I’ve been interested in Dance/movement therapy (DMT) since my junior year of high school when I first learned of its existence. Dancing and helping people!? The combination could not have been more up my alley. I did some research, took some classes, and found that the path wasn’t the one that would be right for me at the present time, but my fascination with it never diminished. So when I got the opportunity to speak to a trained Dance/movement therapist herself, I was overjoyed. And, when we planned a day that I could come observe her at work, I could barely contain my excitement. Despite my research, dance/movement therapy is still a fairly elusive profession, and I really couldn’t grasp what DMT sessions looked like. Seeing it in action was something I had wanted to witness for six years.
I got in touch with a local dance/movement therapist, Kaity, who worked with the special needs population and graciously agreed to let me pick her brain about her career. I could tell from the start that she was the perfect kind of person to do this important work by her calm nature and inherent love for other humans. After checking with her client that it would be okay if I come, Kaity worked with me to find a date that I could come see what she does first hand.
When the day finally came around for me to make the hour drive to meet Kaity and see her work, I started to get a little nervous. I love dance. I love therapy. I love interacting with and helping people who are differently abled. Dance/movement therapy had a lot to live up to. Six years of high expectations worth, in fact.
Of course, Kaity was incredibly friendly to me right away. She had a soothing voice that I could tell played a role in her success as a therapist (and a yoga teacher!) and she welcomed me to the space. She told me a bit about the client we would be seeing, a young adult female who had an intellectual disability and emotional trauma. Kaity explained that she wasn’t exactly sure what would happen with me in the room, but that she was open to however the client received me. Maybe I would sit in the corner and watch, or maybe I would move with them. I was impressed by her ability to go with the flow; it demonstrated her expertise before the session even began.
When the client came in, she smiled at me before I was even introduced. While Kaity went to the restroom, the client made me feel right at home, asking me how my thanksgiving was and where I went to school. She was incredibly social and cheerful. Once the three of us were back together, we sat in a little circle on the floor. The therapist checked in with the client, asking her how she was, and then asked if the client could introduce herself to me. She told me all about who she was, how much she loved to dance, and more.
After about 10 minutes of talking together, Kaity brought out some flashcards that had feeling words on them. It was the client’s job to choose one card to represent her past, one to represent her present, and one to represent her future. Kaity and I did the same. Then we explained the feelings we chose. I was really honored and impressed that the client shared her raw, difficult feelings with a complete stranger in the room. Her past feeling, especially, was not a particularly positive emotion, so it was really cool that she felt comfortable sharing. Next, we each got to choreograph a three part movement based on our feelings. Kaity worked with the client by asking questions like, “What do you think x feeling looks like?” The client (clearly passionate about dance), came up with graceful motions without hesitation. We each performed our movement for each other and applauded. When that was done, we sat back down. Kaity then debriefed with the client, saying that she noticed the client is hoping for bigger, happier motions in the future. The client agreed, even saying she hopes to be more confident.
It was so interesting how Kaity was able to take the movements that the client created and help her understand a goal for her future that related to her own confidence, self-worth, and happiness. I loved that I got to see the wheels turning in the client’s head as she processed what it means to take up more space, not only with her movement but in her life as well. I also saw her learn other things in the session. Openness, emotional processing, the concepts of past, present, and future, and more.
The session was shorter than I anticipated. There was less movement. And yet I finally understood the essence of dance/movement therapy. Granted, this was one client, and every session looks different (I was reassured that there is typically more movement and less chatting), but I was able to see that DMT is about more than dancing and helping people. It goes deeper than that. It’s about your body and your soul. Who you are. Your place in the world. Your passions, your fears. I love that it is so all-encompassing of who a person was, is, and who they want to be. It was the perfect reminder that movement’s power is healing in such a variety of ways.
Special thanks to Kaity Morelli for her kindness and generosity in sharing her space, time, and expertise with me.