Dance/Movement Therapy: A Method for Embodying Emotions

By: Susan Kleinman, MA, ADTR, NCC & Terese C. Hall, MA, ADTR, LPC, NCC

Abstract:

It is not uncommon to hear a woman with an eating disorder describe her relationship with her body as that of being with a stranger, or even an enemy. Ignoring internal states amounts to burying feelings, and the burial site exists in the body itself. As a psychotherapeutic method dance/movement therapy reveals and articulates the body's expressiveness as patients explore and examine behavioral patterns, feelings and memories hidden in the body. At The Renfrew Center, dance/movement therapy serves as a powerful means for women with eating disorders to renew a relationship with their bodies. In turn, they are more able to risk connecting with others and grasp the relationship between the therapeutic experience and the experience of moving through life.

THE RENFREW CENTER FOUNDATION Healing Through Relationship Series Volume 1: Fostering Body-Mind Integration

Temenos partners Terry Hall, MA, ADTR, and Catherine Ambrose, MSS, LCSW, contributed to the articles in the Healing Through Relationship Series published by The Renfrew Center. At The Temenos Center we are committed to a treatment philosophy that stresses the importance of developing healthy relationships to our bodies, ourselves, and to others. The full text of the articles may be purchased by contacting Jillian Gonzales at jgonzales@renfrewcenter.com.

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