Keywords: Dance Therapy, Dementia, sense of self, neurology, phenomenology, experiential meaning, person-centered, Laban Movement Analysis, body/mind
Page #: 14
This paper outlines a 1993 research study which attempted to describe and understand moments of experiential meaning within the dance therapy process for a patient with dementia. The writer places the study in context by discussing the nature of dementia and the common view of it as loss of self. An overview of her phenomenological methodology in the early stages follows, with later interpretation through reference to literature in the fields of dance, neurology, and dementia care. The main discussion, however, revolves around the understandings gained concerning the meaning of the dance therapy experience for the patient. The paper concludes that dance therapy offered not only a quality experience in the moment but a change in the patient’s sense of self.
Download this article: PDF format
