“If you can’t say it, you sing it, and if you can’t sing it, you dance it.” -Anonymous
In an article posted on the website The Mighty, Monika Sudakov talks about how dance helped her work through her own childhood sexual abuse concluding that, “I encourage anyone, with a trauma history or otherwise, to engage in some kind of dance-like movement to music.”
It is becoming widely recognized that trauma can be held in the body. Movement helps us tune into where it might be held and supports us in releasing it. For survivors of CSA, freeing the body from what it carries is an essential step toward both emotional and physical healing. Dance can be a powerful way to facilitate this release.
Sudakov writes about three key impacts of dance on trauma. First, it promotes the release of feel-good hormones. She states, “Factor in the element of music in dance and you have a powerful one-two punch of reducing stress hormones like cortisol and engaging parts of the brain associated with emotional regulation.”
Second, dance engages bilateral stimulation, a principle central to EMDR therapy. She explains:
The fundamental tenet of EMDR, bilateral stimulation, enables one to engage both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously, allowing connections to be made that can effectively process memories that may have gotten stuck. Body movement where alternating sides of the body are worked in sequence is one of these. Therefore, dance engaging repetition from one side of the body to another can effectuate a similar result. (Sudakov, 2024)
Third, dance supports the vagus nerve function, which is often disrupted by trauma. Sudakov notes:
It is well known that trauma can disrupt vagus nerve function, causing dysregulation of everything from digestion to mood. Two of the best ways to stimulate positive vagal functioning are through exercise and deep, slow breathing, both of which are integral aspects to dance.(Sudakov, 2024).
If dance sounds intriguing, one such form of dance is called ecstatic dance, a form of moving meditation where you allow yourself to dance to the energy of music like a hill that you slowly climb, reaching a peak, and then descend. You can look for local ecstatic communities, such as Ecstatic Dance Toronto. If there aren’t any local communities near you, the wonderful news is you can do this in your own home with your own curated playlist. Give it a try and express your feelings from the day or week!
While ecstatic dance allows for free-form movement and emotional expression, some people may prefer a more structured approach to movement as a healing practice. One such method is 5 Movement Dance, which follows a ‘wave’ or pattern of music, suggestive of 5 moods or rhythms: flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness. Unlike ecstatic dance, not only does the facilitator play the music, they also interact with the dancers, encouraging and reminded participants to breathe and bring attention to their emotions and bodily sensations.
If this sounds interesting but also a bit overwhelming, remember that dance is about self-expression. There is no wrong way to connect with music and movement. In these spaces, everyone is free from judgment, encouraged to listen to their body, heart, and soul.
Sudakov, M., So You Think You Can Dance to Process Trauma, The Mighty, July 17th 2024.
Is Ecstatic Dance and 5 Rhythms the Same Thing, Flo Motion, March 17th 2023.