My Body, My Wisdom

Book excerpt: Dance has been integral to human life since prehistoric times. As babies, we use movements to explore the environment and ourselves. It is only as we grow older that we become conscious of our bodies and our movements become task-oriented. Dance therapy, recognized as a distinct therapeutic discipline since the 1940s, attempts to unlock our bodies capacity to communicate through the use of creative movements. By getting people to move freely and allowing them to develop their own body language, it aims to reveal hidden emotions and begins the process of self-expression. My Body, My Wisdom is an easy-to-use guide to this exciting form of therapy. Taking the reader through the history, philosophy and practical aspects of dance, or movement therapy, it attempts to de-mystify the discipline and make it accessible to the lay reader as well as the practitioner. Can dance therapy be used for people of all ages and abilities? How can it be used best with special needs people? Can Indian dance forms be adapted for therapy? How should a therapy session be structured? What kind of music and props can be used? This book answers all these questions and much more. With detailed descriptions of over a hundred movement activities and games accompanied by illustrations, this handbook is for all those who wish to break out of the restrictions imposed by society on our bodies.