Dance/Movement Therapy

Bonnie Bernstein has been developing dance movement therapy for healing sexual trauma since 1982. Examples of her methods and their application to clinical practice highlight the potential of Evan’s theoretical foundations for inspiring effective clinical approaches to address contemporary therapy needs. After the sexual trauma survivor’s body boundaries have been invaded and physical autonomy has been violently threatened, therapy must rebuild what has been broken. Carefully titrated experiences in dance/movement therapy have vast potential for healing and rebuilding the survivor’s positive relationship to their body. The reader is introduced to treatment of sexual trauma in three clinical settings: group therapy developed for rape and incest survivors at rape crisis centers, individual dance therapy sessions addressing issues such as dissociation in private practice, and “Empowerment-Focused Dance/Movement Therapy,” developed during the author’s yearly month-long workshops (2009–2019) in Kolkata, India, for the program, “Kolkata Sanved: Saving Lives Through Dance.” For trauma survivors, dance/movement therapy techniques, developed by the author, and based on the methods of Blanche Evan are an empowering resource for working through the impacts of horrific experiences and building a positive relationship to their body, personal agency, self-esteem, and hope for the future.