Expressive-Relational Dance Movement Therapy
My specific methodology, Expressive-Relational Dance Movement Therapy (DMT-ER®) has been systematised in the 90s by the Italian psychiatrist, group analyst and dance therapist Vincenzo Bellia.
It takes inspiration by the Expression Primitive (Herns Duplan) and group analysis (W. Bion, S.H. Foulkes) and it is primarily rooted in the artistic and expressive nature of dance.
It considers creativity as an interpersonal process: in the DMT-ER® method, precisely, it is the encounter with the other, in a playful and safe setting, that enables participants to develop new ways of being in the world.
Rhythm plays a crucial role in this methodology: it works as organiser of the physical, psychological and relational experience. Our body is a polyphony of rhythms: the breathing, the heartbeat, the body's circadian rhythm. Our relational life is marked rhythmically as well, starting from the intrauterine relationship with the maternal heart.
We can say that discomfort and psychopathology are, in some ways, a manifestation of being out of rhythm.
The DMT-ER® works actively on the rhythmic dimension to restore this individual and collective balance.
Drawing from the traditional dance rituals and the psychodynamic group psychology, finally, the DMT-ER® formulated peculiar models of organisation of the therapeutic setting, based on the idea that the path to self-development always passes through the encounter with the other.
A Dance Movement Therapy session
A dance movement therapy session is structured in three phases: an opening phase, a central phase and the closure.
In the opening phase through a warm-up, the whole body of the dancer is activated, gradually preparing him to connect with other people and helping him become familiar with space.
During the central phase, dancers explore the theme of the session through choreographed and improvised solo, duet and group dances.
The closure phase involves integrative activities that enable the dancer to organise in his body and mind the experience made, preparing him to part from the group of dancers in a pleasant way and to come back to his daily life.
In the session, different types of props can be used: sticks, ropes, rubber bands, cloth, etc.
These objects gradually ease participants into being in close physical proximity; they establish continuous real-time feedback on the dynamic tone and posture of those who use them; furthermore, their specific material characteristics and properties stress selectively different parts of the body, facilitating the awareness of their dynamic qualities.