Knowra Dance therapy Dance therapy Dance therapy, also called dance/movement therapy, is psychotherapy that uses movement and dance to support emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration.
Body psychotherapy : Psychotherapy that treats bodily experience and expression as integral to psychological change. Dance therapy likewise uses bodily experience as part of psychotherapeutic work.
Marian Chace : An American dancer and therapist whose work helped establish dance/movement therapy in psychiatric settings. Her group work at St. Elizabeths Hospital became a formative model for the field.
Trauma-informed care : An approach to services that recognizes trauma's effects and emphasizes safety, choice, and empowerment. Movement sessions can be adapted around safety, agency, and trauma-related needs.
Dance education : Instruction in dance technique, performance, history, or creative practice. Its primary aims are learning and artistic development, rather than psychotherapy.
Nonverbal communication : Communication through channels other than spoken or written language, including gesture, posture, and facial expression. Movement can express feelings and relational patterns without relying on words.
Mary Whitehouse : An American dancer and teacher who developed movement practice influenced by Jungian psychology. Her movement-based approach shaped a distinct strand of dance/movement therapy.
Psychiatry : The medical specialty concerned with diagnosing, treating, and preventing mental disorders. Dance therapy is used in some psychiatric services alongside other forms of care.
Dance movement psychotherapy : A term used in some countries for psychotherapeutic practice using movement and dance. This regional label often names the same profession, rather than a separate alternative.
Kinesthetic empathy : The felt understanding of another person's movement through one's own bodily experience. Attunement to another person's movement can support connection during sessions.
Trudi Schoop : A Swiss-born dancer and mime artist who used movement and humor in psychiatric treatment. Her clinical work helped demonstrate dance's potential in psychiatric care.
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