Dance/Movement Therapy – Embracing Your Mind-Body Connection
Have you noticed that your mental issues often give you physical symptoms?
Anxiety, depression, and trauma are not just issues in your mind – they are deeply rooted in your body. This is your mind-body connection at work. Tuning into your body is an important part of your healing process. That’s why Dance/Movement therapy works with your body to heal your mind.
As a psychotherapist who works with movement, I am passionate about offering people a way of exploring their issues that are not wedded to words. Talking is an important part of the therapy process, but sometimes it is not enough. If you have found yourself stuck despite months of verbal therapy, or if you understand your issues intellectually but cannot bring about change, then you will know what I mean.
I describe my approach as 'moving beyond words'. I help clients listen to their bodies and tap into their movements to learn more about themselves. Dance/movement therapy does not replace talking but rather takes over where talking leaves off. Mindful movement can unlock emotions and insights that words alone cannot reach – it’s a journey beyond words and back again.
Are you a creative person who expresses yourself in more than words? Have you found that talk therapy is not getting you where you need to be? If you’re looking for a more holistic therapeutic approach that allows you to safely release negative emotions, dance/movement therapy might be right for you.
“Who we are resides not just in our minds, but in our bodies. Through dance/movement therapy, we become more of who we really are”
– Tina Erfer, Dance Therapist
How Does Your Body Affect Your Mind?
Anxiety, stress, and trauma can make it seem as if your mind/body connection is broken. It can be disorienting to feel this way. In fact, your physical and mental symptoms are interconnected – your thoughts and emotions are being felt in your body as sensations. The good news is that dance/ movement psychotherapy works with your mind and your body so the whole of you can heal.
Working with a dance/movement psychotherapist can help you to:
Overcome unwanted behavior patterns
Reach emotions that are hard to describe in words
Free yourself from trauma responses
Reframe your reaction to emotional triggers
Learn grounding strategies to reduce anxiety
Improve your relationships
Dance/movement therapy is a whole-body approach to healing your mind-body connection. Using a combination of talk therapy and guided mindful movements, you will sense, express, and let go of negative emotions.
“Carla is passionate, insightful, and deeply committed to her work as a dance movement psychotherapist and also as a professor training future therapists. As her colleague, I have had the opportunity to witness firsthand Carla’s ability to inspire change with creativity, compassion, and respect, and I wholeheartedly recommend her!”
– Alisa Lindenbaum, Art Therapist
Meet Carla Feldschuh
I am a board-certified dance/movement psychotherapist with more than 20 years of experience in mental health. I am licensed in New York State and have a private practice in NY’s Flatiron District. I work with adults who have suffered various types of trauma, and those who are experiencing depression and anxiety.
In a session with me, we start with you sharing what’s on your mind. As you’re talking, I will help you tune into your body and notice your feelings and bodily sensations. This flows naturally into exploring your feelings non-verbally through movement. For example, is there a way your body would like to move around this feeling? Is there something that your body wants to do?
Once you stop talking and start sensing your body, the emotional release can happen. Letting go of unhelpful feelings can feel literally like something leaving your body.
Thanks for visiting my website. If you are interested in working with me or have questions about dance/ movement therapy, I’d love to talk with you.
Is Dance/Movement Therapy Right for You?
Dance therapy is right for you if you’re seeking a clinically proven therapeutic approach that works with your mind-body connection. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a trained dancer. As your mind-body connection strengthens, you will find that expressive movement comes easily to you.
Working with your body to heal your mind is right for you if you want to:
Feel less tension throughout your body
Free yourself from physiological reactions to anxiety or trauma
Stop yourself clenching and tightening under stress
Access your feelings through mindful movement
Improve your mind-body-spirit connection
Learn simple strategies to deflate hyper-aroused thoughts
Cope better with everyday stress
Release negative emotions safely and effectively
Dance/movement therapy began in the 1940s when Marion Chace introduced dance to her psychiatric patients. The impact on their wellbeing was so positive that other psychiatrists started sending patients to her. The American Dance Therapy Association was founded in 1966 to foster the profession and establish guidelines for its practice as psychotherapy.
If you want to find out if dance/movement therapy is right for you, tap the button below to schedule your free 15-minute consultation with Carla.
FAQs
-
I am in network with Cigna Healthcare and Quest Behavioral Health.
Simply follow this link to Headway. Headway acts as a bridge between you and your insurance company, making it easy for you to figure out your session cost and make payments. Once your insurance details are verified by Headway (3 - 5 days), you can book your sessions with me in their calendar.
For other insurances, I can help you file an out-of-network claim by providing you with the necessary documentation of our sessions.
First, check whether you have out-of-network mental health coverage. Then, ask whether your plan covers you to see a New York State Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT).
My fee is $200 per 50-minute session, payable at the time of service. I then provide you with a superbill to submit to your insurance which may reimburse up to 80% of that cost depending on your plan.
-
For the first 1 - 3 sessions we will work on understanding why you are here, what you would like to change, and what your goals are. Change works on so many levels that it can be hard to quantify it. However, you should notice that you are moving in the right direction quite quickly. We will revisit your goals and discuss your progress regularly to make sure you are on track with getting where you want to be.
-
No. The only requirement is that you have a body : )
One of the biggest misunderstandings about dance/movement therapy is that it is something for dancers, and that you need to know how to dance. The movements we work with together are expressive rather than athletic.
Dance/movement therapy helps you develop your relationship with your body so that your mind and your body can be in dialogue with each other.