Kaitlynn Morelli is a Registered Dance/Movement
Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified
Yoga teacher, and Certified Reiki Practitioner.
She holds a master’s degree in Dance/
Movement Therapy and Professional
Counseling, and has utilized her
education to help others in various ways.
Find out more about Kaity at her website,
https://www.inspiredhealingtherapy.com/.
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EY: I know a little bit about dance/movement therapy (DMT), but it is still a very foreign thing to me, so I would love to hear about how exactly you describe what you do.
KM: Generally, I am constantly trying to find a way to connect the mind, the body, and the spirit. That is, how are we having a holistic approach to healing, or even just living, honestly. A lot of my sessions are therapeutic, some of them are therapy, and there is a difference between the two. I work in many different populations. Some of my youngest clients have been infants and my oldest clients have been in their hundreds. As long as you have a body and you can breathe, you can do DMT. So it’s really finding that connection. There are so many different approaches to DMT; my theoretical framework is really based in present-moment work. I try not to pre-plan too much. I sort of allow certain themes to come forward naturally, and then I just kind of run with them and I really follow the energy and the flow of the client and pick up on their needs and whatever’s there in the present moment. Sometimes if you have something too pre-planned and it’s not what the client needs, it just falls flat. So I work in the present moment primarily. And not everyone does that because that’s scary, but I honestly think it’s the most influential work that you could possibly do in this field. It [DMT] can be anything. We can be dancing. We can be playing. Some kids, or adults, or focusing on stillness, less movement, and I think it doesn’t always have this perfect definition.
EY: And that makes total sense because everyone is different and has different needs and goals, just like how stereotypical psychotherapy looks different for everyone.
KM: Exactly, we are really catering to the needs and the therapeutic goals of the client.
EY: Cool! So you mentioned you work with all sorts of different populations. Do you have a set of main clientele, are they regulars? What do your clients look like?
KM: At FAR, the nonprofit that I work at, primarily I’m working with kiddos with cognitive impairments but I also work with adults that have cognitive impairments. So that’s anything from being on the spectrum to maybe down's syndrome. I have some TBI patients, some of it is just about mental delays... I have a decent caseload at FAR. I also have a private practice where I see typical neurotic adults and couples, some families. I’ve really been working with a lot of women lately, and that’s sort of just been happening naturally. It’s interesting how my populations ebb and flow without even meaning to.... Really, though, [the clients] that I’ve worked with the most are the ones with dementia and alzheimers... I love them. I run private sessions at different adult day care centers and I’ve been doing that since I got out of school, so it’s been a long time. I just really connect with that population.
EY: And what does a typical session look like for them?
KM: Again, really present moment based because I'm not able to say “remember, last week, when we did this?” Because there is no short term memory, we really only have today. So it’s a lot of movement, some of them are nonverbal- they’ve lost that cognitive ability to express themselves fully so it’s typically going to be some sort of body part movement or isolation, leading, following, mirroring, allowing each of them to have a chance to be a leader of the session, to be a leader and be seen is really great, connecting with each other, maybe dancing with each other/physically making contact, dancing as a group… It’s super fun. So typically groups are what I’m doing with that population.
EY: Okay. But then, for instance at FAR, it’s more one-on-one?
KM: Yes. However, I just left a school, where I also work, so I’m obviously doing group sessions there. But I would say for the most part at FAR it’s one-on-one. I’ve got a couple groups but mostly private based.
EY: Specifically with your kids with cognitive impairments, are there ways that you ever see healing happening?
KM: Yeah, all the time. Beyond the functional movement that comes with dance, they’re finding greater strength, balance, mobility, stability… they’re finally also tapping into a different part of expressivity. This creative element lives within them. A lot of them are nonverbal, so what a great way to express themselves, to be seen. I mean that can be really healing in a world where they’re often silenced, constantly corrected, and living in structure (which is great, of course we need structure), it’s very healing to have a space to move how they want to move, to be the one in charge for a moment of the session, how great, to feel self confidence and learn new skills and want to try something that they’ve never done before. It’s very holistically healing.
EY: I love that. What first got you interested in this field?
KM: I’ve been a dancer my whole life, and I was so interested in psychology. I just knew there was something there for me. Right before I started undergrad at Michigan State, I found out that DMT was even a thing, and I [realized] ‘Okay that’s it, that’s the thing for me.’ So I catered my undergrad experience to help prep me for my masters in dance therapy, because I just knew. I just appreciate psychotherapy so much, I love hearing people’s stories; it’s such a precious gift. Beyond that, giving people the gift of movement and realizing their own potential through movement, I’m sure you know, is so therapeutic, and it’s so exciting to see. It’s such a different way to connect. I can sit down with a client, especially private practice wise, and it’s a very individually based treatment where half the session we might cognitively process and talk for a bit and then maybe move some of those things that we talked about and then process that movement. Or maybe we’ll create art around it. Or maybe we’ll start with movement and then journal about it. And then maybe we’ll try some reiki. There are so many ways to formulate this dynamic treatment process that involves the whole body as opposed to “Okay, we sat for an hour… Goodbye.” I have realized and witnessed in people how much it helps people realize what’s really there and what they’ve been ignoring. We are really good at ignoring our body, unfortunately. Some of us are really in tune with it but most of us aren’t because it’s pretty sensational to constantly be very aware of what’s going on in your body. There’s a lot happening there. Our society is very cut off from it. But I think that children, especially with cognitive impairments still live in and through their body sensations. So I think that’s why we are shocked sometimes when they have theses really outrageous responses to things, or are very overstimulated and have a hard time self regulating because they’re very body based individuals that can’t rely on cognition as much as we can. So dance therapy is perfect for them; it’s such a great way to help them learn how to self regulate and express while still feeling empowered.
EY: So based on that answer I can predict your answer to this next question. I’m wondering if and how DMT spills into your yoga world and vice versa.
KM: Oh my gosh. Yes. I’ve always loved yoga as well, obviously it’s that similar mind, body, spirit connection that to me is a no brainer. In the midst of writing my thesis, I moved home. While I was waiting to look for a job, I decided to go to yoga teacher training. So I really delved deeper into the process and of course it made so much sense. It furthered my practice as a DMT and beyond that helped me be a better therapist because its more ways to realize my own self care. I also thought about it strategically because yoga is less scary-sounding the dance. Most people know about yoga and they can say “Okay, I can give that a go.” It’s such a great back door approach to this work. If we can start yoga then maybe they’d be more open to trying some movement that they weren’t before. So for me it was also a strategic tool: what else can I offer my clients so they can move their bodies safely with me and feel comforted enough and supported enough that they might be willing to tap into whatever trauma or held stress and tension might be living in their body. So they go hand in hand, it’s hard to separate them.
EY: You’re just a typical yoga class teacher as well, outside of DMT, is that correct?
KM: Yes, when you say typical, what do you mean?
EY: Typical is not the right word. Outside of being a DMT, you are a teacher at a yoga studio?
KM: Yeah. I also teach aerial yoga.
EY: Oh okay! So definitely not typical!
KM: Yeah, I don’t know if it’s typical, but it’s something else that you really have to tap into like courage and trust.
EY: Okay. So with those types of classes, I know you’re definitely not as involved with the people you’re leading as when you’re doing DMT, so it might be harder to see, but do you see healing happening there?
KM: I think that’s what’s so interesting about being a yoga teacher. I run a few teacher trainings and I talk about this. As a therapist, I hold space for that. But a lot of times there’s an emotional release… and what do you do with that release? Sometimes students will come to their teacher just spilling their guts out and most times teachers don’t know what to do with all of that information. Beyond that and the whole ethical thing surrounding it, I try to wear my teacher hat when I'm teaching. At the same time, I’m holding space for therapeutic release should it need to happen, but I’m not going to see the healing as much unless it’s actually shared with me. Of course I can see shifts and changes because I’m trained in movement analysis. I can see when people are holding tension and when it finally lets go. I can pay attention to those shifts that happen in class, and it usually means a lot to people when I comment on it. I actually see it a lot in aerial yoga because I can have someone come in who’s terrified of being upside down, and then when they do it, they’re overjoyed. They’re like “I can’t believe that I was that brave!” You see it in the moment, they’re so proud of themselves. “I didn’t know that I could even do something like this.” So they’ll tell you right on the spot. So yes, I think the answer is what you’d expect. Of course it’s not going to come close to therapeutic relationship that’s built within DMT but if I can hold a therapeutic space the healing will sort of speak for itself.
EY: I’m actually going through my teacher training right now and just the other day my instructor was talking about how common it is for people to cry it out during savasana (the final pose of a class, a resting pose).
KM: Totally. I think that you have to be mindful to hold space for that. It’s scary, some people don’t want to. Love and kindness. Hold space for whatever needs to be. Luckily I’m a therapist so I’m okay with that but it does freak some people out. It should be something that’s talked about in teacher training so I’m glad you guys are talking about it because it will happen and it sucks if you’re not prepared for it. Most of the time people just want you to be there with them.
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EY: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some of my questions today. I’m so excited to have you as a consultant for this project.
KM: Of course! I’m happy to be here for you; I love spreading the word of DMT. I’m excited to move forward and help you out in any way I can.
