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Other common
name(s): movement therapy
Scientific/medical
names(s): none
Description
Dance therapy is the therapeutic use of movement to improve
the mental and physical well-being of a person. It focuses on the
connection between the mind and body to promote health and healing.
Dance therapy can be considered an expressive therapy.
Overview
Few scientific studies have been done to evaluate the effects
of dance therapy on health, prevention, and recovery from illness.
Clinical reports suggest dance therapy may be effective in improving
self-esteem and reducing stress. As a form of exercise, dance therapy
can be useful for both physical and emotional aspects of quality of
life.
How is it promoted for use?
Dance therapy is offered as a health promotion service for
healthy people and as a complementary method of reducing the stress of
caregivers and people with cancer and other chronic illnesses.
Physically, dance therapy can provide exercise, improve mobility and
muscle coordination, and reduce muscle tension. Emotionally, dance
therapy is reported to improve self-awareness, self-confidence, and
interpersonal interaction, and is an outlet for communicating feelings.
Some promoters claim that dance therapy may strengthen the immune
system through muscular action and physiological processes and can even
help prevent disease.
Dance therapy is based on the belief that the mind and body
work together. Through dance, it is thought that people can identify
and express their innermost emotions, bringing those feelings to the
surface. Some people claim this can create a sense of renewal, unity,
and completeness.
What does it involve?
Dance therapists help people develop a nonverbal language that
offers information about what is going on in their bodies. The
therapist observes a person's movements to make an assessment and then
designs a program to help the specific condition. The frequency and
level of difficulty of the therapy is usually tailored to meet the
needs of the participants.
Dance therapy is used in a variety of settings with people who
have social, emotional, cognitive, or physical concerns. It is often
used as a part of the recovery process for people with chronic illness.
Dance therapists work with both individuals and groups, including
entire families.
What is the history behind it?
Dance has been an important part of self-expression,
ceremonial and religious events, and health in most cultures throughout
history. For example, medicine men and women of many Native American
tribes used dance as part of their healing rituals. The use of dance as
a complement to conventional Western medical therapy began in 1942
through the work of Marian Chace. She was asked to work at St.
Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C. after psychiatrists saw
therapeutic benefit in patients who attended her dance classes. Another
woman who was a dancer and mime, Trudi Schoop, volunteered to work with
patients at a state hospital in California at about that time. In 1956,
the American Dance Therapy Association was founded to establish and
maintain high standards in the field of dance therapy. There are now
more than 1,200 dance therapists in the United States and abroad. In
1993, the Office of Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of
Health provided a research grant to explore dance therapy for people
with medical illnesses.
A master's degree is required to be a dance therapist.
Beginning-level dance therapists who have at least 700 hours of
supervised clinical training hold the title of "Dance Therapists
Registered" (DTR). The title "Academy of Dance Therapists" (ADTR) is
awarded to advanced-level dance therapists who have completed 3,640
hours of supervised clinical work in an agency, institution, or special
school with additional supervision from an ADTR.
What is the evidence?
Although individual accounts provide most of the support for
the value of dance therapy, a few experimental studies evaluating the
effects of dance therapy on health have been published. In one recent
study, a group of breast cancer survivors took part in a twelve-week
dance therapy and movement class. The women who had dance therapy
showed better range of motion in their shoulders than those who had not
had the class. The patients' perceptions of their bodies also improved
after dance therapy. Clinical reports suggest that dance therapy helps
in developing body image; improving self-concept and self-esteem;
reducing stress, anxiety, and depression; decreasing isolation, chronic
pain, and body tension; and increasing communication skills and
feelings of well-being.
Some of the physical motions used in dance therapy can provide
the same health benefits produced by other types of exercise. Physical
activity is known to increase special neurotransmitter substances in
the brain, called endorphins, which create a feeling of well-being.
Total body movement also enhances the functions of other body systems,
such as the circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, and muscular systems.
Regular aerobic exercise helps with glucose metabolism, cardiovascular
fitness, and weight control. Dance or movement therapy, when done
regularly can confer the same benefits as other types of exercise.
Moderate to vigorous exercise for thirty to forty-five minutes on most
days of the week can reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types
of cancer. Dance therapy can help people stay physically fit and
experience the pleasure of creating rhythmic motions with their bodies.
Well-controlled research is needed, however, to confirm the effects of
dance therapy on prevention of and recovery from other types of
illness.
Are there any possible problems or
complications?
People with cancer and chronic conditions such as arthritis
and heart disease should talk with their doctor before starting any
type of therapy that involves manipulation or movement of joints and
muscles. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or
delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health
consequences.
Additional Resources
More information from your American Cancer
Society
The following information on complementary and alternative
therapies may also be helpful to you. These materials may be found on
our Web site (www.cancer.org)
or ordered from our toll-free number (1-800-ACS-2345).
References
Cassileth B. The
Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to
Alternative and Complementary Therapies. New York, NY:
W.W. Norton; 1998.
Castaneda C. Diabetes control with physical activity and
exercise. Nutr Clin Care.
2003;6:89-96.
Cohen SO, Walco GA. Dance/movement therapy for children and
adolescents with cancer. Cancer
Pract. 1999;7:34-42.
Dance/movement therapy fact sheet. American Dance Therapy
Association Web site. Accessed at
http://www.adta.org/about/factsheet.cfm on May 23, 2008.
Hanna JL. The power of dance: health and healing. J Altern Complement Med.
1995;1:323-331.
Kushi LH, Byers T, Doyle C, et al. American Cancer Society
2006 Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee.
American Cancer Society guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity
for cancer prevention: reducing the risk of cancer with healthy food
choices and physical activity.
CA Cancer J Clin. 2006;56:254-281.
Erratum in:
CA Cancer J Clin.
2007;57:66. McTiernan, Anne [added].
National Institutes of Health. Alternative Medicine: Expanding
Medical Horizons: A Report to the National Institutes of
Health on Alternative Medical Systems and Practices in the United
States. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 1994. NIH
publication 94-066.
Sandel SL, Judge JO, Landry N, Faria L, Ouellette R, Majczak
M. Dance and movement program improves quality-of-life measures in
breast cancer survivors. Cancer
Nurs. 2005;28:301-309.
Note: This information may not cover
all possible claims, uses, actions, precautions, side effects or
interactions. It is not intended as medical advice, and should not be
relied upon as a substitute for consultation with your doctor, who is
familiar with your medical situation.
Last Medical Review: 11/01/2008
Last Revised: 11/01/2008
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