Orange County Dance Therapy

How Does Dance Therapy Work?

Many of us go through life guarding our emotions or dealing with feelings of anger, self-hatred or anxiety. Since it can be difficult for many people to talk about these issues, dance therapy can provide a vital, nonverbal method of working through emotional layers. It can be especially helpful for those struggling with eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia, or those who have suffered past trauma.

This modality can help those struggling with eating disorders move past surface level assessments of the body or obsessions with calories by introducing movements that can foster relaxation, relieve tension and allow self-expression and self-discovery that is less about self-consciousness or body image concerns.

As a treatment for trauma, this technique can ease feelings of hyper vigilance, anxiety and/or panic, as it can help survivors make sense of traumatic memories, or even construct trauma narratives through the motion of the body.

Therapy through movement is also helpful for those who might prefer nonverbal communication, such as clients on the autism spectrum or with thought disorders. However, no matter your age, gender or life experience, dance movement therapy can help improve your sense of wholeness and empowerment while enabling you to better recognize your body’s needs. If you are curious about what this work can look like in practice, you can read more about how dance movement therapy works, including how movement, body awareness, and emotional processing can come together in therapy.

Who Does Dance Therapy Help?

While most of us might think specific languages, such as English or Spanish, are the most natural way of communicating, dance therapy proposes that our native language is actually body language. By tapping into this native language through movement, we increase our physical range of motion and simultaneously uncover and connect with our deepest emotions. Often, severe stress or trauma causes individuals to disassociate themselves from their bodies. Therapy through movement inspires kinesthetic empathy, allowing us to rediscover our bodies and begin to restore our mind-body connection. Dance movement therapy aims to help you increase self-awareness and enable a better understanding of what you’re feeling and experiencing on a deeper level.

Though I have an extensive formal dance background, my clients don’t need to have any dance training or experience. In sessions, movement comes from a place of deep feeling or embodiment, rather than specific choreography. My ultimate goal is always to cultivate a safe, welcoming space and support you as you develop confidence and have a full-body somatic experience, not to focus on technical dance styles.

As we work together, I’ll start by identifying a theme to target, such as a specific emotion or anxiety, based on the struggles and issues that have come up in past discussions. Then we’ll begin with a guided warm-up, such as meditative walking, which increases your awareness by prompting you to concentrate on how each step connects to the body. We might continue by moving naturally with a rhythm or steady beat, and we may even incorporate props, such as textured cloths, a parachute or a full body band. These props can help instigate structure and encourage patterns of movement. We’ll also use intentional deep breathing to create a sense of calm and peace.

During this process, I might move with you as a partner, or I might simply observe your movements respectfully and non-judgmentally. Afterward, we’ll discuss the emotions that surfaced through your movements. Often, I’ll encourage my clients to debrief at the end of sessions by writing or drawing about their somatic experience. Though I occasionally draw connections to other practices, such as tai chi or yoga, my practice is rooted in pure movement, unrestricted by set routines or sequences.

So much communication occurs through body language. Movement helps us learn about our bodies, increase self-awareness, move past surface level discussions and engage with the anger, fear or frustration hidden from verbal communication. Our bodies always tell us what they need, but the stress of life can leave us unable to read these physical signs. With dance therapy, you can rediscover your body’s wisdom and achieve a harmonious connection to your interior self.