Dance Movement Therapy in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract

During the time of COVID-19, many therapists tried to help with the trauma and suffering caused by lockdowns and loss of life. Dance movement therapy is a nonverbal, symbolic way of helping people use creativity, rhythm and attunement to cope with trauma and loss, and can be an effective means for personal and community transformation. During COVID-19, two dance therapists and mental health professions from the United States and China created Zoom Tool Kits that were used on a hotline in China and internationally to express grief and recover resilience. Here we explain those efforts to use dance movement therapy for trauma recovery.