Music Plus - Therapy Services Of Colorado

Dance Movement Therapy

is 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.

For the treatment of:

Anxiety

Depression

Poor Self-Esteem

Body Image Distortion

PTSD

Communication Needs

Personal Growth

Hypertension

Cardiovascular Disease

Significant Life Changes

Trauma

Overall wellness

Dance Movement Therapy Relies on the following Premises:

1. Movement Is A Language, Our First Language. Nonverbal And Movement Communication Begins In Utero And Continues Throughout The Lifespan. Dance/Movement Therapists Believe That Nonverbal Language Is As Important As Verbal Language And Use Both Forms Of Communication In The Therapeutic Process.2. Mind, Body, And Spirit Are Interconnected.3. Movement Can Be Functional, Communicative, Developmental, And Expressive. Dance/Movement Therapists Observe, Assess, And Intervene By Looking At Movement, Through These Lenses, As It Emerges In The Therapeutic Relationship In The Therapeutic Session.4. Movement Is Both An Assessment Tool And A Primary Mode Of Intervention.

Dance/movement therapy (DMT) 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.

It emerged as a field in the 1940’s as early pioneers, many of whom were accomplished dancers, began to realize the benefit of using dance and movement as a form of psychotherapy. It is a holistic approach to healing, based on the empirically supported assertion that mind, body, and spirit are inseparable and interconnected; changes in the body reflect changes in the mind and vice versa. DMT as an embodied, movement-based approach is often difficult to describe, as it is necessary to actively engage in the process to get a true sense of what it is.

As expressive movement transcends many social and cultural boundaries,

Dance/Movement Therapy serves diverse individuals with a range of physical and mental abilities.

Its benefits are available to individuals, couples, families, and groups.