“Dance Movement Therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical and integration of the individual.”

- American Dance Therapy Association

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) offers an evidenced based, friendly, creative and positive environment in which people with autism, down syndrome, learning disabilities, physical/intellectual disabilities, dementia, mental illnesses, traumatic experiences, mood disorders, stress & anxiety issues, etc and their support peers engage in a fun, gentle exercise and creative movement activities to enhance well-being and to bring about therapeutic change.

DMT individual and group session could be offered as a psychotherapeutic process that aims to help individuals in attaining skills to regulate impulsive behaviors, develop empathic skills, transform emotions for self-development, release stress & anxiety, manage burnt outs, process grief & trauma and provide a creative externalizing perspective on issues the client wish to explore.

Sunday 17 June 2012

Dance / Movement Therapy for Autism

Having worked with people living with Autism in the past years, it has occurred to me that it is important not only to help my clients to develop body & self-awareness but also those who are around them, the parents and carers.


Most people are often unaware of the non-verbal language that they carry with them.  While verbal language constitutes approximately 10% of human communication, we actually rely on non-verbal communication a lot more than we assume.  People living with Autism however are often more sensitive and receptive to this non-verbal language.  Through "mirroring" that is to reflect movements, we could help develop empathic communication with one another.


I shall be looking into developing a program that could help address the issue on body movement reflection to help children to build movement rapport and empathy with their parents.  This approach has already been integrated in my practice with adults living with various forms of disabilities and their carers.  Through this program I hope to help equip these children with more tools to help better express and communicate themselves, as well as to develop better understand of the world around them.  Don't be scared by the word "therapy", "dance movement" gives it all the fun~!


Here is a link to which a dance movement therapy session took place with a boy  with autism, it shows how this dance movement therapist engaged the little boy in one of DMT creative process in mirroring.


http://www.timesunion.com/default/media/Autistic-boy-s-therapy-4312.php


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