Dance/Movement Therapy and Survivors of Torture
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- čas přidán 11. 11. 2018
- "As we wove together Rachel's 'dance to freedom', we integrated all of the stories, the mine fields of memories related to her pathway of suffering, of the horrible places that she had been. Dance/movement therapy offered Rachel a pathway to create her dance to freedom. Dance/movement therapy showed Rachel the way home."
Amber Elizabeth Gray, MPH, MA, BC-DMT, LPCC, NCC is a pioneer in the use of dance/movement therapy with survivors of trauma, particularly torture, war and human rights abuses. She is an American Dance Therapy Outstanding Achievement Award recipient; a recent nominee for The Barbara Chester Human Rights award, and featured expert on torture treatment through Tulane University's Institute of Traumatology.
Amber's expertise is represented in many published articles, chapters, keynote addresses, professional collaborations and presentations around the world. Amber has provided clinical training on the integration of refugee mental health and torture treatment with creative arts, mindfulness, and body-based therapies to more than 30 programs worldwide, since the 1990's. She originated a resilience-based framework and clinical approach (Restorative Movement Psychoterapy) for somatic, mindfulness, movement and arts-based therapies with survivors of trauma in cross cultural, low resource contexts. Her two most recent publications, one co-authored with Dr. Stephen Porges, are based on their co-collaborated "Polyvagal informed dance/movement therapy."
Learn more about dance/movement therapy at www.adta.org
As an abuse survivor, this is a very powerful video. Trauma as a non-verbal experience and how fear changes the brain really struck home for me. Finding new neuro-pathways is an inspiring idea.
Amber explains how torture can deeply affect an individual emotionally and physically. Through open wounds, respiration problems, sleeping disruptions, to one's body image. These problems follow an individual throughout their lives and affect their daily activities. Torture is not easily explained through verbal speaking because the mind represses such memories. This is why dance and movement is an effective outlet to show how one has suffered. The correlation between the body and mind can help patients learn to tap into those memories and even verbally talk about her past. Rachel's story is a beautiful example of change and how dance/movement therapy can heal such dark wounds.
I found myself feeling very emotional while listening to this. Being a trauma survivor myself, I connected with what was said about trauma being implicit and something we recall as a memory by image and how it can be accessed by movement. It’s amazing how movement healed this woman. When she describes Rachel’s body posture, it’s all various ways of making herself smaller which we learned is what helped protected her from torture. Seeing that Rachel’s healing movements were very contrasting to her trauma positions made so much sense. All of the healing positions were making herself bigger and open which allowed her to feel like herself again. This is a truly beautiful and powerful story.
Amber, I can't believe I haven't seen this before. What a moving, powerful talk. It hit me right in heart and in the gut. This talk of pain beyond imagining is told with such clarity. It shows the premises of dance therapy at work - starting where the client is, working with their material and finding areas of strength, using creativity to work through pain and find hope and healing. Thank you.
It is uplifting to know that there is a pathway to freedom for refugees and survivors of torture with dance movement therapy. It reminds me of the recent articles of they psychological damage children are facing at the border after family separation. It is saddening that stories like these and like Rachel's are happening in modern times and in the US, but uplifting that one can find healing through arts therapy. I found it interesting that torturers intentionally mess up our knowledge of our own body and our body rhythms, as well as making someone lose their feeling of control. From my understanding, this is what nonverbal communication and dance movement therapy focus on. It is important in dance movement therapy to realign/ tap into our mind, body, and soul. It is through nonverbal communication, where one can express and show their frustration in the process and find symbolism in movement. Much like Rachel did in showing in her four steps, and it makes me really happy knowing that through that connection Rachel was able to find her pathway to freedom and peace.
Dance Movement Therapy on trauma and torture survivors interest me the most. It so amazing to see one's struggles and stories expressed through DMTT. Something about this way of expression is so powerful, more than words can describe.
It's crazy to hear about torture still occurring today because it's not something you hear about frequently or imagine anymore since its prevalence in the past. Rachel's story is so powerful because she had physical and mental healing simultaneously through dance therapy; Rachel created her own dance to freedom which helped her remember and be stronger than her past.
Rachel's dance was very interesting to watch because it made me and the audience feel something. I liked how her dance was not the most complicated and detailed but the simplicity was beautiful to watch. I love that DMT helps with that trauma because it can be more specialized and help people that do not feel comfortable with talking like traditional therapy; since they feel like they were silenced it seems like a great way to help all the torture that they have dealt with.
Rachel is a very strong woman and it is miraculous how DT is able to bring that out of people, especially in light of deep trauma that is implicitly stored in the brain.
This is such a touchy subject and absolutely horrible experiences. I really like how she included the changes in the physiology of the brain. It helps explain certain movement and thought processes. DMT can be very important and I think movement can be a good way to cope with this horrible experience. I'm glad Rachel is better now. I really love how she calls it a "dance to freedom".
I think calling it a "dance of freedom" shows how empowering DMT can be for survivors of torture, and frankly survivors of many traumas. DMT helps the body heal and become free of all the burdens of past abuse.
"...we integrated all of the stories, the minefields of memories related to her pathway of suffering."
This quote really resonated with me. These talks continue to broaden my awareness of array of applications for D/MT and the ways in which healing can occur. Thank you.
These talk also broaden my awareness and bring up different populations that I never would have thought of using dance movement therapy for. That quote was very powerful thank you for making note of that.
I deeply appreciate that Amber shared some statistics and background on torture in the beginning of the talk. It is something so normalized, seen as a routine and mundane, when in reality it is an incredible violation of human rights and dignity
The introduction was great. I have never seen a dance of freedom and I had no idea what one was. However, I could see the power and could sense the importance of that dance. Thank you for sharing that with us! Also thank you for a great background on torture. Movies and tv shows mainly depict torture as a physical experience and rarely focus on the emotional aspect of it. Thank you for bringing that to the forefront.
I thought that the opening was very powerful! I also agree that her background information about torture was very helpful, it made it easier to understand how important reconnecting with the body is after those experiences.
I also have not seen a dance to freedom, so it was very interesting to see it in this talk. I agree that a lot of movies do not fully portray the emotional damage that's caused during torture and violence, and the speaker did a great job at explaining it.
I cannot even fathom how torture is still occurring today but I am glad that DMT can be a resource for those that experience it.
I wasn't sure at first if I wanted to watch this whole video because of the intense topic of discussion, but at 6:55, I realized that this is exactly the kind of video I needed to watch. "Working with movement [...] we can actually create new neural pathways." In other words, it's like "faking it till you make it" by using our bodies to experience something that may have been traumatizing, but experiencing it in a safe way that doesn't harm us, to overwrite those trauma experiences with a more positive, less harmful version.
After hearing this, I went back to the beginning of the video to watch Dr. Gray's recreation of her client's 'dance to freedom' with a newfound respect and love, knowing now that this was the client's way to heal and overwrite her trauma and torturous experiences by experiencing them, letting her memories come washing through her so she could work through them and come out the other side, strong and brave.
This is a very emotional talk to listen to. Rachel's story is empowering and I'm glad DMT was able to free her.
It was very interesting to learn about how dance movement therapy can be used in order to continue on from life after torture experiences. The mind body connection is so strong, and especially with one's own identity. It is amazing to me how the body was used in this case to bring back a sense of self. After experiencing torture one of the main things taken away from individuals is safety. Through dance movement therapy individuals can regain their connection with the mind and body. This can bring back a sense of safety and home within oneself and body. This talk also was a great representation of how dance movement therapy meets an individual where they are in that moment. Exploring can always be done.
Beautiful and powerful
The statistics shared in the beginning of the video were very eye-opening and heart-breaking. I was not aware of this amount of survivors of torture in the United States because it is not talked about. I found the start of the video very powerful and I could feel Amber's emotions through her movements as she performed Rachel's dance which helped Rachel create a path to freedom. I imagine it is hard to perform movements that bring up your past trauma but I feel it is a way to help heal and find freedom. When the speaker talked about how working with movement can be a way to work through memories and create neuro-pathways to the past I found this very beautiful. Dance movement therapy can be effective for many different types of paths to recovery and mental struggles.
The opening movement in this video is a stunning reflection of what this woman experienced. Her non verbals are powerful reflections of the frustration, trauma and grief she experienced and overcoming those things. The description and truth of torture being used to create separation from the victim and the world is absolutely devastating. When torturers intentionally throw off the body’s rhythms such as breathing, sleeping or digestion as the means of torture it truly goes to show just how vital these nonverbal behaviors are to our survival and human experience. Using dance movement therapy to revisit and re-access the body to hopefully regulate, rebuild and potentially overcome some of these traumas stored in the body through post traumatic stress is a miracle concept. This helped me to better understand the power of dance movement therapy.
It's crazy to think that this was only posted 3 years ago. I haven't realized how many people are going through torture today and I can't even imagine the lasting scar that it could have on people. Amber Gray had a great talk with an eye catching introduction. Although extremely upsetting, Rachel's story shares the power of dance movement therapy.
Rachel's dance to freedom is definitely powerful and meaningful in expressing her story. I would like to agree with you that torture, abuse, and violence might not always leave a physical scar on the person, but it will always leave a psychological scar. I can't imagine how it must feel like to feel unsafe in your own body. My parents and grandparents went through first-hand torture in the Secret War in Vietnam, and I can definitely see the psychological scars that were caused from it. I found Rachel's story super motivational, as I can also relate to her desire of wanting to explore a sense of belonging in the world. I'm glad movement therapy was able to help her leave her pain behind instead of always carrying it with her.
It must be such a crazy and horrible thing to experience. However, it is good for people to overcome their scars and have a place in this world again.
I was surprised to hear about all the torture that goes on in countries and the refugee problem in countries. It is cool to hear that nothing grows the brain better than movement. The story of Rachel was quite interesting, in learning she wanted to begin with her pain which took the therapist by surprise. Thank you for sharing this. Very powerful!
Such a powerful way to open this talk. The dance really demonstrated the pain of torture and how it effected Rachel. The efforts and facial expressions exhibited the pain and suffering caused by torture without using any words. Words could not demonstrate the pain of torture effectively. Only something like dance can show something so painful.
First off, it is absolutely horrifying to hear the statistics of how many individuals are still being tortured and what torturers aim to do to their victims. Even though Amber's client had been through such a traumatizing ordeal, she was able to regain herself through dance/movement therapy. This truly shows the value of dance/movement therapy. Since torture is stored as trauma solely within the body, reconnecting the victim to their body through movement is most likely one of the most substantial ways to help them on their journey to recovering.
Learning that 140-160 countries use torture is so extremely discomforting. From Amber Elizabeth Grey’s example of rachel having open wounds and finding ways to move to find out something deeper inside her that could heal her, we learn that movement can help find new memories. She states that fear changes brain white matter shrinks and less neural pathways and we ca create new pathways with movement. Grey told the patient to use nonverbal actions to signify movements of strength, power, etc. A lovely pattern I am seeing throughout these American Dance Therapy Association talks, is that each therapist or speaker talks of movement completely changing someones life. I think movement and nonverbal actions that the body suppresses is sometimes more evident than words and can really help put things into words.
It is absolutely tragic and unfortunate that individuals have to experience such deeply painful events and continue to survive and function in their lives. Dance movement therapy allows for healing. Torture effects people in a way emotionally and physically in ways that may seem irreparable. Individuals who partake in torturing others attempt to disrupt the natural systems of our body. For example, individuals who torture try to disrupt sleep cycles, digestive systems, and open wounds. Torture intends to silence as well. Dance therapy has allowed for people to feel heard and start in their healing. It is imperative that we continue to heal and not repress. Dance therapy allows for the patient to to portray their feelings and do so in an effect and efficient way. An increase in movement vocabulary adds and increase in emotional vocabulary that allows the patient to better articulate their feelings.
Yes it is. I wish we didn't live in a world like this, but I am glad that we have people like Amber Elizabeth Gray and other DMT therapists that can help the people that experience these travesties. This is a great comment because it talks about the specific ways DMT helps people that live through this torture. Movement has power and this was exhibited especially in Rachel's dance to freedom.
By looking at the dance of Rachel, it really shows how much pain she is going through. Amber does a great job of reflecting it for the people to see. It sucks that torture is still going around and people suffer from it. The victim is mainly haunted by mental health because of physical wounds and threats. They are trapped in the invisible prisons where they feel like they cannot escape. Trauma memories can haunt a person and it takes a long time to recover. In other words, fear changes the brain. DMT uses rhythm, breath, and emotions where it creates neural pathways that connect to memories and also to help the patients to create pathways that establish the sense of being in the present and the dreams for the future. Regardless, I truly feel sorry for what Rachel is going through and I hope that the program would help her improve
Immediately I felt the pain that Rachel was in. As she was coming from this low and heavy place I could feel her tension and the pain that she was going through. When Rachel got to her place of freedom there was absolutely a sense of release in not only her movement but also my own personal tension I felt. However, I still felt sad that Rachel had to experience her pain in the first place. I felt extremely empathetic during this video.
This video shows how individuals are allowed to feel safe in their bodies once more and that they have control over what is happening to them and their bodies. I also found it super interesting how it allows people to relate back to the world by just simply resetting their body rhythms. Trauma memory is sensory so it allows for individuals to access their emotions that they need to let out. Movement can help individuals to establish a sense of being in the present and moving forward to the future rather than living in their past.
Rachel using movement to create a narrative to tell her story was extremely powerful and moving. Each person has their own journey, timeline, and experience of healing. Some people may not even ever fully heal but dance movement therapy was able to create a pathway that lead Rachel to her freedom. Just by how this speaker talks about the changes in Rachels nonverbals in the course of a year is just a testament to how powerful dance movement therapy can be. It also shows how nonverbals is how we relay ourselves and our stories with others without having to use words.
This is such a powerful story and devastating facts that so many refugees and immigrants face torture. So special that dance therapy allowed her to "come home" to her own body.
I thought that part was especially interesting because it was so abrupt (but amazing) that Rachel was able to come in one day and say that she was "home". The strength it must take and the journey she went through to heal was so long yet inspiring.
This talk was a very powerful discussion about the trauma that survivors of torture have. I liked the story of Rachel and thought it was a really empowering example of how DMT can help with torture. When Rachel moved her shoulders to work on strength and realized her shoulders were carrying memories and pain, it gave a concrete example of how the body carries past experiences and how movement can bring those experiences to the surface. I'm glad DMT could help Rachel, and I hope it can have similar impacts on others in the future!
Great post! I also really liked this example and how she described her shoulders hurting because she was carrying all that baggage. It is so inspiring to see someone who has gone through torture who found DMT that really has made a change in their life.
It's hurtful to see how Rachel was damaged deeply because of political torture. Not only that she had her scars but also her mental was strongly damaged. The first thing Rachel wanted to eliminate was the pain that held on her at that moment. She couldn't be herself, through the way the therapist described Rachel, she was not herself when she first entered the room. She was someone without a soul, without a motivation to live. I'm grateful to see that there is a way to cure the pain not only physically but mentally step by step, through simple exercises. The body does not only tell the story of the past, but the present, and maybe the future as well. Through analyzing the body movements, we could see the story of each person.
It is astonishing to hear how many countries and how many people are still practicing torture on other human beings. I was not aware of these statistics. It is also amazing to see that people are able to recover from such trauma even after years of enduring it, all through dance/movement therapy. When Amber began the video without saying anything and just going through certain movements, it shows us a glimpse of how people can communicate non-verbally. Her movements told us a story and showed us power and growth through that story. Sometimes people are not able to express themselves truly and deeply with words, or maybe they do not feel satisfied with just explaining through the use of words. Non-verbal communication helps these people to express their emotions and trauma in a way that they hadn't done before.
The idea that movement helps connect pathways to the past was thought provoking to me. I loved this talk and thought it was very moving. Also hearing how Rachel wanted to start with her pain was very interesting to me and unique. Most times I feel like the pain is avoided, but Rachel shows amazing strength through her story.
I agree with all of this. It was an extremely moving and interesting talk and the story was very inspiring.
This talk was very powerful in the way of describing the effects that torture trauma can have on a human. One really impactful takeaway that I had was that torture trauma can seriously affect one's ability to trust. I think that it is shown quite well how DMT can help to improve one's trust by the therapist slowly ingratiating themselves into the traumatized individual's life, and allowing them to see that that person can trust that they will not hurt them. Great talk!
I totally agree. It really puts you in someone else's shoes and understand (to the best of your ability) the horrible things they've gone through. It is so powerful in that sense. I agree with the trust aspect for sure. That definitely can be hard to gain back and DMT is the perfect tool to help with that.
It is interesting when thinking about the movements of trauma victims and I really appreciated the story that was told. I can't imagine what it feels like to be tortured and no longer feel in control and I am glad DMT was able to be a way to help Rachel
I agree! I continue to be amazed by the amount of healing and good DMT can do for people who have experienced such terrible things. DMT helps people reconnect with their bodies and become empowered once again.
Wow just that movement alone was so effective and gave so much insight into Rachel's story. While she gives facts and information on torturing, I think about what the torturer must embody emotionally and mentally through that type of movement. Rhythm= engagement with the world. "Body is the sight of all human experience" Rhythm, breath, vocabulary- greater movement expression, creating new neural pathways connecting to past/memories, establish in the present and create dreams in the future. She describes Rachel's body language and eye contact. The therapist revisits places where Rachel felt less pain and worked on finding ease in these places. This is an absolutely heartbreaking experience that I smile of the healing she achieves through DMT. She was able to start to restore her life and develop vitality. Dance to freedom
The movement of Rachel vividly present to my eyes with strong image of being torture and then relief. Torturer can be people who bully others in schools, peers or mates that segregates you with others in work area or even just your family member. With the movement it access the implicit feeling and relief all the horror and anguish. Without taking any medicines and treatment, dancing with feeling is the right way to help them better.
Some of the statistics that she started with were very eyeopening and sad to hear how common this still is currently, and that DMT can be so helpful for these people
A powerful and very helpful talk from an absolute expert therapist that well describes the impact (and prevalence) of torture and exemplifies why Dance Movement Therapy has much to offer refugees and other survivors of torture and ill-treatment in its complexity and simplicity, over and above pure somatic modalities; thank you Amber.
I love how absolutely empowering Rachel's dance to freedom was for her. It definitely showed just how powerful movement and the regulation of the body is when it comes to impacting a person's psyche. The simplicity of the dance itself was part of what made it so powerful. I was shocked at the large number of people who have survived torture, that was an absolutely horrifying number.
I agree. It is great though that survivors have this form of therapy to help them
Very powerful talk and touched story of Rachel who is the survivor of the torture occurred in the states before. She was suffering from the scares on her leg and shoulder as well as in her heart. By practicing the therapy with Amber, her suffers are gradually healed and now she became stronger. This is amazing that the dance therapy actually can heal/ease torture survivors' physical and mental pain. And I am glad that Rachel was able to V-pose afterwards.
Rachels dance to freedom was a very emotional and raw performance that really made
everyone in the audience feel something for her. Right now we do have an
international refugee crisis and although it seems so far away from our daily
lives. She mentioned that over 40% of refugees have been tortured. That is an
incredibly awful fact.
I think it is so interesting how movement can build pathways in the brain, and it's so cool how this can be used to remember stories and build a path to recovery. Her "dance to freedom" was so powerful, and the way she got there started with something basic, holding her leg on a ball.
I agree. It is so powerful how a dance is able to mean so much and release someone
It is interesting to learn the statistics of torture survivors. These are topics that not many like to talk about but the fact that Gray brings up this idea and how torture affects the body in various ways and disrupts a person's natural rhythm. One can hear the pain and sorrow in Gray’s voice as she speaks the truth of trauma and of the survivors.
It is interesting that fear can actually change the structure and functioning of our brains. The gray and white matter shrinks, which eliminates neural pathways. However, movement can be used to create new neural pathways, which reflects how DMT can be effective for many, including survivors of torture.
I find it incredible that although humans have intuitively known the healing power of dance and movement, the science is now catching up to show why it helps us heal. So fascinating!
Love that you focused on neural plasticity and resiliency. I feel like learning about the mind/body impacts of trauma can be really discouraging, or make us question how you heal and grow after such intense emotional and physiological trauma and change. Definitely important to look at the tools that we have and are continuing to develop, and recognize that while things will never be the same as before a trauma, you can still learn, grow, heal, and thrive after trauma.
The movement that is associated with Rachel's story is empowering, especially after understanding the meaning behind the levels and arm movements. It is interesting how Rachel's dance expresses the pain yet it is what liberated from from the memories of torture.
It was interesting how movement therapy has such a significant effect on survivors of torture and physical trauma. I especially thought it was interesting that she points out that psychological torture is conducted in a way to throw your body's rhythm of out sync. From this standpoint it makes sense that dance and movement therapy is an integral part in rehabilitating survivors. By allowing Rachel to express herself through movement and explore her physical trauma she was able to feel more comfortable in her body despite her torture. I appreciated that Amber Elizabeth Gray highlights the importance of the correlation between our movements and the brain. Her story about her patient Rachel and her journey to rediscover her sense of self again is just another unique story that exemplifies the benefits of Dance Movement Therapy.
Really appreciated this context to better understand how trauma manifests in the body. Given that trauma is stored on a physiological and neurological level it makes a lot of sense why DMT can be such an impactful and useful tool in healing from trauma, and ongoing management. Also I was kind of stunned by the torture statistics shared, and at the same time not surprised - I think it’s very easy to become insulated in your awareness of the regular violence many people face.
I didn't realize torture was still so prevalent in many other countries today, and I agree that I am living in a small bubble, unaware of the torture around the world that still exists.
This is a great connection with the mind and the body. I was also shocked at the statistics of torture and how current it is.
The video highlights the use of dance/movement therapy in supporting survivors of torture, emphasizing how it can help individuals reconnect with their bodies and reclaim a sense of agency and control. The therapist explains that dance/movement therapy provides a safe and supportive environment for individuals to express themselves nonverbally, as it can help them process traumatic experiences that may be difficult to articulate through language alone.
This insight is highly relevant to the field of dance/movement therapy, as it showcases how nonverbal communication can be used as a powerful tool for healing in the context of trauma. By using movement and body awareness as a means of expression, dance/movement therapists can help survivors of torture connect with their bodies in a positive and empowering way. Through nonverbal communication, individuals can gain a greater sense of agency and control over their bodies and their experiences, leading to greater resilience and recovery.
Wow that’s powerful
The video shows the capabilities of dance/movement therapy in dealing with individuals who have experienced torture. I found the relationship between memories of torture and movement to be particularly interesting. The therapist articulates the idea that torture is stored as implicit memories in the right hemisphere, often regarded as the nonverbal part of the brain. Therefore, a verbal, concrete narrative from these experiences cannot be formed. It is only through the nonverbal use of dance and movement that an individual is able to access and speak about these memories of torture. The arm exercises, for instance, allowed Rachel to recall memories of torture. The therapist also takes note of the effects of torture on both the mind and body of the victim and how this can be linked. A lack of mobility caused by the abuse can lead to feelings of restriction and lack of control. This is linked to the idea of the mind/body relationship where a body's movements can have a direct emotional effect on the mind. Furthermore, a disruption of bodily rhythms (which is a main goal of the abuse) can lead to negative thoughts and feelings, hence, resulting in the seclusion of that individual where he/she feels unconnected to the world. As a result, it is imperative that the dance/movement therapist restore and create new pathways of movement that reconnects and reinstates the individual's feeling of belonging in the world.
Consequently, the therapist chose to expand Rachel's movement repertoire so that she is better able to cope with and properly express the various emotions she felt. For instance, studies show that individuals who feel most comfortable with all the Effort qualities are most prepared to deal with life's obstacles. Hence, in torture victims it is important that they feel comfortable with these movements. Eventually, they worked through 4 steps (struggle, patience, strive, and time) to create a narrative. This dance tells the story of Rachel's experiences in torture as well as her success in achieving freedom and, finally, her acceptance of her place and belonging in the world. Therefore, dance/movement therapy uses the body to remember the past in order to implement new body memories and practices that can help the individual to move past and forward into the future.
This has been an outstanding talk by DMT therapist Amber Elizabeth Gray. She used numerous efforts movements, as learned in class, that ultimately allowed her survivor patient, Rachel, to deeply connect to herself with her intrapsychic emotions and feelings at whole with her body again. Thus, this allowed Racheal to gain her sense of self in her "dance to freedom," using movements when integrating her past stories with the Bible, including the present moment which I found interesting. This is a fascinating story of how the mind and body are interconnected, as DMT paves a path when connecting both ends. Allowing movement to help heal and rewrite the story of the trauma that her patient experienced is why nonverbal DMT can be highly beneficial in some situations such as this one, all-in-all.
Wow, I had no idea that that many people experienced torture, especially in the US. Beyond that, I found it interesting that Rachel brought up how torture survivors have physical, mental, and social scars which are often sliced in response to trauma. Here DMT can be utilized to help the survivor process the torture but also find home again in their body again
I didn't know so many people experienced torture as well. It's very sad to hear, but I am not surprised that it happens in the U.S. because I feel like there are a lot of things that happen here that is kept away from the eye of the public.
I didn't know there were so many people either and that is just in the United States. It is heartbreaking that this many people can be experiencing such deep pain, and like you said Emily, we have no idea because "they" (the powers that be) keep it away from public knowledge. I am thankful there are people out there who are spreading awareness.
I agree and honestly am amazed at how dance movement therapy can make such an impact on traumatic emotions or scars
Thank you for pointing out this aspect of trauma and trauma related treatment. Dissociation and disconnection are really common for people who have experienced trauma, and learning to trust your body and its responses when you can have regular triggers/activation. I appreciate the reminder that DMT can be especially powerful for working through this disconnect from the body.
This talk expands my imagination of the application of DMT.
What if one was brought up to not move or experience emotions or know physical touch, then was tortured later on in life. I was kind of interested in dance, but due to pain from injures that were ignored since infant-hood it triggers other cptsd symptoms. And the torture was mostly done to ones head, resulting in triggers and pain when trying to relax or think of movement.
How would I get to a point where I can ignore the pain triggers and shut off my mind to the point of relaxation/rest/emotional release.
I tried some light yoga right after I got away, but all it did after the initial emotional release of finally being able to cry a little, it just made everything worse since that thin line I had keeping myself from fully falling apart mentally was released.