Rather than discuss the nature of dance therapy to a group of dance therapists, I would like to focus around the question of analytic similarities and differences between dance therapy and the other arts. The arts in therapy have much in common and yet they are each significantly different. They use different means to achieve therapeutic goals and can be considered as serving different functions within a therapeutic program. Each art has its unique properties and it is perhaps an opportune time to try to look at what these are and how they can be best used.
In his book "Stigma", Irving Goffman states:
"I have argued that stigmatized persons have enough of their situations in life in common to warrant classifying all these persons together for purposes of analysis. An extraction has thus been made from the traditional fields of social problems, race and ethnic relations, social disorganization, criminology, social pathology, and deviancy --an extraction of something all these fields have in common. These commonalities can be organized on the basis of very few assumptions regarding human nature. What remains in each of the traditional fields could then be re-examined for whatever is really special to it, thereby bringing analytical coherence to what is now purely historic and fortuitous unity. Knowing what fields like race relations, aging and mental health share, one could then go on to see, analytically, how they differ. Perhaps in each case the choice would be clear that each is merely an area to which one should apply several perspectives, and that the development of any one of these coherent analytic perspectives is not likely to come from those who , restrict their interest exclusively to one substantive area."
Substitute each of the art therapies in the aforementioned list of related fields, and we then have a way of looking at the arts in therapy in relation to each other. What kind of analytic coherence can be achieved by seeing in what ways we are alike and what ways we differ? We can assume that our therapeutic goals are similar in that they search for ways to help individuals reach their potential of self-realization. The issue then is when can we say one particular artistic mode is recommended over another for a particular individual? Is it possible that one therapy is particularly useful with certain types of people at particular times because of its differences from the other therapies ?
The art therapies have their differences, but their similarities are striking. The creative arts make use of a positive position. They move people into some kind of action. It is difficult to be passive when surrounded by dynamic tools. However, each makes use of a specific tool which is only as good as the therapists skill and imaginative use of it. The therapist in all cases must be well trained in the use of her art and should have discovered for herself the elements in that art which give it personal meaning. It is important that she recognize how that particular art form can lead to insight and personal understanding. Only by first having experienced this for herself can she then understand how others may find this same path. It can be a sustaining factor in a discouraging time.
There are several levels of purpose which are comparable to all the arts as therapies. On one level, is the introduction of relaxation through catharsis. The arts have the element of play underlying them. Children have the ability to be spontaneous and free until they are taught otherwise. It is the ability to use an activity in a special way that leads to relaxation.
Jacob Moreno says, "As practically every human activity can be the source of some degree of catharsis, the problem is to determine in what catharsis consists, in which way it differs for instance from happiness, contentment, ecstasy, need, satisfaction and so forth, and whether one source is superior in the production of catharsis to another source; indeed whether there is an element common to all sources which operates in the production of catharsis. Therefore my aim has been to define catharsis in such a way that all forms of influence which have a demonstrable cathartic effect can be shown as positive steps within a single total process of operation. I discovered the common principle producing catharsis to be: spontaneity. "
It is the spontaneity on the part of both the therapist and then the patient that can lead to the release of tension. The creative arts intrinsically have this underlying element of play and full use should be made of it.
Another purpose of the art therapies is as a diagnostic tool. Within the framework of each of the arts there are assumptions and suppositions based upon how people use that art. There have developed norms and deviations to those norms. The deviations become the focus of interest as a diagnostic tool. Through careful study of what we know of people and normal development, we pick out the areas of difference to assess what we are working with and against. The diagnoses should function only for the purpose of working for change. This is what therapy is about. It is less important to have a diagnostic label than to understand how a person is functioning and how we can help him work toward a more satisfactory way of approaching conflict and opening new horizons.
In working for change, the basic concepts are similar in all therapy. The tool of the therapist is used first to establish a positive relationship and then used to build upon the strengths of the individual. We use what a person can do and push to extend those boundaries. It is hoped that by handling situations in a less threatening atmosphere, an individual may learn enough to try some of that learning in other situations. By developing his strengths to build self-esteem and ego, the creative arts also prepare an individual to be able to use other forms of therapy.
In searching for the differences, I can only speak from the view point of dance therapy. We could say that dance therapy is good for everyone. However, that is rather a meaningless statement as any experience could be therapeutic. It is also unlikely that dance therapy will become the only mode of treatment because of its value. What unique characteristics therefore, does dance therapy have that makes it particularly useful with certain people?
The tool that is used in dance therapy is the body itself. While art and music require the use of parts of the body, such as the hands and mouth, the focal point is centered on an outside form such as a record, instrument, pencil or clay. These are the intermediares in obtaining the goals set forth by the therapist. Psychodrama uses the physical self as part of its technique, but verbalization is the skill that forges the direction of a session. The use of the body itself becomes the focal point in dance therapy. It is a very direct method. There is nothing else to translate feelings of the inner self. There need be no other object; there is no necessity to talk. While music is often used, it is also expendable. The body alone is the vehicle for communication and expression of feeling. It is also a language that is difficult to distort or conceal. It speaks honestly about the self for those who wish to observe.
Because it is such an integral part of being alive, many of the feelings about self are attached to feelings about one's own body. Feelings of worthlessness, self-hate, and guilt are all projected by gesture and body posture. The emotions are so intimately connected to the physiological self that by working with one component, the other is also touched. For example, if someone has strong feelings that are hard to control (and one might question the need for constant control), movement becomes a direct statement of feeling. It is often difficult to describe an emotion, but it is always "felt. " The muscular, nervous and autonomic systems of the body will seek relief from the discomfort. If we can provide a means of externalization of these feelings, there will be a release of tension. In contrast, if feelings are so blocked that the body is numb to expression of them, new pathways to feeling can be .re-discovered and enlarged upon by a program of exercise geared to individual needs. Simply, the method works directly toward the goal.
Movement is the most primitive of man's activities, related closely to his most basic instincts. Because the body itself is the mode, many libidinal urges are openly expressed rather than being sublimated into another form. Man expressed feeling in movement long before he had words for them. The individual also becomes more cognizant of his own feelings through the direct sensation associated with movement. One philosopher has said, "To dance is to live and to live is to dance". I quote of course Snoopy of Charlie Brown fame. The therapeutic experience often requires a return to primitive feelings so that a new structure can be built. At this time, dance therapy can be useful in getting under the layers of socialization that hinders recognition of deeper feelings basic to man.
Another difference in dance therapy is that there is direct interaction with another physical being. Involvement with another is established by rhythmically moving together. There is no need to talk although it needn't be excluded. For use in situations where language can be a barrier such as in deafness, schizophrenia, or between ghetto kids and middle class therapists, movement is a common denominator. It is my belief that dance therapy is particularly useful for those who are catatonic or otherwise so withdrawn that they do not relate to other stimuli around them. While visual and auditory stimuli can be ignored, it is more difficult to retreat from touch. Another form of withdrawal is autism. Autistic children need to experience their bodies and develop a body image. Much learning is dependent upon spacial relativity to one's self. Where there is a distortion of body image, dance therapy is the tool to explore what actually IS. For the hyperactive, who may not find tension relief in their random or ritualized movement, dance therapy can help to direct their energy toward new ways of moving within some structure.
One aspect that dance therapy has in common with psychodrama is the frequent use of groups. Movement sessions with individuals are prevalent, and yet it is the group experience that is common to dance. Marian Chace wrote:
"An individual may play a musical instrument alone or in a group gaining a great deal of satisfaction emotionally from both experiences. Painting and writing are rarely group experiences in the creative stages, both forms of art, as a rule, sharing with others the completed work rather than the work in composition. Dance on the other hand, requires from the beginning that it be a shared experience for its full enjoyment. Even finished performers prefer attending or teaching classes rather than working alone. Only in composing a solo dance with the idea of performance will they dance alone. "
Often in therapy a most important step is to help people get in contact with others. The nature of a group is that he can be an individual of his constraints. The "primal horde" according to Freud is affected by an emotional contagion that brings the group together.
"... men's emotions are stirred in a group to a pitch that they seldom or never attain under other conditions; and it is a pleasureable experience for those who are concerned, to surrender themselves so unreservedly to their passions and thus to become merged in the group and to lose the sense of the limits of their individuality.
The use of groups in dance therapy releases the isolation of emotional feeling and provides support for their expression. There is a bond of commonality in experiencing anger or lonliness through movement. When moving with others, one is able to go beyond usual individual limitations due to this contagion of feeling in a group and the support it provides.
There are basic similarities in art, dance, music therapy and psychodrama. Yet there are differences of which we must be aware. These differences should be used purposefully. There is bound to be some overlap. A music therapist will dance and dance therapist will use instruments, and role playing will fall where it fits. But even in these cases, the purpose will be dictated by the frame of reference of the therapist. It might prove interesting if there were more interdisciplinary work. There has been relatively little cooperative experimentation. The combinations of using art, music, dance and drama are as varied as the imaginations of those involved. The core of action would be similar to each but each would contribute a unique component. It could be a very exciting alliance.
In establishing an art therapies program, it is valuable to be able to recognize the role each has within the therapeutic community. Those who are using the arts in therapy should be aware how each is a complement to the other and supplements a total program. Recognizing our similarities and differences, a meaningful treatment program can be geared for each individual. The arts as therapy function similarly, but the structures differ - and dance therapists have the gift of movement as their base of action.
(статья взята из сборника: ADTA. A Collection of Early Writings: Toward a Body OF Knowledge,1989)