The use of metaphors in dance movement therapy

Abstract

This text focuses on the specific structure of metaphors in terms of movement processes. The processing of symbolic movement material through structures derived from dance as an art form is investigated. Metaphors that support nonverbal attunement between patient and therapist, and how the use of metaphors and creative processes help establish the inter-subjective relation in dance movement therapy are described.

Keywords:

• dance movement therapy
• metaphor
• creative process
• nonverbal attunement
• intersubjective space
• hermeneutics
• embodiment

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the comments by Niels Lous on the English translation.

Notes

Notes

1. Gadamer et al. (1977) looked upon play as an elementary function of human life. It implies:

• movement without purpose;

• inner movement of the person (as a property of life);

• there are self structuring tendencies in play (it does have a certain usefulness);

• this becomes visible and manifest in a performance without any aim;

• what makes the rules in a performance without aim seems to be ‘Vernunft’/rational attitude;

• this attitude makes it possible to work on repetition; from repeating this performance of personal play the individual can develop identity;

• play is the eventually self-representation (‘Selbtdarstellung’) of the movement that is being played;

• thus the player is referring to himself through the play.

2. Petzold (1988) developed the ‘integrative movement therapy,’ wherein he conceptualised the term ‘body memory.’ He describes how by moving images may be provoked that arise from scenes of the past and how vice versa by imagining scenes or symbols our body tends to react with movements connected to these scenes.

3. Bartenieff (1983) described Laban's concepts on body, space, effort and their use in therapy. Many dance therapists use his concepts to structure their interventions.

4. We compare the structural aspects of metaphors to the ‘deep structure’ as described by Chomsky (1965) in his work on linguistics. These concepts were carried on by Lakoff and Johnson (1999), and Johnson and Rohrer (2006).

5. Kris (1989) introduced the concept of ‘aesthetic illusion’ to describe how the ‘make-believe’ of a performance generates real feelings in the participating audience.

6. We follow the concepts of Binswanger (1962) and Gadamer (1977), who described hermeneutic activity deriving from experience and contact. See also Mooij and Widdershoven (1992).

7. The self-organising quality of the therapeutic situation was analysed and described by Goudsmit (1998).

8. The process of intentional attunement to the movements of a partner is possible due to the action of mirror neurons. They provide us with the base for empathy: Gallese et al. (2007).