DANCE/MOVEMENT PSYCHOTHERAPY
Rachel Millsted RDMP Registered with The Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK
DANCE/MOVEMENT PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Are you sick of talking about things?
Had loads of therapy but things still feel the same?
Do you want to tap into your deep somatic wisdom?
Do you want healing and lasting change?
Dance/Movement Psychotherapy may be the answer!
Why Dance / Movement Psychotherapy?
Dance/Movement Psychotherapy is an embodied, creative form of Psychotherapy. Dance/Movement Psychotherapy offers a way of exploring life and all that it holds in an embodied way. Its basic assumption is that we are whole beings – that our thoughts, emotions and mind are not separate from our bodily experience.
Whilst the Dance/Movement Psychotherapist is interested in what is said by the client, they are also interested in how the client moves, how the client breathes and their posture. They are interested in the particular way the client expresses themselves through their body and movement. From the start, the approach holds the body and movement within the therapeutic process, helping the client to attend to, and process their experiences as an embodied human being.
Somatic approaches to healing trauma, supporting mental health and promoting well-being
How can Dance / Movement Therapy help?
We are beings in movement, even when we are still, there is still the movement of the breath in the body. Bringing movement into the sessions can help the person experience their body in movement and the information that is stored within can be processed and worked with. The sessions may involve movement such as walking, awareness exercises, the use of props such as balls or material, moving in rhythm, free dancing, and of course, talking.
For some clients, it may be that there is an element of creativity within the session and that by allowing creativity to flow though their movements, or by creating a piece of art work, they are able to express ideas, concepts or metaphors in a way that words alone do not allow.
Each DMP session meets the individual needs of the client, and whether there is stillness or movement is the client’s choice.
An embodied, somatic approach to psychotherapy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of trauma. Dance Movement Psychotherapy ( DMP) offers such as way of working. Rachel’s studies in Dance/Movement Psychotherapy, and her continuing studies in Somatic Experiencing, which is a naturalistic, somatic approach to the treatment of trauma, mean that her approach is rooted in the body. Both are powerful healing modalities in their own right and combined can provide a rich environment for the resolution of trauma and bring post-traumatic growth.
IS DANCE/MOVEMENT PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR ME?
It may be particularly helpful to those who already encounter the world in an embodied way. Those who are interested in dance, yoga, meditation and other body-based practices may find that the language of Dance/Movement Psychotherapy speaks to them and allows them to express themselves in a way that traditional talk therapy does not. Conversely, it may also benefit those who are aware that they are disconnected from their body and allow them a safe space to begin working on a connection to their embodied experience.
Please note: Dance/Movement Psychotherapy is available at The Sand & Sound Centre, Reddish, Stockport if you are an individual seeking treatment. To fellow professionals – It is possible to commission my services via your organisation – please get in touch to discuss.