Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

Mettler Based Dance Improvisation and Teacher Training July 11-12

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn to teach Mettler-based dance.

Mettler Studios presents a
Dance Improvisation and Teacher Training Workshop
at the
Tucson Creative Dance Center
Tucson, Arizona

Monday – Friday July 11-22, 2011

Taught by Griff Goehring and Mary Ann Brehm

Come for both weeks or just the first week

www.mettlerstudiosworkshop.blogspot.com for more information on the workshop.

The focus of this workshop is on an immersion experience of the art of body movement, building from individual to group dance improvisation.   Discussion of Mettler-based principles and specific application to teaching people of all ages including those with special needs will be integrated into the daily schedule.   A follow-up program of support for using the material throughout the year is included.  

Do not let financial concerns keep you from taking advantage of this dance opportunity!   In addition to scholarship aid, we can also provide housing assistance for out of town students and 30 CUEs per week through the Tucson Unified School District. For registration materials or information on scholarships contact Mary Ann Brehm  mabdance@aol.com  or call 814-670-9214.  To receive a scholarship we do ask a commitment to using the work in some way in your professional or personal life after the workshop and reporting back to us.  

This workshop is supported by gifts from the Barbara Mettler Trust and Mettler Studios, Inc. 

 

Dance Me a Story, Sing Me a Song

Back Pocket Dancers, an intergenerational dance company, will be performing at the West Medford Community Center, an evening program of stories and songs danced, narrated and sung. This free performance is made possible by a grant from the Medford Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. 

Inspired by Creativity

Yesterday I visited Boston's Museum of Fine Arts to see the Chihuly blown glass exhibit.What truly awesome and awe-inspiring art he creates. His profusion of colors and shapes evoked a feeling of tremendous abundance in me. As I sat on the floor looking up at one of the installations on the ceiling, I thought about how I have incorporated a belief that I, my art work, and my life should be focused. As with many things, I recognized the paradox as I took in the enormity of what Dale Chihuly has managed to create. He is apparently very focused in glass making; yet at the same time, he has managed to be multi-focused in his use of color and shape, and also in his ability to create so much and such huge work showing simultaneously around the globe.

For the past few weeks I have been listening in to the Creative Souls Telesummit for "all artists, renaissance souls, scanners, right-brainers, creatives, dreamers and creative corporate refugees". The validation of knowing that there are so many like-souled people in the world has been wonderful to learn about. It has inspired me to forge ahead on my path, which is at the same time very singular-focused and multi-focused.

As I am looking back on my art-play of the past several years to look back on where I've been to inform where I am going, I found this piece which I did several years ago as I pondered how to integrate left and right brain thinking.

 

I am excited to see where my path will lead me next.

What Do People with Dementia Excel at?

This morning I am pondering this question. As we discussed at my workshop on Nonverbal Communication at the Map through the Maze the other day, in general, people with mid to late stage dementia are highly perceptive of their emotional environments. They are much more attuned to their emotional environments, much like preverbal children, than the rest of us are. 

To provide the best care that we can, we, too, ought to be highly attuned to our emotional environments. So, I'm wondering, if we were more attuned emotionally, as a species, how could that help us in our evolution? It seems to me that right now, emotions are relegated to a very back seat, in the way wayback. It certainly has little place in our educational system. I don't believe that emotions are a subject matter in the curriculums of most schools. We seem to address emotions only when they are in the way of accomplishing something more important. At times of trauma, we are learning to bring in the counselors, which hopefully provides emotional support. Or if individual children have difficulties, we may refer them to psychotherapists for corrective experiences. 

It seems to me that it might be important for us to think a bit more about emotions. Why do we have feelings? So often, emotions are described as positive or negative. But are they? Is fear a bad thing? If we smell a fire, what feeling would we want to have? Fear motivates us to protect ourselves. So then, it would seem, in that instance, fear is a very positive feeling. I think that we think about feelings as positive or negative because they feel good or they feel uncomfortable. When they feel uncomfortable, that could motivate us to change something, so that we feel better. 

What does this have to do with people with dementia? When I am with people with dementia, which I get to do in my role as dance movement therapist or disc jockey/ entertainer, I engage another attribute often found in people with dementia, spontaneity. Their ability to be in the moment. Often also described with a negative connotation as disinhibited. Many of their internal censors are gone along with other cognitive abilities. As a result, they are ready to be present. However, without our help they are not dancing, singing, or doing stand-up comedy. They need us to provide an emotional environment which is safe enough for them to be who they are. And when we do that, we find most of them ready to play with us. Ready to engage. When I get to be with them in that way, I experience great joy and pleasure. It's not always happy. Sometimes we dip into sadness, or express feelings of anger or frustration. Where else do they get to put those emotions? What emotions should they have, when they are probably living with someone whom they didn't choose at their age? Maybe they become emotionally rigid for the lack of exercising their emotions? Maybe we all do.

I come back to my earlier question, how would it help us as a species to be more adaptable, flexible, resilient in our emotions? In my experience it takes great strength and courage to face our more uncomfortable feelings. It takes strength, commitment and perseverance to address the changes which our emotions are alerting us need to be made. It takes the ability to tolerate conflicting emotions, because we all have those as well. It takes a warrior of the heart. If we could learn these skills, the ones required of us provide the best care that we can for people with dementia, perhaps we would provide them with the safety and love that they desire. Perhaps we could provide them with the home that they are seeking.

Today at Map through the Maze

Yesterday I attended Map through the Maze, Alzheimer's Association, MA/NH Chapter's annual conference. I came home inspired. Keynote speaker Reverend Kathleen Rusnak was lively and engaging, talking about spirituality in people with dementia. The audience thankfully knew the answer to her question, what is a person. No one said, as did Descartes, we are because we speak. Reverend Rusnak had us laughing at the expense of those who believe that people with advanced dementia, who can no longer care for themselves don't need the precious time of a chaplain to work with a person with dementia who could not say anything more than "I want to go home." Not the time of the privileged who can think. Better to let a volunteer whose time is not so precious. . .

It felt timely to be presenting following Reverend Rusnak, as she ended speaking about empathy as a skill, and the need to mirror people as a way of being empathic. She said, "The Body Remembers", and so it does. In my workshop on Nonverbal Communication for Caregivers of People with Dementia, I felt as though I shared my experience, gave them an experience, and that we learned from each other. The workshop felt person-centered to me and I hope the participants felt that way, as that is certainly my wish. 

We talked about what people with dementia are good at ~ being in the present, emotionally perceptive. Maybe our world has something to learn from them. Could it be?

We looked at what we experienced when we shook people's hands and looked into their eyes. I wasn't teaching them something they didn't know. I was simply giving us all language for it. Why? Because we convey so much when we shake a person's hands and look into their eyes. What did we notice?  Among other things, how much of the hand was given, the duration of eye contact and handshake, the depth of the eye contact, shaping of the body to better make eye contact.

I exhibited the Octaband and dressed for the occasion in my new dress, made in Octaband colors. I felt like "The Octaband Lady", especially when I walked around with the Octaband wrapped around me like a shawl. (Another time I'll blog on people costuming with the Octaband. People often like to dress themselves in the Octaband.)

I was happy to see old friends, including therapeutic recreation specialists, activity directors, former dance movement therapy supervisees and Octaband purchasers and also to meet new ones. I made contacts which I hope will allow me to provide more dance groups to Memory Care Units around eastern and central Massachusetts and/or train folks in bringing dance to elders and people with dementia. Why? Becausedancing causes them be the liveliest they can and to enjoy being in their bodies. 

While dressed as above, I had an interesting conversation with the owner of Rehabilitation Associates, which is a small family owned chain of short and long term healthcare facilities. Each has no more than about 45 to 75 residents. I must have looked pretty strange, dressed in this Octaband, as I proclaimed adamantly that the reality is the treatment we provide our elders in care facilities, to our people with dementia is not good enough. Yes, there is a continuum of treatment, from good to worse. However,is that honoring our parents? I don't think so.

So I came home and wrote:

What would it really mean to revere our elders?

Those who came before us?

To honor our mothers and fathers?

What would it mean?

 

What would it mean to treat them with reverence, deep honor?

Queen for a Day?

A cloak and a crown? To sit on a dais?

What would it mean?

 

What would it mean to honor our mothers and fathers?

How would we treat them?

How would we thank them for all they have given us?

Our lives! This very breath!

What would it mean?

 

What would it mean to love our mothers and fathers?

Even those with dementia? Even those who can’t speak anymore?

Who can no longer “contribute”? 

What would it mean to love them?

What would it mean?

 

If they can’t speak, at least not in words,

if they can’t remember, though they do remember 

caregivers they like and caregivers they don’t.

What does it mean not to speak, not to remember?

What does it mean?

 

What does it mean to be emotionally perceptive?

To be in the present.

To not care about propriety, but to care about love.

What does that mean?

 

So I ask my readers, what does it look like? Got a picture? If you do, please send it here. I would love to post it.

 

 

 

 

Martha Graham: 117th birthday celebrated with dancing Google doodle - CSMonitor.com

Google unveiled a dancing doodle today to celebrate the dancer and choreographer Martha Graham.

via www.csmonitor.com

And here's the video that inspired the Google doodle.

“WHAT IS AN OCTABAND” YOU ASK?

From the IACD (International Association for Creative Dance) Newsletter, for PEOPLE interested in the FIELD of CREATIVE DANCE, Spring 2008, Edition #28/29, an article I wrote introducing the Octaband to fellow Mettler-based Creative Dance enthusiasts.

I’m very excited to introduce all of you to the Octaband™, a fun, interactive tool I created to promote individuality and group cohesion through movement for people of all ages and abilities. My training with Barbara Mettler has always been influential in my work as a dance/movement therapist. Each session, Barbara’s first movement structure would be, “Find a space where you have enough room to move, and where everyone has an equal amount of space.” When group members don’t have the ability to assume that equal space, it is my responsibility as a therapist to provide that space to the best extent possible. Additionally, Barbara Mettler and Norma Canner both impressed upon me that every person could dance, regardless of ability. Thus, when working as a dance/movement therapist with the elderly with both physical impairments and dementia, I created the Octaband™as a way to include everyone present in the dance. The Octaband™ legs have hems on the end, which when slipped over wrists or ankles; enable each person to participate actively or passively, and to have an equal amount of space. Additionally,
the stretchy fabric allows each person to move in her/his unique way and still see and feel their connection to the group, enhancing awareness of others.

Octaband™ is made of nylon and spandex in a combination of electric pink, aqua and lime. The 8-leg Octaband™ extends to 78” and can be used by 2 to 8 people; the 16-leg extends to 118” and can be used by 2 to 16 people. By wrapping the Octaband™ around the hand several times it can take up less space, by stretching it can expand to a larger size.

IACD is a wonderful organization of dancers and dance educators committed to carrying on the beautiful work of Barbara Mettler in the world. The 16th Annual Creative Dance Congress will be held in Portland, OR, June 19 - 24.

Exciting Happenings in the World of Expressive Arts Therapies

Cecile Reve of ARTrelief will receive the ShiningStar Inclusion Award by the Waltham Special Education Parent Advisory Council (WSEPAC). She was nominated by a parent of one of the children who receives expressive arts therapy services at Artrelief. "This award embodies the spirit and the mission of the WSEPAC and is presented at the annual reception to individuals or organizations that have demonstrated exemplary service and dedication in their effort to include children with special needs in school and the community." ARTrelief is having a Spring Fundraiser on Saturday, May 7.

Please join us for a day of fun and creativity! Bring your family, friends, and fellow community members to enjoy our workshops, food, open mic, art sale and more. Have your portrait taken and raise funds so that we can continue to make quality service accessible to all!

818 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472

Phone: 617-924-1285 | artrelief.info@gmail.com

On another front, Toward an Embodied Science of InterSubjectivity (TESIS) is posting two postgraduate / PhD research positions in Germany. The major goal of TESIS is to

"replace the static, individualistic paradigm still dominant in social cognition research with a comprehensive framework for embodied intersubjectivity applicable in the biomedical sciences, the humanities, and society in general. Thus, it intends to show how we become human by embodied interaction with others from the moment of birth."

You can find out more about these positions by clicking here.

 

The Healing Power of Dance, on National Endowment for the Arts Blog

Check out this May 3 entry by Dr. Sherry Goodill, President of the American Dance Therapy Association on the National Endowment for the Arts blog. The article was written for National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day in support of SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA is working to bring awareness about "the needs of children and teens who have experienced trauma, communicating about trauma informed care and how to support resilience and recovery for these kids."

 

Dance/movement therapy (or DMT) harnesses the many elements of dance that have therapeutic potential. DMT does not emphasize dance technique and it is not about the artistic product (a performance). Rather, it is very much about improvisation, the mobilization and exchange of energy, and the creative, expressive process. DMT clients learn to move in ways that are authentic to how they are feeling and experiencing life, in the context of a supportive therapeutic relationship.

It has been reported that children who have been traumatized can live on the alert, anxious and fearful. Dance-based methods for getting grounded, for sensing the body’s energy and position, and for developing breath support can help with learning to pay attention to one’s own needs, and for feeling more in control, and for regulating fearful or angry reactions.

Dance ~ Physical, Social, Emotional & Spiritual ~ Self Help or Therapy?

Dance movement therapist Danielle O'Brien was heard on RadioBoston, WBUR, April 22. The occasion was the 100th birthday of Floyd Crellin, a resident at Goddard House in Brookline, nicknamed "Twinkle Toes" by fellow workers many years ago. Crellin still loves to dance and his son credits dance as the motivation to keep him going ~ wanting to dance at his 100th birthday. In the radio clip, Danielle introduces herself as a DMT and speaks about the resident, who loves getting older.

 

O'Brien was also quoted in the Boston Sunday Globe, May 1. "Goddard House movement therapist Danielle O'Brien said that it is not just the exercise, but dancing that keeps Crellin so vigorous for his age. 'You can only get so much from riding the bike and lifting weights. Dance is different. It's not just physical, but has a social, emotional, and spiritual connection as well', O'Brien said. 'Those people for whom dance has been a significant part of life have a whole component of wellness that ties all those things together. 'That really shows in Floyd's well-being, his cognitive spiritual and emotional health.'"

As public relations chairperson for the American Dance Therapy Association, I frequently get asked questions about the benefits of dance. There are many, as dance movement therapist Danielle describes. So if one dances, is that therapy? No! Dancing is therapeutic, it is an excellent choice for self help and wellness. But it is not therapy. Therapy always happens within the context of a therapeutic relationship.

There are many who describe themselves as dance therapists, but they are simply calling themselves that without the education, the practice, the years of supervision, or the credential. To be a board certified dance movement therapist, the standards are quite rigorous. An R-DMT is the entry level credential for a DMT, which requires a master's degree including 700 hours of supervised clinical internship. BC-DMT is the advanced credential, indicating an additionally completed 3,640 hours of supervised clincial work. The coursework itself is rigorous, and includes studies in psychotherapeutic frameworks, movement observation, and dance movement therapy theories. Dance movement therapists are bound by ethical frameworks. Not so a person who simply uses dance to do "therapy".

So, when should one dance for therapy, and when see a dance movement therapist? I tend to be conservative in my treatment methods - for myself as well as others, that is, begin with the simplest, least radical. If you are basically a well person, put on some music and dance by yourself or take a dance class. At some point you may discover that you are stuck. You are unhappy or perhaps unable to achieve your goals. Maybe you have difficulty in relationships. That's when you want to see a therapist.

A therapist is an objective outsider who has no vested interest in your being a particular way (ideally). A dance/movement therapist provides a supportive relationship, building your confidence by letting you know that you are seen, heard and experienced. While verbal psychotherapists use words as the medium, dmt's use movement and/or dance and may also use words. Dance may look like you imagine dance to look, or it may simply be the dance of interaction. Dance and movement are particularly helpful because they tap the body's wisdom. Each of us knows our path to wellness if we could only hear it, sense it. By moving, we access muscle memory, which can help us to unblock our resistances. In addition, dance and movement activates us, bringing what we know into action. The therapist helps by giving feedback along the way, reflecting us back, underlining our strengths as well as our "growing edges".

In my experience, every person runs out of internal resources at some point(s) in their lives. We need others to give us feedback so that we can continue to grow. Sometimes we get that feedback from friends and/or teachers or mentors. At other times, it pays to find the right therapist.

Floyd Crellin found the dance himself. However, after he broke his hip 2 years ago, he needed a physical therapist to help him regain his strength and with whom he exchanged P.T. for the ballroom dance lessons he provided her. Danielle O'Brien allowed Floyd to see himself as she saw him, as the catalyst for others to also have positive feelings toward aging.

Thanks to Danielle O'Brien for bringing dance movement therapy into the media. In addition to WBUR and the Boston Sunday Globe, there are links to this article in USA Today and Broadway Stars. As National Dance Week draws to a close, I wish you wellness through dance.