Invite Your Emotions and Inner Stories to Dance

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Invite Your Emotions

Dance is usually related to art, but it also conveys a strong emotion, so why not use it to process our feelings. Dance movement therapy doesn’t concern whether you perform a precise waltz or simply try to move in sync with the music. Your steps and posture don’t need to be perfect. Dance movement therapy is only interested in your individual expression.

As stated by Magdaléna Takáčová from the 4Arts Therapy, a civic association, dance-movement therapy is defined as the psychotherapeutic use of movement in the process that supports emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integrity. “This definition originated in the USA around 1977. Today, we perceive a person a little more comprehensively. Gabor Maté, an expert in psychology, says we are not only bio-psycho-social beings but also spiritual beings. Therefore, I personally would certainly extend the definition.”

Invite Your EmotionsThe dance-movement therapist emphasizes that this is a psychotherapeutic process in which body movements, gestures, or attitudes are the primary communication channel. He underlines that dance, in this case, is any move. Therapists do not focus on aesthetics or choreography. “We focus on the client’s experience and the importance each movement has for them. Our body mirrors our inner world and is shaped by what we experience.”

If there is a discrepancy between the body, mind, and soul, then, according to Takáčová, these components cannot communicate. “One of our roles is to help clients connect on all three levels, which enhances quality of life.”

According to the therapist, this non-verbal process reveals hidden stories. Gradually, we become aware of where they can be processed. “Sometimes we don’t have words to express our feelings, but the body helps us understand it. Because sometimes we pretend to be okay, but the body never lies.”

Invite Your Emotions

The therapy starts with a story. It talks about topics that live in us. Everything is moving, whether it’s memories, emotions, or attitudes. “The clients do not have to dance at all. We invite them to move and express themselves with their bodies. We use observation and movement analysis. As she adds, since childhood, we have responded to situations through the body and expressed our needs or, on the contrary, suppressed them. This is what the therapist observes.

“One of the main tools we use is the so-called kinesthetic empathy. We tune in to the clients’ movements and the emotional world through our bodies. As in psychotherapy, we perceive transmission and countertransmission in dance-motion therapy. Not only at the verbal level but also at the non-verbal level. When we go over the topic in motion with the client in this way, it comes to an end and a conclusion, again verbally.”

Invite Your Emotions

Dance movement therapy “knows no age,” as Takáčová mentions. It is effective for both young children and seniors. The clients vary widely, from those seeking personal growth to those dealing with mental health issues.

“In Slovakia, dance-motion therapy is still in its early stages. Some countries like Estonia, Lithuania, and Switzerland have already recognized it in their legislation. It is commonly used in therapy in other places where it’s not explicitly included in the laws. It is often a part of comprehensive care for patients and clients in psychiatric or specialized clinics, nursing homes, daycare centers, children’s homes, and similar settings.”

The therapist confirmed that adult clients most often come to “dance” due to anxiety, depression, various developmental traumas, burnout, or the desire to move on in life.

Invite Your Emotions

Lenka Thammar Kapuš, a dance therapist, confirms that we can “dance” in these situations or help ourselves to a better life in this way. It’s a state where our body and mind are totally relaxed. In a way, we have the opportunity to look into our soul. Both Kapuš and Takáčová mention that there will be room for our stories. She also states that this is not about any dance choreography; the body begins to move independently.

“Emotions are often flushed out in the form of crying, screaming, stomping, etc. Anything the body needs is possible so that the emotion passes.”

Most importantly and pleasingly, then we can work better with stress, we are no longer overwhelmed by emotions, and we can set our own boundaries. And it is said that ladies will even be prettier.

Lenka Thammar Kapuš is a dance therapist, therapist, and homeopath. She provides holistic therapy through dance or conversation, allowing for a deep immersion into oneself. She has studied homeopathy, took training in therapies and mental well-being, and received dance-emotional training. “In our classes, we learn to pay attention to the needs of our bodies. We practice various breathing techniques, intuitive dance, and movement meditation. Each workshop is different and unique. When someone asks me what dance medicine is, I describe it as emotional dance,” Kapuš concludes. Her experience comes from working with mentors, psychotherapists, and homeopaths from Slovakia and internationally.

Invite Your Emotions

“In classes, we learn to perceive only the needs of our body. We use various breathing techniques, intuitive dance, and movement meditation. Each workshop is different and unique. If someone asks me what dance medicine is, I call it emotion dance,” Kapuš explains.

Text: Eva Vašková, photos: pexels.com