Читать книгу The Creative Arts in Counseling - Samuel Gladding T., Samuel T. Gladding - Страница 72

When have you connected with someone else through movement or dance, for example, by playing a sport or being in a dance contest or recital? What do you remember most about the experience and how it affected or still affects you?

A third rationale for incorporating dance and movement into the therapeutic process is based on developmental theory. Human behavior is initially dominated by physically oriented experiences. In infancy, movement is a primary way of communicating. “The bodily interaction between mother and infant is, in a sense, the first dialogue. In harmonious relationships this physical give and take becomes a smoothly flowing piece of choreography, a perfect symbiotic dance” (Mohacsy, 1995, p. 33). Regardless of how rhythmic interpersonal relationships are, people pass through a number of different physical stages in life, each of which is characterized by distinct movement patterns.

A fourth rationale for using dance and movement in counseling is based on gestalt therapy, which has recognized the potency of movement for many years (Payne, 2006). Fritz Perls and others involved in the formulation of gestalt therapy stressed that moving the body is a primary method of experiencing feelings and promoting psychological growth (Meier & Davis, 2019). Perls probably overstated his case when he said, “Lose your mind and come to your senses.” Nevertheless, this adage has value in reminding clients that by using all aspects of themselves they will make progress in working through personal issues. In movement and dance, the expressions of choice and change become visibly clear.

Furthermore, the use of movement and dance in counseling is founded on social psychology and the interpersonal theory of Harry Stack Sullivan, which emphasizes that personality is formed in relationship to others. The basis of movement and dance is to “establish or reestablish a sense of relatedness to self and to others” (Stark & Lohn, 1989, p. 107). In rhythmic movement, a person feels a “heightened sense of oneself (a flow of energy, a feeling of aliveness, and sense of well-being), [which facilitates] bonding and empathic response in the body with others” (Stark & Lohn, 1989, p. 107). Movement and dance are connecting arts that unite people with themselves and others by providing an integrative mind-body experience.