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Dance and Trauma

Dance has been an important part of human life dating back to prehistoric times. Dancers have even been depicted on 9,000-year-old rock paintings in India. One of the earliest uses of dances may have been expressive performance and the telling of traumatic events such as wars. Before written language, dance was one of the methods of passing these stories down from generation to generation. Another early use of dance was to induce trance states for healing rituals. Dance is still used for this purpose in many cultures from Indonesia to Africa.

Using Dance to Heal Trauma

Historically, dance was used not only used as an expressive medium to tell the story of traumatic events but also to assist in the healing of trauma. Since the 19th century in the United Kingdom, dance therapists have been working with victims of trauma, disease, war, torture, and abuse to help them heal. Dance is useful because it is a nonverbal method of expression that unifies the body and the mind. Dance facilitates the expression of emotion on a preverbal and physical level. Trauma often disconnects survivors from a sense of pleasure in their body. Victims of sexual and physical assaults experience injury to their bodies. They subsequently have occurrences of chronic pain and prolonged periods of suffering through repeated reminders of body sensations associated with the trauma. Dance provides a way not only to express the consequences of the trauma but to heal and soothe one's body and mind by giving a corrective healing experience. Movement therapy relaxes nervous system arousal and allows the trauma survivor to manage the intensity of emotions that may arise. Dance also increases self-esteem and acceptance of one's body after trauma and disability. The body awareness and rhythmic movements experienced through dance connect trauma survivors with their bodies and assist in the expression of repressed or fragmented feelings. Dancing allows survivors to experience the sensation of enjoyment in moving to music.

Since the growth of dance therapy in the latter part of the last century, it has been used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, eating disorders, Parkinson's disease, addictions, head injuries, and dissociative disorders. It has been used to treat abused children, battered women, older persons, people who are blind, people with learning difficulties, individuals with physical disabilities, and survivors of sexual abuse.

Dance Therapy and Trauma Survivors

Dance therapy is a specific intervention in which psychotherapy and dance are interwoven. It is commonly referred to in the professional literature as “dance therapy” or “dance-movement therapy.” This approach to healing trauma and facilitating positive growth in the client uses motion to music as its major mode of intervention. The American Dance Therapy Association defines dance therapy as “the psychother-apeutic use of movement as a process which furthers the emotional, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual.” Dance therapists use dance and movement as a modality for change and healing in a variety of mental health treatment settings, including hospitals, residential treatment, outpatient programs, nursing homes, community centers, schools, and rehabilitation facilities. All therapists, including dance therapists who work with survivors of trauma, need specialized training beyond their basic degree requirements that focuses on treating posttraumatic stress disorder, grief, and loss.

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