Why Do Dance Therapists Need Dance Training? And Other FAQs.
If you are looking for a dance therapist in California, you probably you have done a little bit of research about what dance therapists do and what to look for in a dance therapist. However, if you still need some clarification, below are some of the frequently asked questions about dance therapy and its benefits.
FAQs about Dance Therapy California
Q. What is dance therapy?
A. Dance therapy is based off the premise that the mind and the body are connected. If you work with the body, you can affect what is going on in your mind as well. Dance therapists are trained to observe movement and based on their observations, provide movement interventions. Dance therapists also studied mental health and therapeutic techniques to help clients verbally process their movement and the meaning behind their movements. If we can change how you move, we can change how you feel, and if you change how you feel, you can change your life!
Q. What kinds of mental health issues is dance therapy used for?
A. Dance therapy has been used to help treat symptoms of a wide range of disorders such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and eating disorders. It is especially useful in the treatment of psychological trauma because many of the symptoms of trauma appear as physical sensations in the body.
Q. Is dance therapy as effective as regular talk therapy?
A. Anecdotally, I have seen clients have the same or sometimes better results when using dance therapy vs. only talk therapy. In addition to processing feelings verbally, dance therapy involves changing body movements and patterns, which can access feelings and thoughts in a more profound and effective way. Our bodies often store trauma and dance therapy is an avenue to explore and heal that trauma. There is a growing body of research about dance therapy’s effectiveness; Feel free to click here to read some of that research on the American Dance Therapy Association’s website.
Q. Why do dance therapists need dance training?
A. Dance therapists have dance training so that they can replicate their clients’ movements and gain kinesthetic empathy. The idea being that through embodying someone’s movement qualities and moving how they move, we can gain insight into how a client feels. By understanding a bit about how a person lives in their body through trying on their movements, we can better understand their emotional world and see how to expand or help a client change their emotions.
Q. Do dance therapists only have training in dance?
A. No, board-certifed dance therapists also study psychology and have completed master’s level psychology courses. This helps them understand how to analyze movement how movement relates to a person’s psychological health.
If you have any questions about dance therapy California or dance therapy in general, please feel free to reach out to me at lisa@lisamanca.com. I would be happy to help you explore how dance therapy might be able to help you!