| Abstract: |
(from the chapter) This chapter focuses on the imperative role of body/movement experience, nonverbal understanding, nonverbal expression, and the felt-experiential nature of interpersonal exchange in early childhood development. It explores how a mental and emotional sense of self is linked to an experiential bodily felt state on both an intra personal and interpersonal level. The concepts in this chapter follow the dissolution of the Cartesian theory of a mind-body dualism, instead working from the concept that a continuum exists between the mind, the body, and the emotions. Nonverbal movements are a powerful communication tool. The therapist gains insight into a patient's sense of self through observing personal nonverbal styles. The therapist obtains key information about the developing attachment relationship between an infant and parent through observing their dyadic nonverbal exchange. The focal point of dance movement psychotherapy philosophy and intervention methodology is the role of the body, nonverbal communication, and movement experiences in development of self. This chapter explains the relationship between dance movement psychotherapy and infant mental health, through the Ways of Seeing psychotherapy program developed by this author. It provides a comprehensive review of specific infancy mental health theories and attachment research, highlighting current thinking about the essential role the body, movement, and nonverbal experience play in the development of the emotional self. An introduction to the nonverbal parent-child attachment relationship analysis system developed by this author called Dyadic, Attachment-based, Nonverbal, Communicative Expressions (D.A.N.C.E.) exists elsewhere. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved). |
