Dance Movement Therapy as an Alternative for Rehabilitating People with Mental Disorders

Abstract

The invention of antipsychotic drugs has greatly promoted the treatment of mental diseases, and available medical treatments do not sufficiently address all symptoms and many can cause additional side effects. Thus, rehabilitation therapy plays a significant role and serves as a supplementary method in alleviating symptoms, enabling patients to readapt to society, totally restoring their social functions, and keeping them fit as well. Dance movement therapy (DMT), unlike traditional psychotherapy, uses nonverbal body and mind integration method to further individual’s emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration, which has become an increasingly recognized and used treatment in mental disorder. DMT may improve psychological and emotional health by enhancing self-awareness and self-control and improving interpersonal function. However, empirical evidence is sparse due to various reasons. Rigorous clinical researches in real-world with patient-based meaningful outcomes are required in the future. Moreover, it is important for DMT therapists to constantly learn “rehabilitation language” and update the current mental health methods, so that they can better take advantage of DMT in rehabilitation treatment. Totally, the rehabilitation of patients with mental disorders takes a heavy burden and embarks on a long road. DMT may be an alternative for rehabilitating people with mental disorders.