Dance Movement Therapy for Clients With a Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis

Background: People with a personality disorder (PD) suffer from enduring inflexible patterns in cognitions and emotions, leading to significant subjective distress, affecting both self and interpersonal functioning. In clinical practice, Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is provided to clients with a PD, and although research continuously confirms the value of DMT for many populations, to date, there is very limited information available on DMT and PD. For this study, a systematic literature review on DMT and PD was conducted to identify the content of the described DMT interventions and the main treatment themes to focus upon in DMT for PD.Methods: A systematic search was conducted across the following databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, WEB OF SCIENCE, PsycINFO/OVID, and SCOPUS following the PRISMA guidelines. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for qualitative studies was used to rank the quality of the articles. The Oxford Center for Evidence-based Medicine standards were applied to determine the hierarchical level of best evidence. Quantitative content analysis was used to identify the intervention components: intended therapeutic goals, therapeutic activities leading to these goals, and suggested therapeutic effects following from these activities. A thematic synthesis approach was applied to analyze and formulate overarching themes.Results: Among 421 extracted articles, four expert opinions met the inclusion criteria. Six overarching themes were found for DMT interventions for PD: self-regulation, interpersonal relationships, integration of self, processing experiences, cognition, and expression and symbolization in movement/dance. No systematic descriptions of DMT interventions for PD were identified. A full series of intervention components could be synthesized for the themes of self-regulation, interpersonal relationships, and cognition. The use of body-oriented approaches and cognitive strategies was in favor of dance-informed approaches.Conclusions: Dance movement therapists working with PD clients focus in their interventions on body-related experiences, non-verbal interpersonal relationships, and to a lesser extent, cognitive functioning. A methodological line for all intervention components was synthesized for the themes of self-regulation, interpersonal relationships, and cognition, of importance for developing systematic intervention descriptions. Future research could focus on practitioners' expertise in applying DMT interventions for PD to develop systematic intervention descriptions and explore the suitability of the identified themes for clinical application. Clients' experiences could offer essential insights on how DMT interventions could address PD pathology and specific PD categories.

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S190. WHEN WORDS AREN’T ENOUGH: DANCE/MOVEMENT THERAPY AND SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sbaa031.256 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S110-S111

Author(s):

Jacelyn Biondo ◽

Karolina Bryl

Keyword(s):

Interpersonal Relationships ◽

Negative Symptoms ◽

Movement Therapy ◽

Self Awareness ◽

Dance Movement Therapy ◽

Psychiatric Facility ◽

Dance Movement ◽

Personal Strengths ◽

The Many ◽

Positive And Negative Symptoms

Abstract Background Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) is a language that transcends the verbal realm. This facet of communicating through dance and movement is significant particularly when the population you are working with often communicates in ways that are creative, unique, and not necessarily conventional. This is often the case when working with people who have been diagnosed on the schizophrenia spectrum. Although they fall under the same diagnosis, positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia are embodied in quite different ways; as their names indicate, positive and negative symptoms are dichotomous and fall on opposite ends of a movement spectrum. Methods We will explore the many bodily manifestations of schizophrenia and DMT approaches to best support the specific needs associated with this complex diagnosis. The co-facilitators have each engaged in their own clinical practice and research exploring how DMT interventions can best serve the population in grounding, thought and behavioral organization, ego strengthening, and development of interpersonal relationships. As one can imagine, having a diagnosis of schizophrenia can be isolating and interrupt healthy relationship development due to stigmatization. The co-facilitators have found DMT to be a humanizing factor in this often dehumanized population. The use of creativity with people with schizophrenia allows the psychotherapeutic relationship to focus on personal strengths, individuality, and unconditional acceptance. Results Dance/movement therapists assess patient functioning through non-verbal indicators in everyday behavior, postural and gestural patterns, and qualitative elements that emerge during therapeutic interactions. Oftentimes, their experiences with positive symptomatology affect their ability to relate in a shared reality base with others not experiencing these positive symptoms. Single-session DMT interventions have supported a decrease in psychological distress, and positive and negative symptomatology for people with schizophrenia in an inpatient psychiatric facility (Biondo, 2019). Within a group DMT approach to treatment, dance/movement therapist considers movement and body-based experiences, as natural and effective sources of self-awareness and expression, which can illuminate the interrelationships between the many dimensions of human behavior (Bryl, 2018). This approach integrates movement techniques, creative embodiment, the non-verbal aspects of self-awareness and interpersonal communication and targets core specific features of chronic schizophrenia and negative symptomatology. As such it provides links to outcomes directly related to affective, cognitive, behavioral, and functional processes in the treatment for schizophrenia in residual stages (Bryl, 2018). Discussion Schizophrenia can manifest through many different representations: with positive and/or negative symptoms, and with acute episodes or chronicity. The diagnosis will interrupt healthy ego strength, the ability to relate with others, and the ability to function without supports. Dance/movement therapy is a wonderful approach to working with this population in its many forms, as it addresses the psychological, cognitive, social, and functional levels of participants. Although positive and negative symptoms often manifest quite differently on a movement level, DMT has the ability to support the many needs of those diagnosed with schizophrenia. The many limitations of psychopharmacological interventions for people with schizophrenia are evidence that inclusive, strengths-based, and body-informed therapy options would greatly benefit this population.

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