Date of Award
7-10-2016
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Art in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling (MA)
Department
Creative Arts Therapies
First Advisor
Imus, Susan
Second Advisor
Downey, Laura
Third Advisor
Rothwell, Kim
Keywords
dance/movement therapy, holism, phenomenology, study, interviews, mind, body, spirit.
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to explore the phenomenon of holism and its meaning to the field of dance/movement therapy (DMT.) This research focused specifically on the meaning of holism for dance/movement therapy because holistic is a word that is used to describe a variety of interventions in a variety of fields and contexts, and it can be interpreted in many different ways. In this phenomenological qualitative study, data was collected through interviews with dance/movement therapists, who identified themselves as taking a holistic approach to their work. From the data, themes were identified, which revealed how dance/movement therapists perceive holism and what they experienced as a result of taking a holistic approach with clients. The phenomenon of holism was found to be a process that is innate to DMT, includes the integration of body/mind/spirit within contextual factors, and manifests in unique ways with clients. The Reorganizational Healing paradigm of health and wellbeing appears to align with dance/movement therapy theory and practice. 103 pages.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Miller, Laura, "Dance Movement Therapy and Holism: Moving Beyond Body/Mind/Spirit" (2016). Creative Arts Therapies Theses. 76.
https://digitalcommons.colum.edu/theses_dmt/76