From Depression to Parkinson’s Disease: The Healing Power of Dance

Dance therapy looks at the way body posture and movement affect our ability to regulate emotions

We dance for pleasure and to uplift the spirit, which helps explain why dancing can be therapeutic. Illustration - Shutterstock

“When a body moves, it’s the most revealing thing. Dance for me a minute, and I’ll tell you who you are.” Mikhail Baryshnikov, acclaimed ballet dancer

Why do we stop dancing when we grow up? Why do we disconnect and alienate ourselves from the body? It is surprising to me that dance/movement therapy (DMT) is not more popular within the fields of psychology and psychotherapy globally.

For a couple of decades, I devoted my attention as a researcher in behavioral neurobiology and psychiatry almost exclusively to the brain and mental health, neglecting the rest of the body.