Keywords
dance therapy, mother-infant therapy, play, Intuitive Mothering, anxiety, postnatal depression
Page #: 70
Intuitive Mothering, an eight week dance therapy program, has evolved as an experiential therapy for infants and their mothers with postnatal depression within a hospital outpatient psychology group program. Key concepts of the Intuitive Mothering model are described: the shared somatic partnership, neurobiological aspects of intuitive learning, and the contribution of mutual play within the liminal space, all of which aim to promote mother-infant responsiveness. Results of an evaluation of the Intuitive Mothering dance therapy intervention demonstrate a reduction in parenting stress, maternal depression and anxiety, and improvement in mother-infant interaction. Discussion of results point to future directions.