Monday 9 June 2014

Expressive Movement Therapy

We are born to evolve. Yet the paths we need to walk on that journey are inscrutable. We don't chose to have emotional breakdowns, suffer from ill health or abuse. But to carry on, we need to digest and transform whatever we encounter. 



Sometimes, we are able to talk through such events with a friend or a therapist. So we free ourselves from their influence. But there are occasions when our feelings recede into the subconscious. Or, we feel ashamed to talk about what happened. We continue to experience their negative effects in our daily lives, but we are unable to face them. 

"I had an accident and damaged my knee. I have been in pain for a couple of months now. I had several treatments, but my doctor said it may never heal. I am unable to do sports or even go for longer walks. I feel sad about it."

We may carry on, adding more and more details. How it happened? Who is to blame? What was the medical diagnosis? etc. But, unless we write poetry or songs, words don't suffice. They can only summarise our complete experience.

Expressive movement is an organic way of releasing our emotions. Although practiced in many tribal cultures, the modern society has suppressed it. 

Unlike in performance arts, we move to bring about change in ourselves, not in the spectators. So, the symbolic sense of our movements can be entirely personal. We work on releasing as much meaning as possible. Without caring about conveying universal messages. We all have this ability and we don’t need to learn new skills. 

Expressive movement is not a clinical therapy, but a tool for personal evolution. Useful for anyone who feels a need to transform their lives. For choreographers, it can be an infinite source of inspiration. We can practice alone, or in a group. Initially, with a facilitator who will guide us through the experience.

No comments :

Post a Comment