Communicating Through Movement Therapy

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imagine this

it’s a crisp october morning here in

austin texas

i’m standing on the outer edge of my

school’s playground where i work

as a dance movement therapist the sun is

shining brightly

through the branches of the tall oak

trees as i observe the students playing

just a short distance from me is a

three-year-old who recently aged up

and is joining their classmates on the

morning this morning for their first

time as i watched this three-year-old

excitedly attempt to engage and play

with a peer

i objectively observe how the

interaction unfolds

and how my body responds

in my work as a dance movement therapist

i utilize

movement to psycho therapeutically

promote the integration of a child’s

social

emotional cognitive and physical parts

what all those words mean is i use the

body

and non-verbal communication to support

children’s

mental health as i’m watching these two

kids playing

i notice that the energy of this

interaction quickly changes

as the peer does not submit to the

commanding expectations of this

three-year-old

the three-year-old’s body makes a

dramatic change

from a regulated state observable

through their light free-flowing

presence

shifting to a state of dysregulation

shown through that stereotypical upset

young person pose

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oh there might be some caregivers in the

audience

where just seconds earlier was a smiling

bright-eyed child willing to engage

is now a screaming crying

defensive child attempting to hit their

peer

as the adult how do you handle a

situation like this

when you were growing up how would your

caregiver have handled you acting this

way

would you have been scolded or punished

if it feels safe i invite you to let

your body remember what that form of

discipline felt like

did you receive love and support

did you have a valuable learning

experience

did you feel safe my assumption is

that for many of us we were probably not

often met

with a calm compassionate response

but here’s the thing it doesn’t actually

have to be that way

as the caregiver in the playground

situation i have to make a choice as to

how to proceed

i can choose to follow an older style of

discipline

where i come down hard on this

three-year-old and i hold them

accountable for their actions

i can choose to follow that part of

myself

that flares up emotionally and instantly

engages with feelings of anger

i can i can ultimately mirror back

this child’s upset joining them in their

dysregulation

or i can try something different

i can try an approach based in the body

and our biological imperative as human

beings

to be in connection with one another

you see humans are hardwired to be in

relation

from the moment we come into this world

our nervous systems

learn to attune to those around us

because we rely on the people around us

to keep

us safe our bodies

have a built-in detection system called

neuroception where our nervous systems

continuously and subconsciously

scan the environment for signs of threat

and signs of safety in young growing

bodies

their ability to control their own

actions

thoughts and emotions to self-regulate

is still under construction so for me

as i watch the crying three-year-old

attempt to take a swing at their friend

i choose to see this interaction for

what it actually is

an autonomic response to stress

their their nervous system perceives the

situation as threatening

and is automatically defending itself

what this child needs from me is help

regulating okay

so now what how do you interact with

someone in a state of dysregulation

without becoming dysregulated yourself

instead of taking in and reflecting back

what they put out i choose to share the

calm

and regulated state of my own body

i choose to compassionately guide this

young person

through those turbulent emotions back

to a state of regulation and receptivity

a process known as co-regulation

i choose to non-verbally communicate

you are safe through my facial

expressions

my gestures my tone of voice

and my posture a language i am fluent in

as a dance movement therapist so

let’s return to the scenario on the

playground

for my attempt at regulating this person

to be

successful their neuroception

will need to perceive me as safe

for that to happen my body must

remain calm i

steadily approach the dysregulated

student

when i reach them i squat

down to make myself smaller

i drop my eye line below theirs and i

draw

my limbs in closer to my torso

all to non-verbally communicate i am not

a threat

now side by side with this little person

i take a long slow deep breath

the long exhale activates the calming

branch

of the nervous system i shape my body

so that my torso is open to them just

enough

to create one child-sized cubby space

with only my body i am inviting them

into an embrace if they so choose

having worked with this student for over

a year

i am able to personalize my approach

to their sensory preferences as i reach

out

to gently stroke their back their tears

continued to stream down their face and

their vocal cries

strained louder

with an empathic gaze and facial

expression

i subtly nod my head yes

to non-verbally communicate i see you’re

having a hard time

this is stressful

i know that my attempt to send the

message you are safe

is received because the child flings

their arms around my neck

and melts into my embrace

i continue to breathe slow

long deep breaths as their weight

gives in to the support of my body

i firmly wrap both arms around them

hugging them tightly the deep pressure

felt on our skin and in our muscles

gives both of our bodies sensory

feedback

to further facilitate our co-regulation

i initiate a gentle side to side rock

as i rhythmically pat their back and

hum an opposing rhythm i’ll demonstrate

and if your body feels compelled to join

in please do

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as we continue to embrace one another

i observe as the intensity and rhythm

of their crying begins to shift

with each breath this student is

starting to breathe deeper

co-regulation is working

by utilizing multi-sensory

dance movement therapy tools like

breath sound

movement affect and

touch i guide this child’s body

back to a calmer state

only once their breath enters a

smooth even tempo and their head

lifts from my shoulder to make eye

contact

do i consider verbally communicating

i see you lost control i’m guessing that

was

hard the student sobs loudly

yes as their weight collapses

back into my embrace

through this emotional attunement i

fulfilled their biological imperative

to be in connection

when we’re able to connect and

co-regulate

with a child in a moment of distress

through

our bodies we not only meet their

biological need to be in connection

but we facilitate their understanding of

big emotions through their own

body because only once their body is

regulated are we able to pave the way

to a more valuable learning experience

by providing yourself as the model

you help them identify and recognize

the signals their body makes during

dysregulation

you become their safe space to practice

regulating this interpersonal

connection facilitates

theirs strengthens their ability

to self-regulate shapes their developing

brain

and encourages their ability to show

compassion and empathy

so remember should you find yourself

caught in a moment

with a dysregulated child or adult for

that matter

remember that you already have the most

useful tool to assist them

your body thank you

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you