Dramatherapy. The influence of theater in dance and on your emotional health

Connection, vibration, joy… these are the most important words about dance that come to mind to Mihaela, Clinical Psychologist and psychotherapist through play and dramatherapy at TMoves. Dancing is a form of healing for emotional wounds, and Mihaela told us why we should consider dance as a form of therapy.

\”The body and movement are present with us from the first moment of our lives and are a resource that we always have at hand. Dance puts us in touch with our emotions,\” Mihaela tells us.

What types of trauma can be healed through dance?

Not only dance itself helps us to deal with trauma… this is a delicate process and a trained, empathetic, patient therapist can use, at the right time, movement and dance in exploring and approaching traumas.

What does dramatherapy entail?

It is a form of therapy that uses elements of theatrical art and involves the application of theater as art in the clinical environment, for curative purposes. In dramatherapy, great attention is paid to working with the body — dance, rhythm, movement, ritual.

Why dance is important for our wellbeing

Dancing can be a way of expression or recreation, with many physical, emotional and mental benefits: it improves cardiovascular health, balance and muscle strength, improves cognitive performance (in the brain there are certain areas that have control over memory and planning and organizing skills, which can be improved through dance). One benefit that should not be underestimated is that dancing is a way to improve your mood and wellbeing because dancing and exercise in general help us to produce natural antidepressants such as endorphins, which helps reduce stress and anxiety and depression symptoms,\” Mihaela also told us.

There is a way of thinking that we must combine with dance in order to have results in an optimal time: To have confidence in our body and to allow ourselves to explore.

How a dance therapy program works and when should we expect the first results

To be able to do psychotherapy through dance and movement requires a lot of study and thorough training. \”I use in my practice techniques specific to psychotherapy through movement and dance, along with other psychotherapeutic approaches. As in any other psychotherapeutic approach, it is important to be able to connect with the person in front of us and to start from the point where he/she is,” says Mihaela.

When we are not in a good relationship with our body it takes time, confidence, exploring resources to be able to move and dance. For each person, this time is different… sometimes we can have moments of “aha” and awareness right from the beginning; other times this process is slower.