Resolve Trauma through Dance Movement Therapy
Untreated & unprocessed trauma is often stored in our body due to it’s holistic nature & the mind-body connection. Mental trauma if left uncared for, can manifest in the physical body & can cause a variety of issues.
A traumatic event is any event that causes a threat to our safety. As a result, the person experiences high levels of emotional, physical and mental distress that temporarily disrupts their ability to function normally in day-to-day life.
Trauma can show up in the body as:
- Fatigue/exhaustion
- Disturbed sleep
- Nausea & dizziness
- Headaches
- Excessive Sweating
- Increased heart rate
- Increase or decrease in appetite
- Weight loss or gain
- Excessive hairfall
- Muscle pain
- Constipation, diarrhoea or other gut issues
The list goes on, but understanding some of the major physical manifestations of trauma is important. Our body remembers trauma quite literally. It responds to new situations with strategies learnt during moments that were terrifying or life-threatening.
You may think you have ‘moved on’ from a traumatic/unpleasant/hurtful event but unless your relationship with your body is considered, you really haven’t.
The mind-body disconnect often leads to unprocessed trauma in the body manifesting into health issues.
Our body needs to unlearn traumatic strategies & patterns and learn to access normative strategies and patterns.
The body carries past unhealed trauma even in the present moment. One may think that they are living in the present moment, but the body still carries manifestations of the trauma in the form of health issues.
The best way to access and heal trauma stored in the body is via movement.
Dance Movement Psychotherapy is a very unique and highly beneficial way to release stored trauma. In Dance Movement Therapy, movement & dance are used therapeutically to deal with unresolved trauma. Dance Movement Therapy is a movement based intervention and an effective approach to resolving mental trauma which can show up in many ways.
‘Since trauma is not purely a mental issue but also a physical one, the solution to resolve it should not be just through talk but also through movement. This is what Dance Movement Therapy does. It involves the body in the healing process and uses movement to create better coping mechanisms to resolve the trauma.’
In our Dance Movement Therapy Programs & Workshops, we have specially developed movement sequences like the Stress Relief Dance Sequence, Body Awareness Dance Sequence, Moving out of the comfort zone sequence, embodying of emotions via movemement and so much more.
Our 1-1 sessions (online or in-person) cater to an individual’s need and help in resolving trauma through non-verbal ways and using movement. The 1-1 sessions are designed specifically for the individual concerned and they are guided through a series of Dance Movement Therapy sessions and support is provided to them in the form of notes and worksheets.
Participate in our upcoming Online Dance Movement Therapy Workshop to experience what Dance Movement Therapy really is!
Today, when there are so many approaches available to resolve mental stresses, issues & trauma, Dance Movement Therapy (a.k.a Dance Movement Psychotherapy) stands out as a unique, interesting, fun and effective alternative and approach to resolve trauma by the means of non-verbal communication, movement & body connection.
To know more about our upcoming events or to book an 1-1 Dance Movement Therapy Session or for any other enquiry do email us at rejoiceinmotion@gmail.com
2 Comments
Cedric Noronha
Very good post about how to resolve trauma through dance movement therapy. Highly informative and nicely written. Keep up the good work.
Rajeev
Well explained !