MOVEMENT THERAPY: A DANCE THROUGH HISTORY
Dr Shambhavi Vashist, MBBSNC Medical College and Hospital, India
Junior Resident, PGIMER Chandigarh
Ever tried to convince your body to dance like nobody’s watching only to realize that your limbs have a mind of their own? Let me explain what you’re doing wrong! The answer to this is the age-old practice of Movement Therapy, a deeply rooted tradition that delineates the mind-body connection. The transformative potential in Movement Therapy is showcased by substantial evidence that how an ancient practice has evolved with respect to modern culture. Let us dive into its history:
Ancient Roots
It dates back to centuries ago when ancient philosophers inculcated movement as an intricate part of healing and well-being. In India, over 5000 years ago, the practice of yoga cultivated from the Rig Veda, was recognized as a holistic therapy by combining asanas (posture), pranayama (breath control) and meditation. Thousands of years ago in China, originated Qi gong (pronounced chee-gong), which involved optimized energy within body, mind, and spirit, by modifying breathing patterns, relaxation techniques and focusing one’s attention and visualization.
Evolution of Movement Therapy
Mid-20th century marked the beginning of dance as a discipline of movement therapy. It was based on integrating body sensations, movements, thoughts and feelings. The belief that dance tells the story of repressed unconscious mind, allowing people to experience the traumatized self was put forward. One art form, the junba dance-song tradition of certain indigenous tribes in Australia was quite noted for its well-being properties socially, spiritually and ecologically. Another dance form hailing from Egypt, the zar, was believed to provide healing. It was customary to dance at important life transitions like birth, puberty, marriage and death marking this as a form of healing. Dance/movement therapist helped people with 3 principles of congruence, the technique of using same movement as the client; empathy, the connection formed with the body; and acceptance, that everyone’s dance is important and expression valid.
Modern Era
Studies in recent decades have shown advances in neuroscience and technology regarding the mechanisms underlying therapeutic effects of movement. Researchers believe that the methodology for movement therapy is diversity and practitioners follow a variety of psychotherapeutic and kinetic principles. Theoretically, it is an integration of Psychodynamic therapy, Humanistic psychology, Cognitive behavioral therapy, Existential Therapy etc. Codified dance styles like ballet, folk dance, and contemporary dance are being adopted as a part of movement therapy. Zumba dance form has been shown to improve pain and physical functioning in patients with fibromyalgia. These therapeutic benefits clearly validate that moving your body forms a mind-muscle connection.
Tai-Chi, a practice rooted from China, has three basic principles: internal awareness, achieved through deep breathing; body alignment through slow and rhythmic movements; and weight control, achieved through balance. Among the elderly, it has been shown to improve proprioception, thus preventing falls, and also osteoarthritis and Parkinson’s disease. Young adults have started to adopt Tai-Chi as it improves muscle strength, comparable to resistance training; flexibility and balance.
Pilates is another form of movement therapy that has been adopted in the last decade that uses isokinetic exercises with resistance training for deep muscle group strengthening. It helps stabilizing core muscles during dynamic movement and promotes awareness of body structure, body alignment and posture control. Yoga has been shown as a powerful adjunct tool to minimizes pharmacologic treatments and supplement neurologic, oncologic, cardiopulmonary, and spinal cord rehabilitation.
So, either glide through calming yoga poses or follow what Taylor Swift once asked us to “Shake it off!” but let’s get our bodies moving out of the bed!
