Research Proposal

Lindsey Sharp
Dance CUE
12-12-17

Dance Movement Therapy: Prevention as Treatment

Introduction:

Dance movement therapy (DMT) is defined by the American Dance Therapy

Association as The psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional,

cognitive, physical and social integration of the individual (American Dance Therapy

Association). DMT has recently been growing in popularity, especially in schools and

treatment centers around the country for various ages. The practice typically involves

simple, but creative movement tailored toward non-dancers that is meant to be a form of

stress-relieving exercise that has numerous other potential benefits as well. This is often

used as an intervention for mental health conditions, aging-related conditions, and to instill

stability in young minds and bodies around the world. Since DMT has been increasing in

popularity, there have been a handful of articles published suggesting that DMT could

actually be used as a preventive measure rather than a treatment. Since my second major

is public health I thought this would be the ideal way to synthesize my education at

Muhlenberg, and a great way to break the ice for future work in this are. Perhaps I could

even continue this work after graduate school. In this proposal I will discuss my plan of

action as well as some of the necessary components that I have already examined for this

research endeavor.

Purpose And Problem:

The problem that I want to examine through this research is the rising rates of

mental illness among adolescents and young adults across the country. This problem can
start as young as elementary or middle school, and affect the children into their adult lives.

In the field of public health we are always trying to find new preventive measures for

issues like this, to effectively use prevention as a form of treatment for the future. As a

dancer, I know that dancing can release stress and be a valuable form of exercise at the

same time. Thus, the purpose of my research is to examine the relationship between DMT

and mental wellbeing to discover any relationships and potential applications for the next

generation of young minds. More specifically, I want to analyze how DMT classes or

sessions could be implemented into school or community center settings to make the

opportunities available to a broad spectrum of participants. This type of therapy has the

potential to build coping skills for individuals, as well as foster community bonding and

collaboration.

Hypothesis:

As of now, my hypothesis is still in the works. I am working with all of the factors

brought in above, as well as with the literature that I have thus far examined. For the

purposes of this proposal and my upcoming dive into research I have crafted a working

hypothesis. I hypothesize that Dance Movement Therapy can be plausibly implemented in

schools and community centers to act as a preventive measure for mental illnesses

including anxiety and depressive disorders. Through my methodology including college

and community dance class observation, interviews, an analysis of existing literature, and

an examination of established DMT systems I hope to work toward learning enough about

this subject to begin to support my hypothesis for the sake of future research and

experimentation.
Definition of Terms:

For this paper I am working with a few different points that require definition. First

is Dance Movement Therapy, which I defined in the first line of this proposal. That was an

official definition from the ADTA, but I have a more current working definition. DMT for

this research is defined as creative movement practices in a group class-style setting for

children or adults, that is designated to help improve the mental state of participants

through the enjoyment and exercise this movement will introduce. The next definitions are

those of the mental health issues I will be looking to ultimately prevent, but first to examine

in my research and analysis. I will be looking at major depressive disorder/clinical

depression. These are conditions that lead to a person feeling hopeless, worthless, and

lacking the motivation or joy for things they used to do regularly. A person only has to be

feeling some of these symptoms for at least two weeks to be diagnosed. I will also be

looking at anxiety disorders. These can be defined as disorders that leave people with an

unnecessary amount of fear or worry in situations that should only be mildly stressful if at

all. This can lead to panic or anxiety attacks, and these conditions can get worse over time.

These disorders can affect daily life depending on how they progress, and so it is important

that people continue to seek treatment for them, but also that the public health community

continues to seek interventions that will begin to prevent anxiety and depressive disorders

from occurring quite so often. This is especially important among adolescents who are still

developing and need stronger coping mechanisms to process and understand the life they

are learning to live.

Assumptions:

For the purposes of this research, I am assuming several things from both my

personal bias and from the literature I have already read. First I am assuming that DMT is a

beneficial technique that can be used to better the mental health of participants both young

and old. I am also assuming that there are already DMT systems in place around the

country that I can contact. From there I will assume that preventing mental illnesses like

depression and anxiety is a positive step for public health, and that DMT will be enjoyable

for those who participate in it.

Delimitations and Limitations:

This research has several limitations so far, as well as some delimitations that I am

placing on my own work. This work will be limited by my own bias, as I mentioned earlier

since I am so involved in the world of dance as well as the sphere of public health that I will

be working with. Additionally, my methodology will include talking to human subjects, so

there may be either some volunteer or survey bias from those I talk with. There are also

the limitations of the available population that I can work with either in observation,

discussion, interview, or literature analysis. I am a college student at Muhlenberg College,

and so my research will primarily take place on populations here, which is a very specific

subset of the American population. There is also only so much relevant literature available

to me online and in print, and therefore I am subject to what I can find, and what I have

access to.

The delimitations are the restriction I place on my own work, which are important

for narrowing down my topic and focusing on my goals. Firstly, I will be looking at

literature from the past fifty years, which is a wide timespan because there might be some
interesting differences as the literature evolved over time. I will also be focusing my work

on adolescents and young adults, since I will have access to Muhlenberg College Dance

Center and my colleges dance technique classes.

Methodology:

Taking my limitations and delimitations into consideration, I am planning on mixing

a few different techniques to create my ideal methodology for this research. In addition to

examining the existing literature, I will start by asking to observe a variety of dance classes,

both in the college curriculum and in the community dance center based at my college. I

will hopefully be able to observe several different styles of dance with different instructors,

keeping careful notes on things like perceived mood of dancers, perceived enjoyment,

attitude of instructor, and potential use of positive or negative reinforcement. This could

be a good foundational step for me to insert my own personal findings and observations

into what I find through readings and interviews later on. I will hopefully have coders to

observe the classes with me so that there can be some reliability among my observations

and findings. From there, I will be seeking IRB approval to conduct interviews with

different college students and instructors on the Muhlenberg campus. This will give me

something to compare my observations with. While I will not be directly observing DMT

practices, dance is a part of DMT and I can try to pull out some of the qualities of dance that

are supposed to make DMT so effective. The last portion of my method that I will be

looking to complete is contacting and collaborating with Lauren Bomberg, and perhaps

some other students in her DMT certification program at Drexel University. I would seek

approval to interview her and her colleagues so that I could get their take on my research,

DMT in general, and perhaps their thoughts or ideas on my hypothesis and public health-
related game plan. Lauren could also help to inform me about anything I havent thought

about or found, since she is more of an expert in the field than I am. These methods will

hopefully give me a well-rounded perspective that will help me to continue forging forward

in my research and discovering everything I can about my hypothesis.

Literature Review:

Recently (this summer), I had the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive

literature review on the subject of DMT and its effect on different populations and

conditions. Here I have included part of my examination on current findings from ten

articles, along with what appears to be missing thus far in the research (see appendix 1).

This includes data on age, gender, testing environment, longitude of study, type of result

(data-based, opinion, or anecdotal), data collection type, group verses individual dynamic,

and the conditions DMT was used to treat. I have excluded several sections that no longer

apply to my upcoming research endeavor.

The first analysis of these articles looks at the potential applications of DMT being

tested, including what condition(s) each study explored alleviating with the help of dance

as therapy. The studies done by Cruz et al., Bungay and Zarobe, and Acolin were not testing

one specific condition because the studies were literature reviews themselves. There

appear to be more literature reviews available than experimental studies in the field of

DMT. Akunna also wrote an article that did not test against a specific condition because

she was observing African Igbo traditions and doing a comparative analysis between the

mourning dance ritual and DMT.

The rest of the articles tested the response to DMT against a variety of different

conditions. Lobo and Winsler tested the response of young impoverished children to DMT
as a social and personal growth tool, documenting the changes in the childrens demeanors

once the therapy was completed. Holyoake and Reyner documented the change in

mentally ill adolescents after taking part in a dance group formed in their inpatient ward.

While these two studies did not test against specific conditions, Holyoake and Reyners

work identified that the adolescents had a variety of conditions including depression,

anxiety and eating disorders.

Adam et al. and Luck et al. took very different approaches to their studies, but both

looked at DMTs potential effect on depression. Adam et al. studied the elderly population,

exploring depression, anxiety and general quality of life in the cognitively impaired. They

tested to discover whether DMT could potentially alleviate some symptoms of depression

and anxiety and ultimately increase perceived quality of life. Luck et al. were very specific

in their goals to study the effects that DMT had on working-age individuals with depression

and/or anxiety.

Brauninger was less focused on one specific diagnosis but more on discovering the

effects of DMT on willing participants suffering from stress. While this is a broader

diagnosis, Brauninger still remained focused on one overarching condition to test against

DMT. Lastly, Froggett and Little determined they would move away from clinical outcomes

and instead focus on self-assessment and video observation. They offered their

intervention to patients at one hospital, and they monitored any changes in the

participants demeanors, attitude toward life, and hopefulness using the Herth Hope Index.

Each study sought out their own conclusions about DMT in their own situations.

Some articles tested depression, others anxiety, and some examined the effects of

dance therapy on specific age groups. The youngest population tested were preschoolers
in an impoverished community. This was a double blind study used to determine if there

was a difference in behavior after the DMT intervention (Lobo and Winsler 502). The

parents and teachers of forty students were first given pre-intervention surveys to

determine the behavioral traits of the children. Then half of the children were selected

randomly for the control group, and half for the experimental group. This was double blind

because neither the parents nor the teachers were to know which children were getting

DMT, and which children were just playing for the hour they all left the classroom (Lobo

and Winsler 505). This study was ultimately testing the effects that DMT could have on

childhood development in impoverished communities, and the results were very positive

in favor of DMT. The next study tested the effects of DMT on adolescents (ages 12-18).

These individuals participated in a dance group formed at a treatment center, and each

group stayed at the hospital for about five months (Holyoake and Reyner 37). Similarly to

the preschooler study, this experiment was used to try and improve the adolescents

abilities to open up, and form trusting bonds with each other. In this environment

however, the adolescents were all suffering from some type of mental health issue and so

the dance group was primarily to help them open up about their feelings and to feel more

comfortable in their own skin (Holyoake and Reyner 38). This study too had very positive

results, in which the researchers found evidence in favor of DMT (Holyoake and Reyner

39).

Continuing on with adolescents, Bungay and Zarobe have compiled a literature

review as well, that looked at the success rates and methods previously utilized in testing

general arts activities among children ages eleven to eighteen (Bungay and Zarobe 2). They

looked into research that already existed and focused that to their specifications. They
found that while the various arts activities like music, acting and dance did help build

confidence, resilience, and bonds between students, there were still students who felt left

out or insecure about themselves in these activities (Bungay and Zarobe 9). This is an

important finding because often preschoolers are young enough to avoid most of those

feelings, and the other adolescents were in a very small group that allowed them all to bond

together. In larger settings there will be more room for insecurity and outcasts among

peers, which is why studies like these must be replicated and done on larger scales for the

most accurate results.

The next aspect these studies explored was the environment in which they were

conducted. The majority took place in hospitals or inpatient facilities, but there was one

outlier worth mentioning. The outlier was summarized in an article looking at the

relationship between the African Igbo mourning dance and DMT. This was an observatory

study, and so much of the data collection occurred in an African Igbo community, where the

author saw community members coming to terms with death through dance (Akunna 40).

They not only mourned these deaths, but also celebrated life, and really expressed their

feelings to the whole community through their movement. This is in stark contrast to

stereotypical Western values that involve hiding ones true feelings to project an image of

perceived perfection. Akunnas article found that DMT is similar to the mourning dances

that the African Igbo people practice, as both help to release emotions and thoughts

through movement in order to improve ones mental state.

Therapeutic dance as executed by the African Igbo, appears designed to regulate

the bodys response to stress by shutting off the source of pain and reducing suffering to

manageable proportions (Akunna 44). This conclusion is important because if the design
mentioned is functional, it could be used as evidence for the potential efficacy of dance as

therapy in more Western societal contexts, where traditional doctors are often reluctant to

accept it.

While Akunnas study of the African Igbo mourning dance is perhaps the most

noteworthy non-hospital environment, there are a few other studies that took place in

schools, or in dance therapists offices. As the research continues, it will be important to

discover whether the hospital verses non-hospital environment has an effect on the results

of DMT studies, and the impact the environment has on the effectiveness of these results.

After reviewing the group verses individual dynamic of DMT, some analysis of study

length was conducted. The reality is that there are not many longitudinal DMT studies.

There are many literature reviews like this one, which examine the heavily anecdotal

research available and suggest that more research be conducted. While there are a number

of studies that take place over two or three months, the body of research is lacking the

potential effect of DMT over a year or more on the same conditions being studied.

Operationalizing a longer study would require more funding and willing commitment by

participants, but in order to achieve definitive conclusions, this is necessary. Within the

articles that have been analyzed, three of the studies covered a longer period than the rest.

The first was a study in which female patients at a hospital were offered a dance therapy

class once a week for as long as they were in the hospital. Most only stayed a few weeks,

but some were able to continue the dance class during a two to three month period in the

hospital (Froggett and Little 96). While this was not a particularly long study, the authors

did note that they followed up with the patients after they stopped going the dance classes
due to hospital discharge. This follow up after the conclusion of the experiment is at least a

step in the right direction even if the studies could not be extended.

In Holyoake and Reyners article on adolescents in a mental health facility, the dance

group was available continuously, but patients usually stayed in the hospital for about five

months. There was no follow-up after the adolescents left, but this is still more extensive

than most of the other studies. The five month period allowed for the patients in the dance

group to adjust to the environment and each other, eventually bonding as a group and

opening up about their feelings through movement (Holyoake and Reyner 39). In the

abstract of this article the authors even state that follow-up measurements and replication

are necessary to truly observe impact.

The last article reviewed DMT using eleven dance therapists and participants in

different locations, each reporting data back to the authors. The participants all

volunteered through advertisements and all were suffering from an anxiety disorder. The

therapists administered a questionnaire to each of their patients before they began the

DMT, and then again halfway through the sessions. The therapy concluded after ten weekly

sessions, and the therapists sent them follow-up questionnaires six months after the

patients had finished their DMT (Brauninger 444). This was the only one of the studies

found that actually conducted follow up surveys a significant amount of time after the DMT.

New studies can be more conclusive if they are longitudinal and have follow-up or longer-

term observations.

Looking at the results of each study, the method of data collection drives the

direction and the outcome of the research. Several of the studies analyzed used

randomization, or some measure of blindness to avoid selection bias in the results.

Brauningers article utilizing eleven different dance therapists was randomized, and her

method of data collection was very strong. She used three surveys in her longitudinal

study, one before treatment, one during, and one after (Brauninger 443-445). Using survey

results is similar to many other studies, as surveying is one of the key ways to assess

mental health, stress, and responses to non-pharmacological treatments. Lobo and

Winsler also utilized blind methodologies in their study, as the parents and teachers of all

the preschoolers were not aware of who was in the control group and who was in the

intervention group (Lobo and Winsler 505). This blind methodology was crucial to their

work since the parents and teachers filled out survey both before and after the experiment

about each childs behavior. Because the parents and teachers did not know who was in

what group, they could not bias their responses for the children in the dance group any

more than the control group.

For the studies that were not randomized, the researchers selected candidates who

matched their desired profiles, often within a pre-determined setting. An example of this

can be found in the study on the cognitively impaired elderly population. The participants

were all selected from one of four homes for the elderly, all were cognitively impaired in

some way, and had either anxiety or depression as well (Adam et al. 48). This method was

used so that the authors could specifically test the effects of those specific conditions under

the influence of DMT. Additionally, self-assessment is probably the best form of data

collection in these kinds of situations since there are no physical tests that can be done to

measure quality of life. The participants were therefore given surveys before and after

their treatment periods to help gather data on any changes in demeanor or perception of

life (Adam et al. 48)

 The second study that was setting-based took place at Woodbury Priory Hospital, in

the adolescent unit. The researchers created a dance group for adolescent patients with

mental health issues, encouraging them to bond, grow individually, and express themselves

through movement (Holyoake and Reyner 38). The only data collection in this study was

opinion-based and anecdotal, coming from the patients remarks and the researchers

observations. Both found the group successful, but the only hard evidence in support of

this is that two years later the group is still very much active, along with positive anecdotal

feedback (Holyoake and Reyner 39).

The third study that used one specific setting and population was Froggett and

Littles article about the female DMT classes in a hospital setting. They were less strict

about the conditions that patients had going in to the study, but they all came from the

same hospital and they were all adults (Froggett and Little 94). This study also used

surveys as a method of data collection, however they also used the videos that were

recorded during each class to examine the differences and growth throughout the study.

This was a unique and inventive way to gather visual data from an outside perspective.

They observed changed demeanor (through the videos) as a proxy for who had improved,

and they also made their general observations (Froggett and Little 95).

As an activity, dance appears to sit in-between mind and body and is, therefore,

able to represent physically psychological states (Froggett and Little 98). Froggett and

Little surmised that watching footage of dance class would provide them with clues as to

participants state of mind, and will allow the authors to watch the movement change with

their mental state. This was the most well rounded data collection method encountered,
since the patients self-reported and the researchers experienced observations through

videos on the changes from their point of view.

The different articles reported many different result types, but each study ultimately

concluded that DMT was beneficial in each situation. The articles written by Acolin, Cruz et

al. and Bungay and Zarobe, indicated the results were conclusions based on reviewed

literature. Each in their own words expressed the need for further research, replication,

and larger sample sizes, but that DMT does come across as a wholly positive tool to

implement into the rotation of standard therapeutic options. Each author was able to find

articles in favor of DMT, but similarly to my own research could not find many articles with

hard data, numbers, or indisputable proof of success.

The second category of results was reported in the form of opinions and anecdotes.

There are two articles that fall into this category, one by Holyoake and Reyner, and the

other by Akunna. Holyoake and Reyner orchestrated their own study on adolescents facing

mental health issues and the potential benefits that could be provided through DMT. The

article itself was very short, and was ultimately a narrative on the roots of the experiment

and the anecdotal results. The results do suggest that DMT is a useful tool for adolescents

in these circumstances, and they have been replicated through the continued use of the

dance group with different patients (Holyoake and Reyner 39). While there is no hard data,

and relatively small sample sizes, the study is still valuable because of its continued success

and the ease with which it can be replicated elsewhere.

Akunnas article on the African Igbo mourning dances was much more observational

than experimental. This work was valuable because of the parallels drawn between a very

successful Igbo tradition and our concepts of DMT. Akunna went into the Igbo community
and observed what became her research. She previously had experience in both dance and

cultural studies that helped her to assess the situations she was able to observe. She used

her observations to compare different aspects of the mourning dances with DMT to see

where they were similar and what parts of the mourning dances made them so therapeutic.

Her results illustrated that the way the community became a part of the mourning dances

made a lot of the difference in helping the mourning individuals to release their pain and

share it with the community instead of holding it inside (Akunna 43). While this is not a

collection of numbers on a chart, this information is still useful as we consider the way that

her findings can be incorporated into DMT for further success on our part.

Conclusion:

After reading and analyzing these studies in depth, and looking at the role of Dance

Movement Therapy in society today, there is a lot of potential for the future. With further

studies, more replication of prior studies, and more incorporation into traditional clinical

therapy options, DMT has the potential to be important for preventing a variety of

conditions including mental illness. Looking at what research already exists, it is hard to

predict exactly what comes next, but I look forward to conducting my own research next

semester and diving into my study. DMT needs more experiments, more observations,

long-term studies, and follow-up surveys. I will be specifically observing, interviewing, and

studying adolescents and young adults to hopefully discover what kind of prevention could

be implemented in future school systems and community centers around the country.
Annotated Bibliography:

Akunna, Gladys I. "An African Igbo Perspective on Mourning Dances and Their
Application to Dance/Movement Therapy." American Journal Of Dance
Therapy 37.1 (2015): 39-59. Web. 14 June 2017.
This is an article written by Gladys Akunna, a professor at a Nigerian University,
comparing some specific African Igbo traditions to Dance Movement Therapy (DMT). She
used immersive anthropology to qualitatively learn about the African Igbo people, and
their tradition of performing mourning dances when a loved one dies in the community.
Mourning dances are used as a coping mechanism, a way to bind the community, and a
celebratory way of experiencing death. After her exploration of these traditions and
performances, she dove into a comparison of that with her knowledge of dance as therapy
in the form of DMT. She utilized other DMT related studies for this comparison, in
conjunction with her own research of the Igbo people and their tradition.

Lobo, Yovanka B., and Adam Winsler. "The Effects of a Creative Dance and
Movement Program on the Social Competence of Head Start
Preschoolers."Social Development 15.3 (2006): 501-19. Web. 12 July 2017.
This study examined the potential relationship between dance-based movement
classes for preschoolers and a positive change in their behavior. The study was done at a
preschool in a low-income area. This was a quantitative study that used surveys done by
parents and teachers both before and after the experiment to get results. There was a
control group and an intervention group, and it was a blind study because the parents and
teachers did not know which children were in which group. The control group had the
children engaging in typical play while they left their classroom for an hour each week,
while the intervention group had the children taking a simple dance class for an hour with
their peers. The results were significant in finding that the dance class did improve
childrens growth, demeanor, and coping abilities. The authors said that this needed to be
replicated to find further evidence, but that the results were promising.

Holyoake, Dean-David, and Charlotte Reyner. Moving Body and Mind. Paediatric
Nursing 17.4 (2005): 36-40. Academic Search Premier [EBSCO]. Web. 10
July 2017.
The authors in this study worked within an adolescent psychiatric ward of a larger
hospital. The goal was to examine the effects of a small dance group made up of inpatients
to help coping, community building, and growth within the program and each individual.
This was a qualitative study, and it was almost anecdotal in nature. The methods and
results unfolded in chronological order, along with little comments, or notes the authors
had to add along the way. This was a useful study in examining adolescents suffering from
mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or eating disorders. The results did show
that the dance group increased the improvement among the teens involved. The
researchers did note that it was difficult to get the group started, and to get the individuals
participating to let go of their prejudices, fears, and hesitations toward the others and the
group. Once that faded away after a few weeks, the group was ultimately more successful
and provided an outlet where the struggling adolescents could express themselves and
bond with their fellow patients.

Adam, Dina, Ayiesah Ramli, and Suzana Shahar. "Effectiveness of a Combined Dance
and Relaxation Intervention on Reducing Anxiety and Depression and
Improving Quality of Life Among the Cognitively Impaired Elderly." Sultan
Qaboos University Medical Journal 16.1 (2016): 47-53. Web. 15 July 2017.
This was a study that acted on a different age group than any of the others I found.
This intervention was implemented on the elderly population within a hospital. The
elderly population within that hospital was offered admission to a weekly dance therapy
class that would hopefully help improve their perceived quality of life, and help decrease
any depression or anxiety they were experiencing. They were also given access to a
relaxation treatment to be done after the dance class. However, there were control and
intervention groups, so the control group only got the relaxation treatment, while the
intervention group got to dance in addition to the relaxation. This was a quantitative study
that utilized surveys in collecting and analyzing data from the patients. Surveys were given
before and after the intervention was implemented to track any changes. Overall the
results uncovered that the intervention group showed significant improvement within the
realm of depression/anxiety and general quality of life, while those in the control group
either stayed the same or improved just slightly. This study provides a strong case for DMT
use among the cognitively impaired elderly and for doing further studies on this subject in
the future.

Brauninger, Iris, PhD. "Dance Movement Therapy Group Intervention in Stress

Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial." The Arts in Psychotherapy 39
(2012): 443-50. Web. 28 July 2017.
This article conveyed information surrounding a randomized controlled trial on the
effects of DMT verses a wait-listed group of persons struggling with stress related
disorders. This study was prospective, and longitudinal. The researchers conducted a
baseline survey, a survey right before the therapy or lack thereof was finished, and then a
survey six months later to see if the results had lasted. The study recruited eleven dance
therapists from various locations, and had them each recruit patients suffering from stress
to participate. The DMT took place over ten weeks, and then six months later everyone was
evaluated again. The results found that DMT was significantly more useful than doing
nothing to fight stress. This was a very basic study, because while there were significant
findings in favor of DMT, the control group received no treatment at all. Thus, as the
authors state, there must be more studies in the future that begin to test DMT against other
methods of stress treatments instead of doing nothing.
Heidrun, Panhofer, et al. The Challenge of Working With the Embodied Mind in the
Context of a University-Based Dance Movement Therapy Training. The Arts
in Psychotherapy, vol. 41, no. 1, 2014, pp. 115-119,
doi:10.1.016/j.aip.2013.11.010.
This article dove into the topic of training future dance therapists. The candidates
went through specific training that involved talking, moving, observing and listening. This
was a qualitative study, examining the different challenges and specifics that go into
working toward a DMT certification. The students worked together in groups the way they
someday would with their patients, and experienced what would become their own
treatments one day. Interestingly they struggled to learn the importance of listening and
allowing silence to take hold. They mixed in groups with other students at different stages
of the training for a more diverse group, and they had experiences related to dance, some
related to talk therapy, and combining the two to get a broader sense of emotional range.
Experiencing emotions and opening up to the group sessions was difficult for many
students, and the authors utilized Laban Movement analysis terms to classify some of their
tension, willingness or overall reactions to different portions of their learning. There were
also several specific anecdotes describing snippets from different points and perspectives
in the DMT graduate school experience that displayed both the hardships and successes the
students had as they moved toward certification. This article provided supportive
knowledge for background on DMTs and will be useful in conveying that therapists
perspective in my own research.

Engelhard, Einat Shuper. Dance/movement therapy during adolescence

Learning about adolescence through the experiential movement of
dance/movement therapy students. The Arts in Psychotherapy, vol 41, no.5,
2014, pp. 498-503, doi: 10.1016/j.aip.2014.08.005.
This was a qualitative study done on adult DMTs in training that examined the
relationship of the body and mind through DMT at adolescence. The researcher used
twenty DMT students from two different training programs, and had them participate in
both a physical activity and a written response to that activity. What they knew was that
the adolescent body and mind are very much related, and the way they are able to express
themselves can affect their development. Engelhard had the adult participants think back
to their adolescence and try to experience the exercise in that space. The results revealed
that there were two polarizing ideas about the movement. First was the movement acting
as a positive way to let out the inner self, who at that age struggles to be expressed. The
second was the movement as an uncomfortably vulnerable exercise that left the
participants feeling exposed and insecure about both their bodies and their feelings.
Overall this study was limited by the lack of actual adolescent participation, but the
participants were once adolescents even if it was many years ago. This study was an
interesting way to look at both the positives and the negatives of opening the body up to
movement at an adolescent age.
Other References:

Acolin, Jessica. The MindBody Connection in Dance/Movement Therapy: Theory and

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