Dance as a means of restoring and maintaining mental health is a treatment method well known in parts of the world where people lead less fragmented lives than in industrialized countries. Dance Movement therapy gives the participants more than just a toned body. It can restore the equilibrium between Mind, Body and Spirit.
Scientific research is proving that dance therapy has a part to play in the treatment of psychological and mental health problems. Let me mention just a few of the areas of research. Dance Movement Psychotherapy has been undertaken with adult survivors of political torture and organized violence as well as with former child soldiers in Sierra Leone, with sexually abused children and also in the areas of ageing and dementia. There are drug treatments available for some of these conditions but they do not necessarily cure. They also have the drawback that long term drug treatment can have serious side effects for the patient.
Here mention must be made of Marian Chace one of the founders of dance movement therapy. When teaching dance she noticed that some of her students were first and foremost interested in expressing their emotions and were less interested in technique. She encouraged this form of self-expression in her students who reported feelings of increased well-being as a result of their sessions with her. Word reached psychiatrists at a nearby hospital and in 1942 they invited Marian Chace to work with them and their patients in the field of dance and excercise. Chace's methods attracted others and by the 1950's dance movement therapy was taken seriously at the hospital.
Dance has been shown to lift mood more than exercise by itself. In a study at the University of London researchers assigned patients with anxiety disorders to spend time in one of four therapeutic settings - a modern-dance class, a regular exercise class, a music or math class. Only the dance class was shown to significantly reduce anxiety. Cardiac-Rehabilitation patients in a recent Italian study who enrolled in waltzing classes not only ended up with healthier arteries but were happier than those who went to bicycle and treadmill training. The effects of dance are increased and enhanced by the use of music which is also a factor in mood enhancement.
MRI scans show that watching someone dance activates the same neurons that would fire if you yourself were doing the dancing. So when one dancer's movements express joy or sadness, others often pick up on it as well so spreading the feeling and fostering empathy.
Article Source: http://www.fitnesshealtharticles.com.
About the Author:
Dzagbe Cudjoe is a dance movement therapist and ethnologist with wide experience of dance in Africa and Europe. As an ethnologist her main field of research was into West African traditional religion. Her area of specialization is working with children who have challenging behaviour or severe physical and intellectual special needs. Dzagbe is now working on helping the parents of such children to appreciate the healing effects of dance. She is the author of the e-manual.
Dance can Play an Effective Role in Mental Health Programs
