‘Dancing is a gloriously accessible and democratic form of therapy’.Anna Hart, Why Dancing Is the Best Form of Therapy, Stylist magazine, 2018
Clearly for many people, conscious dance, and probably wildly-out-of-it-unconscious-dance, is some sort of release. It is certainly true that defences may not be so well constructed when we just allow our bodies to move. The things that we keep oh so firmly in place in our normal social discourse become dislodged, perhaps because we can’t control them so well when our whole organism is in play.
What is it that we want to release? Stress, tension … trauma. We may also want to be free of habitual patterns of relating, thinking, feeling and behaving. When our mode of communication is primarily verbal, patterns and habits can be hard to shift. Being embodied and non-verbal creates new possibilities.
Flow State
Complete mental and physical absorption in an activity such as dance allows us to find the sweet spot where we have energy but are not in hyperarousal (heightened alertness/anxiety) and are able to just be ‘in the groove’ or ‘in the zone’. We are undistracted by ‘to-do lists’ or things that are troubling us. There just isn’t headspace to be thinking negative thoughts. It is almost like having a holiday… from ourselves. This is incredibly beneficial and can enhance our sense of purpose in life.
What is the difference between dancing and movement practice? (and does it matter?)
Ahh, a great question, if I may say. One that occupies much airtime in my imagination.
Dancing is great, dancing is the best, dancing has been the back drop for most of my adult life, the glue of my community; it has entangled me in a whole new career and provided the incentive (and madness) to write a book. Dancing has been going on in all cultures and at all times to create human bonding and promote religious or transpersonal experience. It is an almost uniquely human activity, rarely found in the animal world.
Getting together with others and dancing to music is a great release. It stokes all the right hormones and neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin. Even watching people dance has proved to have a similar effect as mirror and resonance circuitry fire up in the brain.
Mindful Movement Practice
Mindful Movement practice, as experienced in some conscious dance practices, adds another dimension to dance. Paying attention to our breath and sensations of the body shifts us into a different gear. We don’t rely on drugs or alcohol to transport us beyond inhibition. It is the deliberate focus of attention to breath and body experience that takes us there.
Naturally occurring movement impulses arise; we allow them to be there, follow them, all the time staying connected to ground and awareness of the space around us. At times we will find that we are being moved and no longer controlling the movement. This evokes a great feeling of liberation.
Neurological Change
Neuroscience reveals that our brains are capable of change throughout our lives (neuroplasticity), and that us humans have a special superpower which allows us to change our brains by mindfully focusing our attention.
Dr Dan Siegel, clinical professor of psychiatry, tells us that:
‘Where attention goes, neural firing flows and neural connection goes.’ Click here.
In movement practice or conscious dance, by deliberately putting attention on parts of the body, for example the way our feet make contact with the floor, we are having a somatic experience and observing it at the same time. When we notice what our body is doing we have the option to do something different (eg change direction with our feet; move towards or away from something/someone). In this sense, we are using awareness of the movements and sensations of our body to change our patterns. Ultimately this practice gives us tools to change how we feel, think, act and relate.
Life is the Dancer and You are the Dance
… So said Ekhart Tolle in his book New Earth. Clearly he is speaking metaphorically but his choice of words is interesting. He is referring to living in the present moment with mindfulness and self-awareness. In a conscious dance space, this means that as you release yourself into movement, you stop trying to control experience and move instead into the greater energy flow of life itself.
Not for Everyone
Like conscious movement practice, therapy is a change process of becoming more aware of our patterns and behaviours, and making adaptations where these are no longer working for us. Not everyone is comfortable with allowing the body to lead as a process of change; following spontaneous movement might feel too unsafe and inhibition might be too strong.
Therapy also is primarily about the relationship between client and therapist, more often done in the safety of a one-to-one setting. We are meaning-making beings and for many people meaning occurs in a verbal conversation with another person, where we get to hear ourselves say out loud what might feel risky, forbidden, unacceptable.
Energy on the Dance Floor
In the end, whether it’s dancing, moving with awareness, one-to-one or group therapy, it’s all energy flow. As the quote at the beginning says, dancing is more accessible and democratic (for many); it certainly has the potential for great therapeutic gain, but in my opinion there is still an invaluable place for therapy which dance and movement doesn’t reach.
Perhaps we should end with Dr Peter Lovatt’s defining quote on this matter:
‘Dancing Gives Humans a Tail to Wag’ … thanks Peter!
Flomotion, Sun-dance and Therapy
Come and try out some conscious dance with me at the bi- weekly Flomotion sessions in Archway, London.
You can also come to my monthly Open Floor movement sessions in London’s Crouch End, and if you can’t get there in person, you can join online.
You can also get in touch with me about therapy:
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