Reflections on individual webcam dance/movement therapy (DMT) for adults

ABSTRACT

Dance/movement therapy (DMT) has been forced to find alternative ways to operate amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Due to the restrictions of isolation, therapy sessions have begun to be held through online means, in an attempt to preserve the therapeutic relationship whilst meetings take place in separate physical spaces. Inevitably, various components of the therapy session have been impacted and altered. DMT is based uniquely on an ongoing focus on body-movements, thus enabling the therapist to gather data on personal and interpersonal processes and to assess, intervene, and interpret such data. The shift to webcam-DMT has had an influence on the manner in which the emotional body-movement ‘text’ of patients is revealed. This article attempts to illuminate the adversities affecting DMT during the pandemic and to expound ways to maintain DMT’s unique contribution despite the detriment caused to body-movement textual space in webcam sessions.

KEYWORDS:

• Webcam dance/movement therapy
• DMT
• body-movement ‘text’
• witnessing
• annihilation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anat Yariv

Anat Yariv, M.A. DMT, Psychotherapist, Supervisor and Researcher. Works at Shalvata Mental Health Center and in private clinic. lectured at various DMT programmes. Specializes in the Epimotoric Paradigm with adult’s anxiety and emotional disorders.

Yifat Shalem-Zafari

Yifat Shalem-Zafari, Ph.D. DMT and Supervisor-Counselor. The Therapeutic Center for Youth at Risk- Denmark. Lecturer at the University of Haifa, David Yellin Academic College of Education and The School for Society and Arts-Ono. For 20 years she was the Coordinator for the Creative Arts Therapies, at the Jerusalem Center for Mental Health. Runs a private clinic. Specializes in Sexual Abuse Victims and The Dyadic Relationship. Movement artist and choreographer.

Hilda Wengrower

Hilda Wengrower, DMT, Ph.D., senior lecturer at the School for Arts and Society, Ono Academic College, Israel.

Nira Shahaf

Nira Shahaf, DMT and Integrative therapist Dynamic, CBT, Scheme Therapy, PE, SE and the connection between psychic and body. Private clinic.

Dalia Zylbertal

Dalia Zylbertal, M.A, DMT. Specializes in the Epimotoric Paradigm. For 25 years worked in Psychiatry, lectured at DMT programs. Founder of the ‘Body Knows’ project of special education for children, Yuvalim School.