Dance Movement Therapy Commons^™

The Impact Of Kinesthetic Attunement On Parents And Their Children With Autism: An Exploration, Ritu Shree

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study explored the impact of kinesthetic attunement as experienced through dance movement therapy (DMT) with parent-child dyads on parental stress, children’s adaptive skills and joint attention. A qualitative reflective account of parents was also studied to understand the depth of parents’ experience of dance movement therapy with their children with autism. The research emphasized the importance of collective parent-child dance therapy sessions, that especially focused on attunement and connection that built its way up from sensory-motor, social-communicative, and relational play and engagement.

A total of six parent-child dyads participated in the study that lasted over eight DMT sessions. Parents …

Dance/Movement Therapy Used As An Intervention To Heal Racial Trauma Within The Black Community: A Literature Review, Jennifer Noboise

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The history of dance within the black community has served an important role while living through a racist and discriminatory society. Dance has been used to express anger, grief, and joy during hardships and moments of rejoicing from the black experience. African American people have endured years of trauma and abuse from oppressive systems. Research has been conducted to demonstrate that dance/movement therapy has been effective in treating those who have experienced a form of trauma since the trauma is stored in the body. Examining trauma symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and substance use, the research found these symptoms diminished …

Embodied Transformation: A Review Of Play And Dance Movement Therapy For Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Kaiyue Chen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores the potential role of play and playfulness in dance movement therapy (DMT) for the treatment of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), which results from exposure to complex trauma. As its name suggests, CPTSD symptoms can be more severe than that of PTSD, and the prevalence of CPTSD is estimated at 3.8% of the U.S. population (Cloitre et al., 2019). Given these factors, this mental health issue warrants further research and treatment support. Towards this end, a critical review of the literature on the topics of complex trauma/CPTSD, play, and DMT has been conducted. Based on a synthesis …

The Effect Of Dance Movement Therapy On The Mood Of Hospitalized Psychiatric Adolescents, Amy Chiu

Nursing | Senior Theses

Mental illness in children has increased over all aspects throughout the years to right now (CDC, 2019). Many of these children do get treatment for these disorders but there are still a percent that do not receive any treatment or find effective ways to maintain non-pharmaceutical alternatives for mood stabilization. The alternative therapies that are introduced in hospital settings plays a role in allowing for alternative therapies to be apart of the treatment plan for patients. Dance Movement therapy (DMT) is an alternative therapy that uses movement to conduct change in patient’s emotions based on their own choices of movement …

Stuck In Somatic Countertransference: A Heuristic Study, Katie Hochleutner

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This heuristic research study explored how somatic countertransference in my own body, as a clinician, is related to my freeze response when working with clients in a behavioral health hospital. Primary questions that led the research, included: what does somatic countertransference feel like in my own body as a clinician, what happens in my body during a stress response of freezing, and, how can I modulate through my stress response to become regulated in session? These curiosities led to my ultimate research question, how can I, as an emerging dance/movement therapist, modulate through my freeze response while experiencing somatic countertransference …

The Manzano Movement Method (M3): Development Of A Dance/Movement Therapy-Influenced Seated Ballroom Dance Program For Adult Day Services For Persons With Dementia, Joshua Reese "Zano" Manzano

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to develop a dance/movement therapy (DMT)-influenced seated ballroom dance program for adult day services for persons with dementia. This program development project, named the Manzano Movement Method (M3), aims to support quality of life by encouraging creative expression, reminiscence and socialization. M3 explored how seated ballroom dance can support the quality of life for this population via six different lessons of the following dances: waltz, cha cha, rumba, tango, foxtrot and swing. It also explored how the program can be utilized by care providers that are not dance/movement therapists. With collaborator help—stakeholders at an …

Grief Moves: An Embodied Artistic Inquiry Into Losing And Finding The Self, Joanna Taubeneck

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this embodied artistic inquiry self-study was to investigate the role and felt-experience of grief during the process of professional identity loss. The use of this particular methodology offered the researcher an opportunity to use movement as the means towards both collecting and analyzing data so that the relationship between grief and identity transition could be sensed physically. Data was collected with a research consultant during six sessions of movement improvisations inspired by each of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ (1969) five stages of grief. The researcher and research consultant met six times as a result of their decision to include …

Dance/Movement Therapy Utilizing Therapy Dogs For Adults Diagnosed With Psychotic Disorders, Alyssa Danielle Owens

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this project was to develop dance/movement therapy (DMT) interventions incorporating therapy dogs with the goal of increasing present moment awareness in adults diagnosed with psychotic disorders. Individual interviews were held with two therapy dog handlers who served as consultants for the purpose of obtaining information regarding therapy dogs and how they are used in sessions. These individual interviews were audio recorded and transcribed to inform the development of three DMT interventions in collaboration with the dog handlers. A version of the Delphi Method was utilized in order to systematically organize the data obtained from the interviews (Hsu …

Caring For The Whole Clinician: A Body-Based Framwork For Self-Care And Supervision, Aliza Roth

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this program development project was to create a framework for clinical supervision that utilizes yoga and dance/movement therapy in support of the holistic wellness of mental health professionals. Clinicians are at risk for burnout and compassion fatigue, especially when they place more emphasis on their client’s well-being than their own. Research points to the significance of incorporating self-care, stress-management and embodied awareness of self and client into the supervision process; however, there remains an underdeveloped body of knowledge related to body-based frameworks for clinical supervision and how such frameworks relate to clinician self-care. Utilizing the five yogic …

Making Meaning Of Repetitious Movement Patterns: A Heuristic Inquiry, Elise Marie Ringenberg

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this research study was to explore how I, an emerging dance/movement therapist, understand and embody my own and my clients’ repetitious movement patterns. Through a heuristic inquiry, I explored how my body knowledge/body prejudice informs my observations and assessments of repetitious movement patterns exhibited in others. I also investigated how I may use my findings to create unbiased dance/movement therapy interventions. I collected data in the form of journal responses following individual dance/movement therapy sessions where I observed repetitious movements in children at my internship site, a medical unit at a children’s hospital. Secondly, I collected movement …

Therartpist: An Artisitc Inquiry On The Interplay Of Identities, Alisha Sue-Yi Jihn

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This thesis is an embodied artistic inquiry focused on thoughtfully engaging in self reflection through movement, with the intention of discovering how the identities of emerging dance/movement therapist and dance artist inform and interplay with one another. Data was collected through six Authentic Movement sessions with a trained Authentic Movement practitioner. Data analysis occurred through arts-based creative synthesis, which included freeassociation drawing, writing, and movement improvisation. Main themes of bodily knowing and relationship developed from data analysis. Culmination of artistic inquiry occurred through a dance film focused on above-mentioned themes. The dance film can be viewed from the link in …

Developing Cultural Awareness Throught Body-Based Skills And Movement With Children In The Catholic Charities Of Joliet Head Start Classroom, Natiya M. Reggans

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this project was to develop a program for Catholic Charities Diocese of Joliet Head Start that cultivates social-emotional development in children. Cultural intelligence and pro-social skills are fostered through the methods of creative movement, body-based skills, and art-making. Using the Delphi Method as a guide, I employed two round of interviews. The first round was an open-ended questionnaire for the purpose of brainstorming about cultural difference, and a follow-up informal interview for open dialogue about any questions, comments, or concerns from the collaborators. The logic model was used for data analysis and resulted in the following themes: …

Effectively Integrating Dance/Movement Therapy And Restorative Justice Into High School Programs, Tia Vegemast

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of the thesis is to develop a stand-alone program that has added dance/movement therapy informed interventions to an existing restorative justice program for high schools to implement. The high school program is designed to support youth in repairing damaged relationships caused by different behavioral issues. As schools are transitioning from punitive punishment to a more restorative approach to discipline, this program provides a new way of incorporating a more holistic approach to restorative justice and the healing process using movement of the body to further empathic understanding. Students will be able to learn from their mistakes and understand …

A Heuristic Inquiry: Engaging With Spirituality As Self-Care, Meredith E. Weissert

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This heuristic inquiry explored effective self-care practices, specifically engaging with spirituality, for emerging dance/movement therapists. Guided by a pragmatic paradigm and heuristic methodology, I was the only researcher and participant and I engaged in meditation within nature as a spiritual practice. Data collection methods included completing a semi-structured self-interview after each spiritual practice, creating embodied experiences of spirituality as self-care and filming them, and recording themes from this footage in relation to Laban’s body, effort, shape, and space categories (Moore, 2014). Moustakas’ (1990) data analysis method and creative synthesis were used. Findings revealed that engaging in spiritual self-care fostered increased …

Many Truths: A Case Record Review Of How Teaching A Dance Class For Students With Special Needs Shaped My Professional Identity, Shauna D. Shrewsbury

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This thesis is a self-reflective exploration of an ongoing investigation into my professional identity development using a case record review. The purpose of this review was to gain a better understanding of how my knowledge of dance/movement therapy influenced my facilitation of a dance class for students with special needs. This process took place through the teaching of a community dance class for students with special needs called Friday Night Dance Party (FNDP). This review utilized historical data in the form of a reflection sheet, art making, and stream of consciousness journaling completed after each class. Upon the completion of …

Dance/Movement Therapy Techniques For Helping Actors Exit Character And Emotion: A Program Development Project, Alison Vodnoy Wolf

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The embodiment of emotion and character creates emotional dysregulation for many actors, yet few actor training programs teach emotional regulation techniques to help actors intentionally exit character and emotion. The purpose of this program development is to collaborate with others in creating a program that addresses symptoms of emotional dysregulation in populations of actors. The program will do this by providing actors with psychoeducation about the signs of emotional dysregulation and teaching dance/movement therapy skills that actors can use to regulate emotion after the embodiment of character and emotion. The intended result is to decrease the prevalence of disorders that …

Creative Arts Therapies Students' Professional Development: Mixed Methods Longitudinal Research, Hod Orkibi

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This mixed-methods longitudinal study sought to describe, understand, and explain the professional development (PD) of graduate students during art therapy (AT), dance movement therapy (DMT), and drama therapy (DT) training (N = 51).

Repeated measures of students’ scores in profession-related variables were performed. Quantitative theory testing probed the extent to which students confirm Rønnestad and Skovholt’s (2003) theory of counselors and therapists’ PD as representative of their pre-training and in-training experiences. Qualitative theory derivation generated data-driven concepts to modify and refine the extant theory. Data were collected using My Vocational Situation, Career Commitment Measurement, and questionnaires for each developmental phase. …