E.193 Healing Trauma Through Dance: Insights from Dance Movement Therapist Lisa Manca

Resilience Development in Action

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What if you could heal trauma and emotional pain through movement? Join us as dance movement therapist Lisa Manca, alongside guest co-host Courtney Romanowski, unveils the transformative power of dance therapy. Lisa brings her expertise from forensic and psychiatric settings, offering unique insights into how movement can aid personal growth and healing. We tackle the challenges mental health professionals face in intense environments like prisons, revealing the unexpected benefits of dance therapy in helping individuals, including inmates, reconnect with their humanity amidst administrative hurdles.
Explore the profound connection between movement, therapy, and trauma as we discuss how specific movements can safely channel emotions and promote healing. Lisa shares how modifying posture and engaging in dance can influence emotional states, offering a therapeutic approach that sometimes surpasses verbal methods. Drawing on insights from literature like "The Body Remembers" and "The Body Keeps the Score," we delve into the neurobiological aspects of how the body retains memories and how dance therapy can facilitate emotional release and foster a sense of safety.
In our final segment, we explore the role of dance therapy workshops in workplace wellness, emphasizing the importance of maintaining personal boundaries and recognizing movement biases. Lisa and Courtney share personal anecdotes and professional challenges, shedding light on the misconceptions surrounding dance therapy, especially for young female clinicians. As we wrap up, we express our gratitude to our guests for their invaluable contributions and tease our next exciting topic on rebranding.

Reach Lisa at http://www.lisamanca.com or search for her with Somatic Therapy San Francisco

References:

American Dance Therapy Association

The Body Remembers by Babette Rothschild

The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk

Nichols, Ebony, "Moving Blind Spots: Cultural Bias in the Movement Repertoire of Dance/Movement Therapists" (2019). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 150. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/150

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Chapters

1. E.193 Healing Trauma Through Dance: Insights from Dance Movement Therapist Lisa Manca (00:00:00)

2. Exploring Dance Therapy With Lisa Monka (00:00:03)

3. Challenges of Mental Health in Prisons (00:07:56)

4. Connecting Movement, Therapy, and Trauma (00:14:28)

5. Understanding Attachment and Movement Therapy (00:28:11)

6. Therapeutic Workshops and Wellness Practices (00:35:35)

7. Podcast Wrap-Up and Important Reminder (00:41:14)