Power of Touch: Working with Survivors of Sexual Abuse Within Dance/Movement Therapy

This article speaks to the importance of touch in working with a survivor of sexual abuse. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) understands the importance of integrating the body into psychotherapy. Dance/movement therapist ’s abilities to meet the individual where they are at somatically support their work with survivors in a touch model. This article, by reviewing existing literature and research in the field of the application of touch in the psychotherapeutic relationship, in combination with the research that st ates essential goals for survivors of sexual abuse within therapy, attempts to suggest ways in which DMT can enhance and support the use of touch in working with survivors. This article also suggests that touch is a healing component in psychotherapy, particularly in regards to working with survivor s to reclaim and relearn their relationship to their bodies.
Source: American Journal of Dance Therapy - Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research