Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

Increased Value on Something Tangibly Human Made - Dance Therapy

I was listening to Tom Ashbrook on "When Machines Do The Work" on WBUR's On Point Radio last Friday, Nov. 25.

The show was "What will be our jobs? Never mind outsourcing, it’s machines moving in on the workplace." Ashbrook suggested one of the callers' ideas might be a good one. That idea was that long-term, we should reevaluate jobs. Social workers, people who provide the interpersonal, the artistic, work in the physical world, storytellers, people who transmit joy ~ maybe these people should be more highly valued.

I think he's onto something. And I hope the time to reevaluate is sooner rather than later. The world definitely needs some re-eVALUating of priorities. I believe, and I think that at least some of the 99% who are Occupying Wall Street, Boston, etc. believe that our country's priorities have too long been out of alignment. Here are some photos of what I consider to be of value. The first 2 are from the training program I offered in NJ in Relationship-centered Nonverbal Communication.

The next 2 photos are from my friend and colleague, dance therapist Heather Hill's training workshop in Merimbula, Australia where they are using the Octaband.

Heather is world reknowned for her work and writing about dance therapy and dementia care. I am grateful to her for the beautiful work that she does. You can see that her trainees are as well.

Walking in Their Shoes, Michael Krauthamer on Alzheimers Speaks Radio Show

Krauthamer's new book, Walking in Their Shoes, looks pretty good. He will be a featured host on The Alzheimers Speaks Radio Show on 12/20/11. "From his first experience with Alzheimer's disease, he learned that through observation, non-verbal and verbal communication, he could effectively communicate with people who were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and considered non-communicative. . . ." Krauthamer shares 2 simple techniques in his book. I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say.

What's the Difference between Dance Therapist and Artist in Healthcare?

That is an excellent question. Emily D'Annunzio takes a pass at this question in a blog article. D'Annunzio states "The single most important difference between dance movement therapists and artists in health care is the education that dance/movement therapists receive.  As therapists we have the knowledge and background to work with individuals with disabilities." D'Annunzio also says, " Undoubtedly moving and dancing may stir up some emotions/feelings, which is where a dance/movement therapist can verbally process with that person to help promote therapeutic growth."

While I agree with her points, I don't think it's our knowledge about working with people with disabilities which differentiates us. It's our embodied therapy, movement and counseling skills which enable us to perceive and address cognitive, emotional, physical, and/or spiritual distress through the body's movement and words within the therapeutic relationship. It is our understanding of these things and our experience as manifested in our own bodies and movement which is the skill set that only dance movement therapists bring to people in need.

I believe it's the difference between having a good time in the moment and laying the groundwork for deep therapeutic change.

The Mystery of Embodiment - a Free 4-day Telesummit

What does it mean to be embodied? Is it simply one’s sense of being in the body? Or is it something deeper and more mysterious? Is embodiment innate, or is it a transformative practice in and of itself?

I'm looking forward to checking out this free 4 day telesummit hosted by Meridian University's Psychology program with many significant contributors to the field. As far as I know, there are no DMTs on this list; however, professional ADTA member and voice movement therapist Anne Brownelle studied in depth with Norma Canner. will be speaking on Sunday, Dec. 4, 11-11:30 PST.

Speakers include Thomas Moore, Pat Ogden, Stanley Keleman, and more. Laury Rappaport will be interviewed about Focusing and the Expressive Arts on Sunday, Dec. 4th, 11-11:30 PST (2-2:30 EST).  Laury describes the process as "a creative synthesis of Eugene Gendlin's Focusing with art/expressive arts therapy. You will also be able to listen to  the telesummit afterwards. You just need to register.

Flash Mob in Jerusalem
Celebrating the beauty of diversity and the desire for peace through dance.

Gratitude for My Body and the Dance

As Thanksgiving approaches and I consider all the many blessings I have, I am truly grateful for my health. I cannot say, as some others do, that I still feel like I'm 21. I have aches and pains I didn't used to have, and less endurance than I used to. Of course, if I would dance and stretch more, I would probably feel considerably better. It is difficult to balance the many responsibilities and aspects of my life ~ just one of life's many challenges.

One of my more recent blessings has been dancing with Back Pocket Dancers in Dance me a Story.

This past Monday we performed for the Somerville Council on Aging, thanks to a grant from the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Performance is new to me the past few years, and I am grateful for life lessons I learn by performing. For years I didn't perform because I thought I needed to be perfect first. Since it's getting late in my life to be a perfect dancer, I thought I'd better perform anyway if I ever wanted to.

Despite my mistakes, the 70 or 80 folks present seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. My daughter said she found the performance very entertaining. Hopefully, the folktales we danced were also inspiring.

Back Pocket Dancers is seeking bookings in schools, elder and intergenerational venues and community centers. Contact Joan Green for more information. Or contact me.

Dance Therapy and the Octaband in the International Business Times

Cristina Merrill wrote a very nice article entitled, Dance Therapy: A Profession with its Own Rhythm in the November 18 isue of International Business Times, Business & Health Section. The article quotes a number of dance therapists, including Amber Elizabeth Gray, Christia Devereaux, Nancy Koprak, DMT student Diana Seabra, and myself. There is also a video showing a little of a dance therapy class with Koprak speaking about dance therapy.

Of course, I love that the image shown is of Koprak and students using the Octaband. The video also shows the Octaband in use in her class. My hope is that people will understand that this is only one perspective on DMT. As Koprak says, no 2 sessions are alike. Not all dance therapists use props. Working with people with dementia, I use a LOT of props, and it's because people with mid to late stage dementia need a lot of sensory stimulation to motivate them that I created the Octaband. However, I don't always use the Octaband. I use it when the group is the right size, and when I feel that the individuals have begun to express themselves a bit, but need an infusion of energy from the rest of the group. The Octaband always seems to serve that function.

I am grateful to Merrill for doing her research about the profession and interviewing a number of people. There was one statement by Ted Gansler of the American Cancer Society that I think is misleading. "Dance therapy provides aerobic exercise with its cardiovascular and metabolic benefits and can help with range of motion/flexibility and balance". Sounds to me like he is imagining what dance therapy might look like, and he sees a Zumba class or ballroom dance. Dance therapy may involve dance and exercise forms such as those. However, dance movement therapy can also be meditative. In my groups with people with dementia, I could wish that it would be cardiovascular, but I'm afraid only I and perhaps a couple of staff and maybe a resident or 2 may get those type of benefits.

For more about dance movement therapy, go to the ADTA website.

Dancing Keeps Us Young

108 year old WWII veteran says that dancing keeps him young. I can believe that. One of the things that has inspired me about being a dance movement therapist is how vibrant and alive many of my mentors have been into their 80's and 90's.

Last week-end I went to see a local screening of Breath Made Visible, the documentary film about Anna Halprin. For the most part, it was an aesthetically beautiful film of an aesthetically driven woman. It was especially beautiful to see Anna dancing as an old woman; she is 92. However, she only looks old when she wants to convey that in the dance. Judging by her appearance when I got to see Halprin in action at the Society for the Arts in Healthcare conference last spring, she remains vibrant.

 

Sitting beside me at the screening was dance therapy pioneer and my mentor, Norma Canner. Norma is also 92, and although somewhat frail, her spirit remains feisty. And while she can sometimes be forgetful (and who among us isn't?), her mind is sharp!

While neuroscientists are beginning to understand mind body connections in the brain, dance movement therapists have been operating under that understanding based on clearly visible evidence for the past 70+ years. I look forward to neuroscientists understanding better why what we do works so well. I also look forward to their discoveries about why dance can help people live longer, healthier lives.

And in the meantime, I look forward to Back Pocket's dress rehearsal tomorrow and our performance on Monday for the Somerville Council on Aging at the Somerville Holiday Inn. I'm remembering Ann, one of the elderly women I worked with who turned to me one day and said, I'm 94. I never danced when I was young. I was fat. Who would ever have thought I'd be doing new things at 94?

Children in Hospital Enhance Healing Process with the Octaband

Although the research is still out, endorphins are believed to enhance the immune system and personal stories certainly bear this out. Just look at photos of Sara Rubinstein's dance movement therapy group at Children's National Medical Center to see children whose attention is focused, not on illness or pain, but on playing together through the use of the Octaband.

Blind, Multihandicapped, Develpmentally Delayed Woman Organized by Octaband

Nancy Jo Cardillo, dance movement therapy (DMT) friend and colleague, was leading a large dance therapy group with adults with developmental disabilities at Arc today. One woman, new to the facility and the program, was blind, multihandicapped and developmentally delayed. Apparently, she was expressing her extreme stress at this transition by having 4 temper tantrums before group. Seeing the woman's distress, DMT intern Emily Stebbins was quick on her feet as she reached for an Octaband, inviting those who wanted to use it, standing or sitting, to hold a leg. Another staff person slipped the loops on this woman's wrist. As she grabbed hold of the Octaband, the new woman felt the fabric and the tension, and instantaneously began to de-escalate. Nancy Jo asked the woman her choice of musicm quick or slow. The woman answered "slow". Nancy Jo encouraged participants to move slowly in and back out again and the woman joined in. "It was like magic". Whatever the woman was doing spontaneously, Nancy Jo and Emily suggested that others also do. Leading by following is something that dance therapists often do.

Nancy Jo at a Feeding Ourselves Anniversary Celebration

From the moment that she touched the Octaband, the new woman left her temper tantrum behind. Why? Nancy Jo's understanding was that the Octaband helped the woman organize herself. The space may have been too large for her. It helped her sense her body, gave her a sense of her weight and volume, and something that she had control over. My understanding is that it also gave her a sense of belonging. She now felt her connection to these strangers, all of whom were new to her.

In addition to helping the new woman organize herself, the Octaband helped the entire group organize. There was the circle of those in the middle using the Octaband, but also the entire rest of the circle, consumers, program staff and administrators looking on were all focused on that center circle. And, as Nancy Jo said, everyone was grateful to the Octaband for helping this woman find her center again. She remained in control for the rest of the day.

As I hear these stories and see the magic occur repeatedly, I can't help but consider the very archetypal image of the Octaband. For me, it is an octopus, but it is also the sun. It also looks very much like a neuron. And I think, in some way, the Octaband is a visual representation of the Self. Each of us is an Octaband, with a (hopefully) strong center, and the legs (or arms) that reach out into the environment ~ each of us giving and receiving ~ CONNECTING to one another. Like neurons. Individuals and yet members of a group. If only we would all see ourselves that way.

Nancy Jo Cardillo will be presenting at the Expressive Therapies Summit in NY this Saturday, Nov. 12, 2:30 - 3:50 pm, Jumpstarting Symbolic Play in Dance Therapy Groups for Children.