Dance therapy and group therapy are ways of strengthening bonds between pairs whilst encouraging a journey of self-reflection and growth. Dance/group therapy has a large range of psychological and physical benefits and may be used alongside treatment for various psychological disorders, such as depression.

Introduction 

Dance therapy and group therapy may be used in the treatment of various conditions. These may involve depression, PTSD, dementia, and ASD. Dance therapy and group therapy may also be used to simply improve interpersonal skills, cognitive skills, and psychomotor skills. Hence, the benefits of dance and group therapy are a common area of interest for the skilled and non-skilled. 

Background

Dance therapy can be done individually and in groups and can strengthen therapeutic alliances between people by finding similarities between others. By relating to each other in this way, an individual undergoing dance and group therapy may discover that they have acquired an improved perception of their body image and a personality change. This can include becoming more tolerant of other people. 

History of dance therapy

Dancing has been used to improve the quality of life and health of people for many years. Western societies began to use the positive effects of dance as a psychotherapeutic strategy in the 1940s, to promote standardised therapeutic use of dancing.¹ These founders of dance therapy soon transitioned into teaching.

Dance therapy has no universally agreed definition, yet dance/movement therapy is described as ‘the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual.¹ Those conducting this kind of therapy must be licensed, and are commonly seen in artistic communities. 

In modern-day life, dance therapy is implemented in psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation centres, and educational settings.¹ This acceptance of dance therapy came after the 1960s when the ability of dance therapy to engage the mind and body came to light.

Dance therapy sessions - what to expect?

Dance/movement therapy sessions include mirroring (to establish nonverbal relationships), warm-ups, assessment, interventions, integrated development and warm-down phases.

Dance/movement therapy can also involve a group circle dance.

Techniques

Mirroring 

This involves the mirroring of movements between dance therapists and clients. This can result in the initiation of more trusting contact.² 

Attunement 

This involves movement empathy² whereby a more soothing dance pattern can be used to calm a client who is upset. This is closely linked to mirroring.

Integrated development

This involves helping clients get through delays or obstacles in their personal development and growth.

Authentic movement

This involves the client lying on the ground whilst being strongly aware of their bodily sensations to reach childhood or other early experiences in life.² Here, the importance lies more within the relationship between client and therapist rather than client and client, although simply being in a room with other clients in this way may have positive effects. 

Exercises

Exercises can involve embodying a book or film character through dance to explore the emotions that may be experienced by or associated with said character.

Exercises can also involve a dance within a group circle, whereby a circle of clients dance to a specific beat in a circle to encourage collaboration.² Dance movements can be synchronised to encourage connection.

Exercises can also involve tuned walking in pairs, whereby dancers synchronise their steps with their partners while paying attention to the sensations that they are personally feeling.²

Finally, exercises can involve mirroring whereby two clients can stand facing each other while taking turns to mirror each other’s movements to create a sense of flow,² allowing for the establishment of trust and connection, as well as collaboration.

Dance therapy benefits

Dance therapy can result in an increase in endorphins, which explains the improved mood that is observed in dancers.²

Dance therapy may result in the enhancement of neurotransmitters in the brain, which can be used to counteract depressive symptoms and may have a role in increasing concentration.²

Dance may also exert a regulatory effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.² This may protect an individual from long-term stress, caused by  the cortisol hormone. 

Psychological benefits of dance therapy

There are many psychological benefits of dance therapy which are not limited to the treatment of depression and anxiety. Other psychological benefits involve the strengthening of group coherence in group dance therapy contexts,² as groups often have to be uniform or at least flow together in a natural way, which can require nonverbal communication. This goes hand in hand with the idea that dance therapy may increase an individual’s willingness to help others. This can either be helping others in their day-to-day lives, or in the context of dance therapy, it could mean helping others follow the procedures involved in maximising the benefits of this kind of therapy while improving their ability to form and maintain human relationships.

Further psychological benefits include the idea that dance therapy can affect social, spiritual, emotional, creative, cognitive and physical processes.² Additionally, dance therapy may be able to improve one’s self-esteem. 

Other psychological benefits include the fact that dance therapy can cause individuals to feel more relaxed and energetic, suggesting that it could be used to help combat fatigue. 

Depression

Dance therapy may be useful in the treatment of depression. Meta-analyses have been carried out that show that dance therapy in groups has resulted in a reduction in clinical symptoms such as depression and anxiety.³ This goes hand in hand with the improved tolerance of others that is seen with this type of therapy; an improved tolerance will ultimately result in more instances of active social interaction. Depressed individuals often abandon social interactions, so the use of dance therapy may strengthen their desire to bond with others, resulting in improved moods. 

Additionally, the meta-analyses that have been done to explore the link between dance therapy and depression demonstrate that individuals become less tense and more trusting of their bodies.³ Therefore, the use of social therapies that incorporate exercise with social bonding may be useful in conjunction with other treatment strategies for depression, yet further research is required to determine whether group dance therapy is a good standalone treatment. 

Studies assessing the effectiveness of dance movement therapy in treating depression

The effects of dance movement therapy on treatment have been compared to other psychological and physical interventions, as well as drug treatment. Here, dance movement therapy was undertaken alongside no treatment and with standard care. Dance movement therapy was found to lead to a reduction in depressive symptoms in comparison with the standard care groups in adults with depression.² 

Limitations

However, it is difficult to come to a clear conclusion regarding the effectiveness of dance movement therapy due to the limitations of these studies. Firstly, the sample sizes were small, and secondly, the methodological quality of the studies was considered to be low. 

Psychological trauma

Dance therapy in groups may have an impact on psychological trauma, although a systematic review of the effects dance therapy may have on individuals with PTSD has not yet been conducted. 

Studies 

A study was carried out to identify the effects of dance therapy on adults with psychological trauma. Improvements in psychological processes such as avoidance, bodily sensations, and perceptions were observed.¹ Therefore, dance and group therapy may be promising approaches in the treatment of trauma-related conditions.

Limitations

Data surrounding the impact of dance therapy on trauma tends to focus on women and those facing migration. Therefore, findings may not be able to be generalised until further research has been carried out. 

Autism

Dance movement therapy was shown to have effects on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as emotionally disturbed children, children and adolescents in psychiatric units, and children with learning difficulties.⁴

Studies

Regarding autism, it has been shown that dance therapy (or dance-related techniques) can improve a child’s ability to form relationships with others.⁴ This is because dance techniques often involve mirroring, role-playing with others and physical awareness. Therefore, introducing a child to dance therapy may be useful for autistic children. Similar benefits have also been seen with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Limitations

The studies were done on a small sample size of participants, meaning the results cannot be generalised. Additionally, participants shared similar characteristics. 

Dementia in adults

Dance/movement therapy studies have also been conducted to determine whether dance/movement therapy has beneficial effects on older adults with dementia, as a result of the promotion of healthy mental ageing.⁵ An improvement in the psychological health of adults without dementia was seen, but further research is required to determine whether this is also applicable to older adults with dementia. 

Limitations

Limitations include a small sample size of participants, preventing generalisation of findings, and insufficient data documentation.

Summary

Dance/group therapy may prove useful in the treatment of not only psychological and physical conditions but also in an individual’s own personal journey of reflection and confidence. There are many techniques involved in dance therapy, including mirroring, attunement, integrated development, and authentic movement.

Psychological benefits of dance/group therapy include, but are not limited to improvements in social bonding, cognitive processes and self-esteem. 

Studies have also been carried out to determine whether dance therapy could play a role in the treatment of depression, PTSD, and dementia, although these come with their own limitations and further research is required before coming to any firm conclusions. 

Nonetheless, incorporating dance therapy into your lives may prove to be not only a way to get exercise but also a way of improving your mental health.