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ABSTRACT
A new body of knowledge, growing out of the clinical and research fields, has been developing in recent years in the area of dance-movement psychotherapy for couples (DMP-C). Formulation of an intervention protocol based on a systematic review of theories and research is crucial to scientifically establishing the field and to implementing research findings in clinical practice. The present article reviews the results of a comprehensive qualitative research study in DMP-C, which addresses the following topics: couple intake, expectations of couples seeking therapy, a projective identification mechanism in the couple relationship, desires and expectations in the sexual relationship, synchrony in the non-verbal relationship, somatic mirroring, and kinaesthetic empathy in the couple relationship. Based on the findings of the research, a systematic intervention protocol for couples psychotherapy through movement and dance has been developed; its unique contribution will be examined alongside other interventions in couples therapy.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
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Einat Shuper Engelhard
Einat Shuper Engelhard (PH.D) is the Head of the Dance Movement therapy training and research associate in Haifa University’s School of Creative Art Therapies. Prior to that she served as the Head of the Dance Movement therapy training at Kibuzzim college (2013–2017). She is a psychotherapist and a dance movement therapist (supervisor). She worked as a therapist with Holocaust survivors and in various kindergartens and high-schools in Israel, with children who suffer from emotional difficulties and developmental problems.