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Dance as an expression of body movement is as old as man’s
social history. But today it is also being used as a therapy
to beat stress and depression, reports Ritusmita Biswas
Smita Bose, a homemaker, was utterly miserable. She had lost
her only son to cancer, was just divorced and jobless. She
was taking regular counselling sessions and was in a precarious
mental condition. Her counsellor suggested that she should
go for dance therapy. “It has worked wonders. I had never
danced in my life and at first I was sceptical but then slowly
I started looking forward to it. Eventually, I found a new
dimension to life and I brushed off my depression. After all,
life has to go on,” says a sad but serene Smita who since
then has joined modern dancing and salsa classes.
Dancing away your blues does not seem to be just a literary
phrase any more. It is a reality. It is increasingly getting
popular. Traditionally, dance has always been connected with
celebrations and happy occasions and so it is not surprising
that dance therapy is induced to combat depression and induce
happiness in life. Not only that, it is also used to treat
various social and emotional ailments. “It’s a regular
feature in several mental institutions and in my own personal
experience I can say it has helped a lot of patients,”
says Anita De, in-charge of Navajivan, a care centre for the
handicapped where dance therapy is used.
Says Chandra Sinha, a social worker with an NGO which works
for disabled children: “A dance class is a must for an
over all development of the child be he a normal or a physically/mentally
challenged one.”
Sohini Chakraborty of Kolkata uses Dance Movement Therapy
(DMT) to bring confidence and renewed interest in life to
women from underprivileged sections, particularly victims
of trafficking and those living with HIV/AIDS. Her organisation
Kolkata Sanved is not confined to urban areas alone but works
with women in rural areas as well. “Dance is a powerful
medium; its movements induces a feeling of a liberation of
the body and has a positive reaction and so works wonderfully
in fighting depression,” Chakraborty says.
Dance is a joyful way to keep fit too. “Dance is an excellent
way to relieve stress. Half the people in my class are busy
executives who have found this unique mode to keep fit and
relax,” says Ashi who teaches modern dance in Delhi.
Agrees her student Anupama: “I have been learning salsa
for the last four months. It’s something I look forward
to and it helps me to keep fit. For the last few months my
stress level has significantly reduced. Definitely, these
classes have a therapeutic value for me,” she says.
So what exactly is dance therapy? It is a mixture of modern
dance and psychiatry that works on the principle that mind
and body are interrelated. It uses choreographed movements
to enhance one’s personality by treating various psychological
hitches of the person. Experts proclaim that apart from helping
one to maintain good health it also enhances one’s personality
by increasing self esteem and reducing stress.
Says Nandini Guha, a general physician currently involved
in research project in an American university. “Any sort
of stress, physical or mental, strains the muscles of the
body. Dance helps you to relax and gives a feeling of accomplishment
and pleasure. It is also a social exercise and helps people
to open up and feel distressed.”
Maya Das (name changed ) was the headmistress of a reputed
south Kolkata school. She was a spinster, obese and in her
own terms, ugly. When her psychoanalyst suggested to her to
practise dance therapy to overcome depression she thought
he was crazy. “Imagine some one asking a fat old woman
to learn dance! But it helped. I feel by being a strict disciplinerian
I had almost forgotten to smile. Now as I interacted with
my co-dancers suddenly I felt alive and joyful again,”
she says.
But how does dance therapy heal? The body movement reflects
the inner state of the person and in dance therapy you move
the body within guided therapeutic settings, thus triggering
a healing process. This therapy is often customised as per
the need. A therapist analyses the problem, physical capabilities
of a person, body shape, posture before prescribing a treatment.
It can be either group or individual depending on the need
of the person,
This therapy tones up the body keeping it physically fit and
inducing a feeling of general well ness. The guided movements
help the muscles to relax and help people react spontaneously
to an event. You need to have any prior dance training to
undergo this therapy. Most therapists stress on creative movement
that helps a person to know within himself and in time reach
out to others. People develop the power to express themselves,
their creative process improves and they feel confident.
The therapist who watches one’s movement tells how to
connect movement with thoughts. This process of learning to
connect movements with thoughts helps to enhance mental well
being: motivation, memory and cognitive skills improve.
It is also effective to help people overcome social and behavioural
problems. In this case usually a patient is given a group
therapy. When in a group the person does not feel isolated
it helps him/her to overcome problems and forge social and
emotional bonds. But is this therapy effective? Yes claims
the medical practitioners. For once it helps to take off a
disturbed individuals mind from the problem that is pestering
him and helps them to relax so that they can tackle their
problems with a fresh mind. Besides research suggests that
whenever a person engages in any form of physical activity
it releases certain chemicals in the brain that restore balance
of positivity.
Says dramatist Subhasish Bandhopadhyaya, the force behind
Anyadesh, a theatre group for physically and visually challenged
in the city: “Any form of performing art is a great tool
to enhance the confidence of a person. Anyadesh is not just
a theatre group but also a rehabilitation centre for women
alienated by blindness and poverty, women who are coming to
terms with their affliction and moving forward through art.”
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