MA in dance therapy: in need of your help

MA in dance therapy: in need of your help
C

Caetel

Registrant
I have been working lately of defining the topic of my master in dance and drama therapy for 2006 (University of Medecine, Paris V, France).
My first task is to get together a bibliography and a few documents to help me start with.
The title of my research will be:
"A proposal of a therapeutic protocol in dance therapy for survivors of sexual abuse" (I hope the translation is not too bad. Original title: "Proposition de protocol de prise en charge en danse thrapie pour survivants d'agressions sexuelles").
This work will be based on my own experience working with survivors and on my exploration of dance therapy techniques) Hopefully it will help survivors and therapist who wish to explore art therapy in the healing process.

So I am asking for your support

1) Do you know any serious books on:
- dance therapy and sexual abuse (I doubt there is anything written on the subject)
- body memory
- trauma and dance therapy
- non verbal therapy and sexual abuse
- the effect of sexual abuse on body development
- sexual healing and creativity
- treatment of PTSD

2) I am looking for types of questionnaires (blank of course !) given to survivors in order to evaluate at the beginning of the healing process the impact of trauma and PTSD.

I am asking the mods if they would be kind enough to publish this request on the male survivor forum.
Do not hesitate to pm if you have questions.
Thank you in advance. If everything goes well, I will be working in Canada for 6 months prior to writing this thesis in 2006 and will complete the research by December 2007.
Thank you again for your support
Caro
 
I forwarded the request to Paul Linden, a member who teaches movement for survivors. He's a regular presenter at our confs. Hopefully he will be able to help Caro.
Ken
 
Thanks Ken, that's terrific news. In France I am in unknown territory, feeling like a pioneer.
Again, many thanks for taking the time to help me out
Caro
 
Hi!

Send six articles or book chapter citations
that are on both dance and SA via PM.

The best article is on line via MS Word and
also email contacts for a professor cited and another who is noted.

Would not be professional to pst that here.

Joe

RockyMtJoe
 
Got it Joe, thanks !
The word is spreading ! My supervisors will be condemned to read all the material in English. :D
 
Query: to all

I can see dance therapy for women who have been abused, of course children and say some gay men, but for men in general? Other than say very young men and certainly some of the country music fans I am wondering as to CSA males. Should I try such as
dancing to increase my ability to "touch" or loosen up?

Interesting.

RockyMtJoe

Dancing is very popular at local VFW's
and it is either themed country or Hispanic
and most all the guys are PTSD'd veterans.
 
Joe, do you somewhat feel that dancing is a just a feminine activity ? And how do you feel about that ? Do you see that somewhat "possibly enjoying dancing could be a threat to your manliness qualities ?????
I would be interested to read your views.
Thank you for taking this thread in an interesting direction.
Caro
 
Hello!

No, I do like to dance; well I did, prior to getting old.

But my wording was designed not to overtly announce to all that I am what I am as I was exclusively gay for the 60s, 70s. I am beyond liking dance, as ballet and anything folk was
part of me as theater and Broadway shows. Stereotypical perhaps but that was a part of me. Now as to this forum, here some gays are
comfortable with their orientation and some are not. CSA does appear to have may on the fence or questioning sexuality.

I am also one of a few "gays" that have been married for several decades. CSA just ruined sexuality and my issues with abusive men never left me.

In other words, some of the men here are not fitting into typical roles. Dance however is something that really helped my wife and I.
It was certainly helping with physical contact: touch and holding. Despite the health issues I should have tried it more often.

But I just do not see that many American males into dance unless country or the Hispanic style common to Texas, New Mexico and Southern Colorado.
When we were younger on cruises I must have danced with hundreds of ladies and many guys. But I was a rather show tunes fellow growing up. But I can
safely go to a VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) post and dance just not with the men.

I hope I did not mess up the discussion, I just cannot see CSA men (straight and gay) lining up for any sort of dance or movement programs.
But it would seemingly be an asset for many traits and issues CSA presents.

As I post mostly on the Gay section, I assumed that the viewers would know my orientation. Touch is a big topic as of late for both the straight and gay members. I hope that the idea of dance is offered to them.

As disabled as I am, will try and attend to try some with my partner. Some of the Hispanic
dancing is rather stylish and not that physical. (Tejano).

To ramble some more, I know that dancing would help some, perhaps many. I will PM if you want on the role of dance with spinal cord injury (paralysis) as that was one of my areas of specialization.

Rocky Mountain Joe
labels? who knows

Abuse survivor
veteran soldier (medic)
gay
married
who knows
 
Hey Joe !

I thank you for your willingness to share so much of your personal life. I am maybe a little surprised about how important it is to define oneself, straight, gay, bi...As far as I can imagine "my" workshop, I don't want to address that issue right from the start and I have no willingness to design a workshop for gays and one for straights..I believe that all human being has a feminine and masculine side.
Dance therapy isn't so much like a traditional type of dance like learning salsa, rock or tango where appearance and sex appeal are very important such as "doing the steps right".
Dance therapy is a process including free movements, games, voice work, rythm, body awareness, archetypes...Some of the dance proposal are very "manlike", based on traditional dancing and rituals themselves based on ancient activities like going to war, fishing or hunting.
Dancing has always been a tribal activity, involving men and women. If you look at Zulu dancing, the whole dance is a symbolization of "stick fighting" and leads to fierce competition between group of men. Same as the "haka" from the Maori people.
I have often notice that some male survivors chose theatre activities as a way to express and heal themselves.
I feel somewhat that it can be appealing to male survivors to try a type of therapy that give the possibility "to do something". Men's education isn't so much about "talking about stuff" so a lot of them are resistant to verbal therapy because it make them feel the "can't do anything". Dance therapy like drama therapy is about "doing" and "acting" so it might be perceived better.
You are correct imagining that dancing can do a lot about intimacy issues because it helps developping trust, losing control and touching. In my own journey I also realized that it took me back to infant years and helped me go through the whole process of evolution, body development, motricity, breathing...Depending on the aims of the therapists the workshop can go in very different directions (some work more in depth of the body structure, others would work on creativity, imagination, some on individual/group dynamics...)but it has nothing to do with learning to dance properly ! :) I have remained a poor dancer :D but I don't care, I enjoy dancing now, I have come to accept my body, to accept myself, to trust others, to be close, to be sexual ;) ....
It would actually be fascinating to explore male identity issues through a dance workshop, travelling from tribal dancing to more sensitive dancing. There again, another idea, another possibility....It will take me a life time to explore all theses ideas and issues.
Thanks again for participating in the discussion
Caro
 
It is an interesting idea and a new topic to me. I don't dance because I don't know how to be that free and I suffer from a terminal lack of coordination. :) I think your proposal is very intriguing though because it could potentially be used to help survivors reclaim their bodies...much of the work I have done in therapy has been to reclaim my mind and spirit. I just assume that the body will come along too. I once heard of a type of therapy that looks at how our bodies reveal our inner psychological states but I am afraid I don't remember the name of the type of therapy. Anyway, I think your idea is worth exploring even if it is not for everyone. I think of dancing as one of those challenging areas where I could do some growing.
 
Dear Self R

I think your intuition is really correct. It is strange to think that during the sexual abuse, the body has been as traumatized as the mind but that in therapy there isn't much attention given to the body (except in the listing of symptoms).
I believe body and mind are very closely linked. I also believe (because of my own experience as a survivor) that my body absorbed a lot of the trauma when I was unable to store it in my brain (when I was a baby) or when my mind was overwhelmed by the violence of the trauma.
In different ways through massage, yoga or dance therapy, I was able to release the memories, the emotions and also emotions turned into toxines (I ended up throwing up a lot after yoga or dance sessions).
If you feel body work can be for you, it might be worth trying. If dancing is too much of a first step, there is always the possibility of doing massage, yoga, tai chi...A male survivor friend of mine has started his "body healing" through gregorian singing. The singing helped him "have a voice" and also connect with himself on a physical level. He went on later to biodanza (dance therapy technique) and he loved it.
I also noticed that my work in "normal" therapy influenced the "body work" and vice versa. It gave another dynamic to my healing and new issues to think about.
I would for example mention that after a few months being perfectly fine with my biodanza group I started to be unconfortable, could only dance with people I really felt safe with and ended up avoiding more and more sessions. Since it happened out of the blue, I started to wonder about the real reasons hidden behind the fears. At the time, I was ready to address the issues of reaching autonomy (all linked to my relationship with my mum at infant age). The group primaraliy symbolizes the mother so it became completely clear that I was transposing/reenacted conflicts and fears about reaching autonomy with the group.
Anyway I hope you will give it a try and I will be happy to read about your experience.
Warmest regards to all
Let's dance !
Caro
 
Caro, I found that dance is a good way of displaying emotions and feelings of the real inner self.

I thought that it was acting out, and I stopped it, It can be so powerful to do it and release emotions.

I used to work in a ballet school, or rather I was always there, and it amazed me to watch the expression these girls can evoke was really powerful and I am glad I went to this stage school.

I suppose it is only right that we should observe our bodies, and also love our being, and maybe how God made us as real feeling emotional people, but sometimes there is too much hurt to even see beyond it.

I think my mind always cross between masculine and feminine parts, and I not know if you know how I am saying this, but somehow it makes me feel safe to be in the creative side of me.

I just need so much to use expression I suppose, because it was taken away a long time ago, and even though sometimes he cannot express himself in public, then it is Ok to do it through being in touch and letting the boy dance and feel it is OK to do that.

I dunno whether that makes sense,

ste
 
Yes dancing can release huge emotions and that's why it is important to be supported by a professional who can make the place very safe.
I remember a workshop I gave in the UK when "just" breathing exercise triggered people big time.I had to go back to basics which was "safety".
Reconciliation with one's body take time, and I guess the first lesson to learn is patience.
It is true that creativity created an internal balance between male and female energies. It is true in dance but I guess also in painting or music. But there is an element of control of one object in music and painting that isn't there in dance or singing. There is a notion of vulnerability that can be very powerful and challenging for survivors. Because dancing involves being in front of others. It implies the crucial notion of identity right from the start. For survivors, the challenge of being brings back all the issues of guilt, shame, wanting to be invisible, trust...
As a kid, I was a very good writer, I still write poetry and I feel that somewhat poetry and writing helped me from psychologicaly exploding. So I can related to what you say about feeling safe taking refuge in creativity.
The interesting thing about art therapy (dance, music, painting...)is that it gives you back that feeling of inner safety but it teaches you to play (leading to enjoying life again) and help you reconnect with the outside world. It is a permanent dialogue between you with yourself and you with others.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to think about all these issues and let me write them down as I go along ! ;)
Love
Caro
 
I am finding this thread to be very beneficial. Caetel, you made a good point about "finding your voice" but it can be the same way with our bodies. I have only recently accepted the notion that I have a voice and the right and obligation to speak and express myself. I went to art school when I was younger. I never felt as though my work was really an expression of my "voice". It all seemed hollow like I wasn't really an expression of me. This is an area I want to explore more because I regret not being able to use my artistic abilities. Also, I think that reality2k4 is making a good point about how the SA takes away our voices. I think SA was a big part of why I could not express my deeper self. I think the link between mind and body is strong too. Perhaps by working on my body issues I will also benefit my mental/creative side. I think I have to re-learn how to express myself through my body because that freedom I had as a boy was taken away by the SA. Not sure if I am making any sense but thanks for this thread.
 
SA takes a lot from us, it has to by its very nature, but it does not steal or break our souls.

It really can feel that this statement is not true
in certain abuse situations.

I am lucky to be able to get back to when I was a happy child and discover his inner values.

If I go beyond it, through abuse years, then my mind is seriously fragmented memories, some of them start to come back through being here.

I am learning to lower my boundaries, and not feel so vulnerable as I did as a child, and people like it when we open out, because we have a lot to offer the World, and probably more than most.

I chose the path of recovery through love instead of anger, and yes, there was loads of anger in the past, but it was eating me alive, so I chose to try and express it as love.

If we take drugs, and we also have good therapy, like touch, or interaction, and being able to explain inner fears to a trusted listener, then it must be good to do.

The negatives are the past, even if we have to live with the results, but the positives can come from knowing who we are really meant to be.

I think we have to be more expressive, but positive also,

ste
 
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