Dance heals

Emphasizing dance as a mode of healing:  

 Since ages, Dance has been helpful to us in various capacities. In ancient times it is used as a medium of communication, entertainment, spirituality – as an offering to Gods and so on. Today, its knowledge is imparted in academics at various levels ranging from Certificate programmees to PhD (1). In this modern era, dance is viewed and treated differently as it has many benefits. One of the most key factor is its healing nature. Dance is witnessed as a mode of Therapy from 1920 onwards by Marian Chace, the lady behind the concept of Dance Therapy. According to Hindu mythology, Dance has been created by Lord Brahma to heal the illness (bad deeds, misery, jealousy, exploitation etc.) of  humans on the earth and bring them back to a systematic life. The origin of Dance itself is with a therapeutic motive. 

This is exactly what the world needs now, the process of healing by yourself without depending on other external factors like medicines, money, material things. Dancing can help you find the medicine (peace,happiness"aanantham" , love, solitude.) in yourself. Everybody and any Body can dance. The healing happens to everyone who does dancing with their heart out. 

Dance represents the miniature world and you can witness it in everything around you. Dancing is evident in life; it is an indigenous part of human existence, which is a universal phenomenon. A bird sitting on a tree branch at sunrise, greets the sun out of joy by the graceful movement of its head; the child shouts and jumps in upwelling joy, the nature herself dances in joy at springtime. The early man expressed his   ideas and feelings only through the body movements as a mode of communication, before language was created. Dance can be observed in the swaying trees, the moving clouds, the water flowing, the ocean waves, the fire heaps, the rain drops, the peacock’s joy, deer leaps etc. Similarly, dance has begun with such expressive movements and manipulation of the body through the emotions, feelings, and opinions. 

"Close your eyes 

listen to your body, mind, thoughts, and your feelings 

move your body according to what you hear 

move your hands, lift your legs 

rotate your heads. 

jump, swirl, run 

sit on the ground and listen what your body needs to do 

let the mind and heart connect your movements 

stronger your connections are the better you are healed and faster you experience the true joy.”  

                      -p💚

But you do not want to stop, you need this very moment to last for some more time. you will never know the hours you continued moving your body or feel tired, you need it forever. 

 you can keep this joy throughout your life even without doing this very act (dancing or meditating). you feel like every moment is a meditation and you are dancing. Yes, we are dancing each and every second in our life, we are a flowing energy. If you feel this a little bit spiritual then i would like to say this is science. we are made up of star dust, minute atomic particles. our earth is orbiting. We are all nothing but a flowing energy. 

 

Dance is the most fundamental of the arts, involving direct expression through the body. Thus, it is an intimate and powerful medium for therapy. The word “therapy” comes from the Greek word “therapeia” meaning “a service, an attendance "which, in turn, is related to the Greek verb “therapeuo” meaning “I wait upon”. Therapy was (and is) a service done to the sick. Dance therapy, or dance movement therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement and dance for emotional, cognitive, social, behavioral and physical conditions”. 

 “I believe that Dance therapy is that combination where Science meets Art. Dance therapy is amalgamation of science blending with art which results in that powerful medicine which heals psychological and physical impairments (1). 

Dance therapy can be remarkably effective, less expensive, and relatively safer method of cure, it must be promoted as an effective alternative therapy. 

PLEASE DO TRY THIS AT HOME: if you feel stressed, depressed or emotionally sick and if you want to dance by your own at your home, choose the music that makes you feel good and begin to move your body to the music. 

 

How DMT (dance movement therapy) is helpful: 

1. Dance therapy is a wonderful way to express emotions that are sometimes not easily expressed verbally. 
2. DMT could be an effective treatment for the victim who is experiencing and witnessing a traumatic event. 
3. DMT not only improves the quality of life, social relations, physical health, spirituality, and overall daily life but also reduce stress and somatic symptoms (Bräuninger, 2012a, 2012b, 2014). 
4. DMT is designed to give an understanding of the body and sense of oneself through mirroring exercise. Mirroring techniques are used to get feedback and insight into their physical conditions and feelings based on an interpretation of the underlying meaning of the movement. It allows a person to accept their past as part of their lives in a healthy manner (Levine & Land, 2015). 
5. Increased physical fitness, self-confidence ; encourages creativity and imagination. 
6. effective treatment For eating disorder: Because the body is involved in DMT, it can be especially healing for those suffering from eating disorders. 

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• WHAT KIND OF ISSUES CAN DANCE THERAPY HELP WITH? 

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Table (3.) 

Physical issues	Mental Health Issues	Cognitive Issues:	Social Issues:
Chronic pain  Childhood obesity  Cancer  Arthritis  Hypertension  Cardiovascular disease	Anxiety  Depression  Disordered eating  Poor self-esteem  Posttraumatic stress	Dementia  Communication issues	Autism  Aggression/violence  Domestic violence trauma  Social interaction  Family conflict

 

Sharing some photographs of the moments that I have experienced through dancing

   

 

REFERENCES 

 

1.(2) (PDF) Therapeutic Healing through Dance | Dr. Vijayapal Pathloth - Academia.edu 

2. DMT is defined by the American Dance Therapy Association 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,”. 

3.The Benefits Of Dance Movement Therapy | Moma Baby Etc