Exploring Dance as Therapy

From a neurological perspective, dance therapy is a relatively new concept. Although dance has been used for socializing, bonding, and merriment for centuries, it has yet to be a fully explored method of therapy for those suffering from physical and mental ailments. Benefits await. 

Hanna Poikonen wrote her doctoral dissertation at the University of Helsinki on how dance positively influences the brain and synchronizes both hemispheres of the brain.

Poikonen states, "Pain, stress, and anxiety often go hand in hand with depression. Dance, music, and related expressive forms of therapy could help lessen mental fluctuations even before the onset of full depression.”

Her dissertation was given in 2018 and since then there has been a rise in using dance therapy as a means to keep depression at bay and even as a means to pull someone out of it. She believes that dance therapy can be a holistic treatment in those who suffer from Parkinson's disease, chronic pain, dementia, autism, and mood disorders.

Dork Dancing has the goal of being part of that holistic movement. The idea that mental disorders are the result of unhealed trauma is becoming increasingly popular. From personal experiences and secondhand accounts, some of these traumatic events stemmed from self expression being oppressed. 

Dancing freely, not only free body movement, but freely from the constraints of an oppressed mental state, allows people to feel confident to take what they have experienced in free dance, to their personal lives. 

Free dance is not a standalone solution to any mental disorder, it is however a stepping stone to discovering, creating, and unraveling a more authentic and healthier self.

Dork Dancing is a grassroots mental health initiative, campaign, and community effort. We depend on charitable giving to inspire impact. We hope you may consider supporting by donating.