and more limited.

The task, following a person's process (one might say his psychosomatic Tao) of dance - the therapist helps to release and reveal the information that underlies symptoms, pain, various kinds bodily discomforts and restrictions in movement - a person learns to understand the language of his body and, thus, restores dialogue with himself. This work also develops the ability to use movement and dance to express a full range of feelings, and to find
constructive ways relationships with your feelings without denial and suppression (the latter is destructive for psychological health).

5. Appeal to human creative resources as an inexhaustible source of vitality and creative energy.

Objective: development of self-esteem, self-acceptance and deep trust in oneself and in the life process, development of constant contact with one’s life resources. Here TDT addresses creative dance directly: these are moments of exploration and expression of emotional material (dreams, fantasies, memories) through symbolic movement.

WHO SEEKS A DANCE THERAPIST

These are, first of all, people, they are sometimes called kinesthetics, for whom movement is a way of processing information. To fully understand, they need to feel it in the body and find expression for it in movement. For them, movement is a way of self-expression, self-knowledge and development.
They can all be united by the fact that at a certain moment these people may feel that they are not whole, have lost contact with themselves, or would like to change the quality of this contact. Psychologically, loss of contact with oneself is identical to loss of contact with the body.

Thus, summing up the above, we can say that TDT is indicated:

For anyone who experiences emotional difficulties, conflicts, or is under stress.

For those who want to develop skills in communication, self-exploration and self-understanding.

For those for whom some feelings or experiences are too strong or so overwhelming that it is difficult to find words to say about them, or for those who avoid their own feelings and cannot find the exact words to verbalize their feelings, desires, needs.

For those whose problems are related to physicality: problems related to body image, difficulties in movement associated with a general feeling of tension and muscle tightness in different parts of the body, or anxiety about intimacy, physical contact and trust.

For people experiencing a stressful or crisis period in their lives, which is associated with various types of losses (death of loved ones, divorce, etc.) or a radical change in their lives.

For people who are concerned that their problems are not being solved for too long, that life seems to be going in circles, or experiencing a general condition that “everything in life is going wrong.”

General goals may include:

Developing self-awareness, self-esteem and personal autonomy.

Establishing connections between your thoughts, feelings and actions.

Working through emotional blocks at the bodily level. Exploring alternative, more constructive behaviors.

Improving adaptive abilities and developing behavioral flexibility.

Expressing and managing overwhelming feelings and thoughts.

Development of communication skills.

Access to internal resources and creative forces.

Development of harmonious and trusting relationships.

WHAT CAUSES LOSS OF CONTACT WITH THE BODY?

As a child, a person seeks the approval and love of his parents, developing a system of “shoulds and shouldn’ts,” often without taking into account his own immediate needs;

He learns to survive in the world around him and, to varying degrees, rejects and cannot accept significant parts of his personality when society does not recognize them, or considers them unimportant, or does not adequately support the manifestations of individuality.

So, TDT as a field is huge. There are no age or nosology restrictions for TDT. The only limitation is the limitations of the dance therapists themselves (i.e., it depends on their specialization).

In Russia, TDT initially developed as a type of personal growth group for adults. Now the range of its application has expanded significantly. There is a group and individual work

with children and adults, with the help of which you can solve your personal problems related to relationships with other people, anxieties and fears, crisis life situations, loss of meaning in life, misunderstanding of yourself. There is also a family TDT where you can decide family problems ; There are children's groups for preschoolers and schoolchildren that develop the child's creative abilities and communication skills, helping them prepare and adapt to school. There are unique programs for children (child-parent groups) that correct the disharmonious development of the child (such as delayed mental development, minimal brain dysfunction, etc.); We work in groups and individually with people suffering from eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating); with psychogenically caused bodily symptoms and other psychosomatic disorders. TDT is used as a preparation method

married couples

for parenting before childbirth, as well as for postpartum support - special groups for babies from 0 to 3 years old and their mothers.

Work with people suffering from post-traumatic disorders, disabled children, and refugees is beginning to develop.

TDT In Russia it is still a very new specialization. The Association of Dance Therapy (ADT) is gradually taking steps to develop this profession with the support of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA), the European Dance Therapy Association and the International Association of Creative Expression Therapy (IEATA).
Since 1995, there has been a training program on TDT in Moscow. In January 2005 we celebrate its tenth anniversary. Now this is a 3-year specialization in TDT at the Institute of Practical Psychology and Psychoanalysis with a state diploma of professional retraining. Irina Viktorovna Biryukova,

Dance therapy is a non-verbal method of psychotherapy. The purpose of this psychotherapeutic technique is to express emotions through body language. Through movements and their analysis, the patient’s healing process begins.

In dance therapy there are no strictly established rules and specific dance movements. The patient is given complete freedom of expression. This movement therapy is used to help sick people. Dance therapy can also be used for preventive purposes.

Since ancient times, dance has been a means of expressing feelings. In wild tribes to this day, ritual dances accompany the main events of a person’s life - the birth of a child, wedding and death, as well as recovery. Many peoples recognize the miraculous power of dance, which helps to gain new strength or relax. For many people, the opportunity to dance is an opportunity to relieve stress, relax, recharge and lift their spirits.

IN late XIX- At the beginning of the 20th century, the characteristic dance gained great popularity. Its foundation was laid by the famous American dancer Isadora Duncan, one of the founders of modern dance. She rejected the classical school of dance, used ancient Greek plastic arts, replaced the ballet costume with a chiton, danced without shoes, expressively and emotionally revealing her personality. Characteristic dance as a method of treatment began to be practiced in America. Some notable names in the field include Mary Whitehouse, Trudy Scoop, Merian Chace, and Lillian Espenak. The American Dance Therapy Association was founded in 1966, and a treatment center in New York was founded in 1967.

Basics of therapy

The theories of Carl Gustav Jung influenced the development of dance therapy. Jung's works have helped many dancers, through dance, try to penetrate the depths of a person's subconscious and overcome certain psychological problems, as well as get rid of many diseases. Some psychoanalysts have applied Jung's theories to dance therapy and even developed them further. Exist various styles and directions of dance treatment. The theoretical principles of each individual direction are associated with the corresponding psychological school and therapeutic methods. However, all styles of dance therapy are based on psychology.

Dance therapy is understood as therapy of impressions and sensations, aimed at the patient’s feelings at a specific moment. By dancing, the patient must express what he has experienced. By analyzing the patient's movements, the therapist tries to describe his behavior during dance as accurately as possible and understand the person's problems. The patient and the therapist together try to expand the usually rather limited potential of movements and thus contribute to the liberation of the person and the overcoming of his complexes and psychological problems. The therapist helps the patient to become aware of his movements, and through movements to know himself. In the last stage of therapy, called integration time, the patient expresses his feelings through movement. He must feel himself and his body as a single whole and express this through movements.

Indications for the use of dance therapy

At first, the founders of dance therapy successfully used this method in psychiatric hospitals. They were able to help many patients undergoing long-term treatment in the hospital. However, this form of therapy can be successfully used for all forms of neuroses, childhood autism, learning disorders, mental disabilities or senile dementia. Dance therapy is usually used as a group therapy, but can also be used individually.

Dancing is used by therapists who have received special education. In Europe they are trained by senior colleagues. In the USA there are special courses that train dance therapy specialists.

Dance is closely connected with the joy of life, with celebration, good mood and pleasant communication. Dancing classes always lift your spirits, so they are recommended for all people, regardless of their ability to dance.

Dance therapy is especially widespread in the United States, where it was created. In order to become a dance therapist, you must graduate from a university that trains specialists in this field.

Dance therapy

Dance therapy is used when working with people who have emotional disorders, communication disorders, and interpersonal interactions.

The goal of dance therapy is to develop body awareness, positive body image, communication skills, exploration of feelings and group experiences.

The main goal of dance therapy groups is to promote spontaneous movement. Dance therapy encourages freedom and expression of movement, develops mobility and strengthens strength both physically and mentally. The body and mind are considered as one whole.

The main point is formulated as follows: movements reflect personality traits. With any emotional shifts, our well-being changes, both mental and physical, and the nature of our movements changes accordingly.

Special dance therapy exercises include free swinging, movements that require composure and control of the body, alternating relaxation and composure associated with the breathing cycle, and moving around the room in a strictly defined manner.

In the first phase, which takes a few minutes, dance therapy sessions are typically used as a warm-up to help each participant prepare their body for performance, much as a musician tunes his instrument before a performance. Warm-up exercises have physical (“warming up”), mental (identification with feelings) and social (establishing contacts) aspects.

One of the options for starting classes involves performing spontaneous free-form movements to a medley of different melodies. There are exercises here that include shaking, stretching, swinging, clapping, shaking, which, starting with the hands, spread to the elbow joints, shoulders, and chest. These exercises are repeated until the whole group is properly warmed up.

At the second stage, a group topic is developed. For example, the theme of “meetings and partings” is being developed. At the level of movements, individual parts of the body can “meet” and “separate”. Hands and elbows may “meet” only to “separate,” or they may “meet” to “fight” or “hug” each other. Interaction between group members can be facilitated by the palms of one meeting the elbows of another, etc.

At the final stage of the lesson, the topic is developed using all the space provided to the group, while the speed of movements and their sequence change. The leader either determines the nature of the participants’ movements or repeats them himself.

“Dance therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of dance and movement as a process that promotes the integration of the emotional and physical state of the individual.”

Dance therapy is based on the expression of certain feelings and experiences through the body. The main means of expressing these states in dance is pantomime, gestures, which constitute a special expressive language that conveys the inner state of a person. Thanks to the uniqueness of the language, dance (according to the concept of C. Jung) is capable of extracting suppressed drives, desires and conflicts of a person from the sphere of the unconscious and making them available for awareness and cathartic release. There are seven main muscle segments: at the level of the eyes, mouth, neck, chest, diaphragm, abdomen and pelvis, in which various negative emotions are “clogged” - fear, anger, resentment. Relieving such physical tension through dance or special rhythmic exercises creates the conditions for the expression of a person’s feelings, thoughts and emotions. A flexible, disinhibited body turns out to be more capable of a wide range of emotional experiences and the release of negative emotions.

Awareness of the capabilities of your body in performing certain poses, movements, gestures also means awareness of your feelings.

The K.S. system is also built on the method of physical actions. Stanislavsky. An actor can evoke various emotional states if he performs the necessary physical actions. Movements to music also provide correction of communication disorders and help establish contact in group dance.

Dance is a living language that a person speaks, it is an artistic generalization hovering over a real basis in order to express a more high level, in images and allegories of innermost human emotions. Dance, first of all, requires direct communication, because its carrier and mediator is the person himself, and the instrument of expression is the human body, the natural movements of which create the material for dance, the only material that is his own and independently used by him. Based on the purposes of further presentation, I would like to talk in more detail about the main factors in the development of dance therapy.

First, after World War II, many disabled war veterans needed physical and emotional rehabilitation. Dance therapy became an adjunctive treatment option for inpatients, many of whom were unable to speak and therefore could not receive verbal treatment.

The second factor that contributed to the growth of interest in dance therapy was the discovery of tranquilizers in the 50s. Availability and widespread use of drugs have helped to develop and apply to chronic patients psychiatric clinics new mental health intervention programs that provide more aggressive treatment. Dance therapy has emerged as an alternative treatment method to these programs.

The third factor in the development of dance therapy in the 60s. became the human relations training movement, which contributed to the development of experimental methods for expanding self-awareness and working with groups.

Thus, research into nonverbal communication, in particular the analysis of the communicative behavior of the human body, has sparked interest in new dance therapy programs. One of the impetus for this research was an attempt to teach intuitive thinking by focusing on the development of right hemisphere function.

Stages of implementation:

1. One of them is to deepen the group members' awareness of their own body and the possibilities of using it. This not only improves physical and emotional condition participants, but can also serve as entertainment for those participants whose motor functions are already in relative order. Most of us just need some help with strengthening muscles, stretching, improving coordination, and energizing.

2. The second stage of TDT is to strengthen the participants’ sense of self-esteem by developing a more positive body image and increasing personal self-esteem. Dance allows you to make your body image more attractive, which is directly related to a more positive self-image. Mastering new movements and poses also means mastering new feelings.

3. Dance therapy is also used to develop social skills. Dance moves represent a unique means of communication with others while learning basic communication skills. In groups, conditions are created to stimulate the creative potential of the individual, and a search is carried out together with the group leader and other participants. own style in communication and self-expression. 4. Another stage of SDT is to help group members get in touch with their own feelings by establishing a connection with movements, which significantly improves the physical and emotional state of the person.

Technique:

1. The therapist using the body-self technique knows how a movement pattern can be associated with emotions. For example, individuals with emotional disturbances often exhibit unnatural bodily postures. An anxious person may sway in excitement, his hands twitch, his facial expression is tense. The group leader tries to establish a connection with the participant by sensitively mirroring these movements and searching for alternative ones. For participants with severe impairments, the goal may be to achieve a clear body image and differentiate between self and others, fantasy and reality.

Most people's movements are not that exaggerated or regressive. However, static postures, manner and nature of movement can reflect an internal state: mental self-isolation, fears or idiosyncratic personality traits. The group tries to help each participant experience emotional changes by achieving changes in physical postures and movements.

2. Group members help each other develop emotional experiences. For the motor development of an emotion, it must first be experienced, which requires recalling the incident, and then the body must move as spontaneously as possible to express the emotion. Direct action breaking through words is the clearest form an emotional impulse can take. Finally, the “environment,” represented by other group members, should encourage the participant to respond as if the emotion-driven action was effective. Emotion will not find resolution and will not be integrated into the personality until it is “accommodated” or expressed in relation to others. In a typical exercise at this stage, the manager may appoint some participants as leaders (“controllers”) and others as followers (“controlled”). “Controllers” use gestures to indicate how they want the “controlled” to move, and experiment with changes in speed, direction and level of movement. Other interpersonal exercises may involve physical contact between group members.

3. By relaxing all skeletal muscles, causing the participant to fall to the floor. To make it successful, participants must actually “turn off” thoughts and feelings from their consciousness. Although the visual pose is considered as the starting point and starting position of other exercises, it is only a skill that operates at a reflex level. Working with voluntary impulses involves exploring consciously controlled movements, which can also be goal-directed, such as walking around a room to satisfy curiosity. To increase sensitivity to emotional impulses, group members are engaged in improving the recognition of basic emotions (fear, anger, love, pleasure) and working on them in a safe group environment. For example, participants may be asked to take a specific pose, recall an everyday situation that usually causes fear, and respond to the “unreacted” response as quickly as possible. muscle tension, which is triggered by the memory of this incident. Memories stimulate emotional impulses that are translated into action. One group member can crawl under the table. Another curls up into a ball and trembles, the third laughs loudly. Participants then discuss the experience. They share thoughts about how feelings underlie the psychomotor manifestation, how this manifestation can be alleviated, and offer each other support.

Dance therapy is a completely unique phenomenon. What is it? This is a branch of psychotherapy in which movement and dance promote both physical and emotional integration of the individual. U this method rich story. And in general, it is of some interest. So I would like to pay special attention to this topic.

About the prerequisites

All people who are at least a little familiar with folklore, history and art are well aware that dance has been an integral part of various rituals, community life and other practices from time immemorial. It's more than just moving to music. Dance had sacred, communicative, identification, expressive and recreational functions. It helped to freely express oneself, communicate with partners, emotionally discharge and relieve physical stress. In fact, dance still performs all of the above functions today.

The healing properties of dance in the 20th century prompted specialists in the field of psychotherapy to use them as new method treatment. Moreover, at that time there appeared of this genre became completely special. After all, it was in it that the individuality of each person and the importance of the personal were emphasized. The first dance therapists were people like Mary Wigman and Rudolf Laban.

And, of course, when talking about the prerequisites, one cannot fail to note the teaching. This specialist assured that all unexpressed experiences and emotions by a person do not disappear anywhere. They accumulate in the muscles. And unique “blocks” appear. In general, dance movement therapy, the exercises of which will be discussed a little later, refers to the teachings of Reich. Or more precisely, to how a specialist explains the work of psychosomatic mechanisms. But his methods as such are not used.

In Russia

In our country, this trend appeared not very long ago - in the 90s. And initially the concept of dance therapy was not even defined. The theory goes that in Russia it was initially presented as a method of personal growth and development. But in 1995 the concept already appeared. And after him - ATDT (Association of Dance and Movement Therapy). It was organized in Moscow. And ATDT works with the support of the American, European and International Associations.

Now TDT is an independent direction in psychotherapy. And the range of its application is very wide. Dance therapy is aimed at combating stress, Parkinson's disease, autism, post-traumatic disorders, etc.

About the principles

Like any other treatment method, this one is based on certain provisions and rules. They are also followed by doctors working in this area. The essence of the main principle is that the human body and his psyche are inseparable. And they constantly interact with each other. Dance is also perceived as a way of communication. And a person engaged in TDT comes into contact with himself, his partner and the whole world.

Another important principle is the unity of thoughts, feelings and behavior. Because any change in one aspect entails changes in the other two. This, by the way, demonstrates the principle of integrity. Also, the “highlight” is the perception of your body as not an object or object, but a process. The very awareness of this is reflected in the result, presenting the desired effect. And one more important principle - during the practice of dance therapy, the specialist turns to a person’s creative resources as an endless source of creative energy and vitality.

Goals

Dance therapy for children and adults is aimed at achieving the same results. The main goal is to expand the scope of awareness of your body, as well as its capabilities and characteristics. It is important that a person is able to develop confidence in himself and improve his self-esteem. For this purpose, doctors are engaged in the development of the patient’s body, instilling in him a love for this matter.

Another goal is to improve social skills and integrate internal experience. It is important that the person during treatment establishes a special connection between movements, thoughts and feelings.

Methods

It is worth noting that there are different groups dance therapy. The main one is clinical. This is an auxiliary type of therapy that forms an effective symbiosis in terms of treatment with medications prescribed to patients. Clinical TDT can last a long time - sometimes for several years. But efficiency demands it. By the way, it helps especially well patients with speech disorders and interpersonal communications(that is, in communication). By the way, clinical TDT appeared more than 75 years ago.

TDT is also widely used in people with psychological problems. And this type of therapy is much more complex than the previously mentioned one. Because it is aimed at solving specific human problems. And such TDT is carried out both in a group with other patients and individually. The method is usually based on analytical psychology.

There is also dance therapy for those people who do not have any problems, but want something more from their lives. For example, using TDT to find out your hidden “I”, find new way express yourself and begin to interact with others.

Innovation

As mentioned at the beginning, TDT gained popularity not so long ago. Which is not surprising, because this is innovation. When working with patients, the doctor uses skills, abilities and knowledge that relate to psychology, creativity, art, physiology and therapy. It is important. After all, almost every disease is psychosomatic. And until the moment when the disease begins to manifest itself at the bodily level, it appears in the subconscious. That is, at the mental level.

TDT is special in that during its implementation great attention is paid not only to thought processes and cognitive methods of rehabilitation, but also to the physical and creative part. That is, simply put, both hemispheres are involved. And this is what a harmonious and holistic person needs. And be that as it may, the most unexplored aspect of our world today is precisely man. Namely, how his body interacts with his psyche.

Benefit

Dance therapy, which has a very interesting history, is truly effective. It is the best way to minimize physical stress and increase human mobility. If you believe Reich’s notorious theory, it turns out that that same muscle “tightness” is eliminated. After all, a person begins to move, express his feelings and emotions during the dance. And the accumulated energy that was spent on maintaining the muscle “clamp” finds its application.

The value of artistic experiences is very great. In dance, they even extract from the unconscious needs and drives that the patient might not even be aware of. In other words, he simply gets rid of them.

In addition, TDT - great way for nonverbal interaction. It is for this reason that in Lately Group classes have gained popularity. A person begins to contact not only the healer, but also other participants. And this is an additional release of tension and a more relaxed atmosphere. Group classes significantly improve the emotional and physical well-being of patients. And if they are also teenagers, then TDT helps them increase their level of self-esteem and develop a more positive image of their own body. By contacting other group members, young people can awaken new, previously unknown feelings.

Movements

So, we examined the methods of dance therapy in as much detail as possible. Now you can pay attention to the exercises. There are no restrictions or generally accepted standards. After all, one of the goals, as mentioned earlier, is to demonstrate freedom and creativity. The most important thing is that the movements performed by the patient are aimed at realizing his own feelings at a given, specific moment. His task is to express his feelings through dance. And the therapist, observing him, must understand what the patient is trying to convey. This is where psychoanalysis comes into play. It is the doctor’s responsibility to analyze the patient’s behavior as accurately as possible, which will help to understand his problem.

Then the healer, together with the person, begins to expand the limited potential of movements. This way it is possible to liberate the patient and direct him to overcome complexes and psychological problems. This is what dance therapy is aimed at.

Exercise is what the patient must concentrate on during exercise. When a person “stretches”, it is important for him to feel what exactly is in this moment he feels. And the doctor, in turn, must help him come to an awareness of his physical sensations. In the last stage the patient usually feels that his soul is one with his body and conveys this through his dancing.

What else is worth knowing?

There are no barriers to TDT. There are no age limits or restrictions on diagnosis. Now there are centers working with adults and children that accept anyone who wants to, help cope with personal problems, anxieties, fears, personal crisis, misunderstanding of oneself and loss of the meaning of life. There is also a spousal TDT.

Special programs have been developed for children that can correct (which includes autism, developmental delay, For adults there is a program that helps cope with compulsive overeating, anorexia and bulimia. With the help of TDT, you can even improve parent-child relationships.

And people who decided to do TDT (or had to do it) claim that there is an effect. The entire theory described is confirmed in practice. And therapy allows you not only to replenish your strength, but also to know yourself, to feel your light, uniqueness and value for this world, which is confirmed by many reviews.

Education

As you can already understand, the activity of a person who masters such an art as dance therapy is very complex and multifaceted. Training of specialists in this profile also takes place in several stages. The program itself was created in 1995. This is so far the only technique that meets the requirements of the European TDT Association. And the program is implemented by a university such as the Institute of Practical Psychology and Psychoanalysis. IPPiP is located in Moscow.

All students in this field will have to master many disciplines. The preparation is comprehensive and serious. Leading experts not only from Russia, but also from the USA and Europe are involved in teaching.

During their training, future therapists undergo theoretical seminars on TDT and psychological counseling. The program also includes supervision. Students will also undergo personal psychotherapy and clinical practice.

Educational nuances

It is important to note that this is not a 4-year course, but professional retraining, upon completion of which students are issued an appropriate diploma. This document gives specialists the right to conduct professional activities in the field of psychotherapy and, of course, TDT.

For admission, you need to fill out an application form and write a meaningful essay (a kind of creative competition). Also, every future student is required to take an introductory course on TDT. This is necessary to identify a person’s abilities for this activity. The program includes 10 hours of the basics of creative dance and 50 hours of group TDT “Basic life topics" After completing the course, the person is interviewed and accepted for training.

By the way, today there is also a regional training program, which can be completed at the center of healing art and creativity in Ufa, which cooperates with the previously mentioned university (IPPiP).

Dancing is not only fun, but also very useful activity. Young children have much greater freedom and ease of movement than adults. They experience the world primarily through bodily sensations, and the task of parents is to try to ensure that there are significantly fewer negative imprints (injuries, physical punishment) than positive ones. For mental correction purposes, an entire program was created - dance therapy for children.

Main goals and objectives

Dance therapy as a method of psychocorrection has long proven itself in practice with the best side and is applicable to people of all ages. Work in this direction is especially important for preschool children. Studying at school involves changing the usual rhythm of life, establishing clear norms of behavior and rules. Such a stressful situation brings up a lot of emotions that need to be dealt with. The psychology of self-improvement and self-expression in dance allows you not only to cope with this task, but also to prepare.

One of the most important components of this methodology is the dance game. Exercises in class are presented in a playful way. In combination with dance, it helps to open up your imagination, improvise freely, processing intense feelings and emotions into movements.

Music complements dance therapy by promoting the expression of joy. Such games awaken and educate positive traits personality, develop it. In a dance without words or facial expressions, you can show all feelings: aggressiveness and anger, sadness and pain, joy and delight.

Thus, the goals of dance therapy are:

1. relieving psycho-emotional stress;
2. splashing out of energy;
3. removing your fear and aggressiveness;
4. awareness of one’s own “I” in the proposed circumstances;
5. replaying your external and internal sensations;
6. sharing exciting situations;
7. awakening positive emotions;
8. development of communication skills and creativity(improvise, imagine),
9. ability to think logically and take initiative;
10. team unity.

Main goals

1. awareness of the body by the participants of the lesson;
2. formation of awareness of the possibilities of using the body, means for expressing feelings;
3. learning to establish the relationship between emotions and movements, exploring feelings through dance expression and releasing them.

How Dance Therapy Works

Types of dance therapy and their exercises are usually divided into:

Those in which the leader (that is, the adult) clearly states the task and then shows it himself. In this case, children should imitate the movements. It can be:

• games with rhythm;
• "repeaters";
• games for moving in space;
• games to catch movements (slow - fast, high - low)

Exercises that are built on the basis of improvisation, when the leader only gives explanations of conventions and instructions:

• on a specific topic (“snowflake ball”, “dragonfly dance”);
• with all kinds of objects (with a bouquet, with a scarf, with a book, with a Panama hat, with a toy);
• to a certain action and change of circumstances (“acquaintance”, “in zero gravity”);
• contact improvisations (in pairs, in a group);
• relaxation exercises.

Dance therapy can also combine and interpret these techniques.
For example, children change the rhythm, method of performance or tempo when the musical accompaniment or circumstances change.

Conditions that are important for the performance of any exercise or technique: voluntary participation, open expression of feelings, responsibility, activity and confidentiality.

Stages and exercises

So, from theory and study of dance therapy techniques, let's move on to practice. The following stages (parts) of the lesson are distinguished:

1. warming up
2. basic
3. final

This integrative (holistic) approach is very important. It allows you not just to do something, but to prepare for the process and consolidate it. Integrative dance and movement therapy captures consciousness, fills reality with meaning, creating a certain unity of the body with emotions and feelings.

Warming up

• About three minutes are allotted for this part of integrative dance movement therapy; you will need a music player with appropriate recordings, where a clear rhythmic pattern can be traced.
• The purpose of this stage is to prepare the body for work. All participants stand in a circle, the leader names a certain part of the body, and the children come up with movements for it in random order. So the hands dance in turn, then the entire arms, head, shoulders, stomach and legs.
• While warming up and preparing for an integrative dance-movement therapy session, the child begins to become aware of and release muscle tension, and expand expressive reserves.
  You can then discuss with the children what was easy and what was difficult, and how they felt.

Primary activity

Next, it is necessary to deepen and develop the child’s awareness of his own body, its capabilities, and help him understand the relationship between feelings and movements. Also here, integrative dance movement therapy helps to release emotions outward through dance expression.

Completion

As a result of dance therapy classes, children become emotionally excited, so at the end of the class it is necessary to help them relieve tension and also restore their breathing.

There are various exercises and techniques for this. Here are some of them:

• Exercise “Rising Sun”
  Slow and discreet music is turned on and the children sit in a circle. You need to close your eyes, relax and imagine rising Sun, which fills everything around with light and warmth.
  At the end of the exercise, children need to be told that this is their inner sun. In those moments when negative emotions overtake you: sadness, melancholy and anxiety, you need to close your eyes in the same way and let the sun rise.
  Many people cannot do this task the first time, but over time, children learn to cope with negative emotions through relaxation.
• Exercise “Praise ourselves”
  Can be performed in a standing or sitting position. It is necessary to stretch your arms forward, as if trying to follow them with your whole body, and pronounce the word “Clever girl,” stretching out the first syllable.
  Now the arms stretch to the sides and the body leans forward. The word “Well done” is pronounced with a drawn-out stressed syllable.
  So all the clamps that are caused stressful situations, relax, the child gains confidence and a positive attitude.

At the end of integrative dance movement therapy, it is imperative to discuss with the children their feelings, what they liked to do and what they did not like.
Bowing is a farewell in motion, they need to complete the lesson.

Conclusion

Sometimes you hear the term “dance art therapy.” Art is art, that is, dance therapy is nothing more than healing creativity.
The healing power of dance was attributed back in ancient times, using various movements as a means to get rid of diseases of any level. Today, the goals of dance therapy are primarily aimed at emotional and mental health.

Choreography is a special means that shapes and harmonizes personality.

In child development it is important aspect, so the sooner parents start practicing dance therapy with him, the better the result will be.
Here is only general characteristics dance therapy method and some exercises. But the main thing is to understand its meaning. Having understood the essence of the method, you can improvise and perform exercises at home, without going to special clubs and studios for this.