Each person’s rehab experience is personal. While evidence-based treatment models have their proven benefits, additional therapies are often just as useful. Of course, therapy is a big part of rehab, with expected attendance in individual, group, and family sessions. However, what happens when someone has a hard time verbalizing their feelings? How will his recovery progress? Holistic treatments are growing in popularity for this reason. Using alternative methods alongside conventional therapy gives clients a full spectrum of treatment. Dance movement therapy is one of these complementary treatments.
Benefits of Dance Movement Therapy
Addiction is a complicated issue. In many cases, people caught in the grip of addiction also battle some type of mental health disorder. It may be minor depression, an eating disorder, or PTSD. Dance movement therapy, or DMT, provides a number of benefits for anyone in treatment for an addiction or mental health disorder. These benefits include the following:
- Allows people to express emotions without talking
- Helps people relax and relieves stress
- Gives clients the chance to process difficult feelings
- Promotes positive feelings for the body
- Increases self-awareness and confidence
When people hold onto their emotions instead of expressing them, it often leads to tension and physical aches. Dance therapy helps to relieve this tension. It can also create body-positive feelings, which is helpful for someone with body image issues.
Dance Movement Therapy in Addiction Treatment
When someone can’t overcome a past trauma, it can be especially difficult to talk about it. Dance movement therapy allows them to release pent-up emotions as well as express their feelings differently.
Instead of following an instructor’s lead, clients often create their own movements. Counselors can learn a lot about clients just by observing the way they move. Personality traits will become apparent, including those that are sub-conscious.
One person may be slow and controlled, while the next one will be fast and chaotic. Skilled therapists can interpret what these movements mean and the emotions clients want to express, without saying a word.
Clients may take part in individual and group dance sessions. When interacting with other clients during dance movement therapy in Los Angeles CA, they’ll use non-verbal communication to foster connections. By relieving stress in this way, clients become more relaxed, increasing their willingness to participate in rehab.
The Right Rehab Facility for Adolescents
Maybe your child is severely depressed and abusing drugs and alcohol as a way to cope. Perhaps your teen can’t process a traumatic event and refuses to talk about it. Either way, it’s important to find a reliable rehab with professionals with experience in treating this age group.
Adolescents aren’t yet adults, developmentally or emotionally. As a result, they require specialized treatment that addresses their ongoing growth. Dance movement therapy in Los Angeles CA can be part of a comprehensive rehab program for teenagers who have strong emotions that they’re unable to verbalize.
Teens are often more willing to open up to those in their age group. When they share and connect with other adolescents, they don’t feel as alone or misunderstood.
Family therapy is also a significant component in teen rehabs. Parents and siblings may feel a mixture of confusion, sadness, anger, and frustration. By working together in family therapy, everyone can begin the process of reconnecting and rebuilding.
Hope for Teens and Families
Destinations for Teens is an addiction treatment and mental health facility that only treats adolescents.
Along with dance movement therapy in Los Angeles CA, we provide expressive art therapy, music therapy, surf therapy and research-backed treatment. Our goal is to help your child develop a great sense of well-being while he and your family heal together.
The therapeutic services we offer include:
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Rock therapy
- Yoga
Whether it’s alcohol, meth, or marijuana that’s invaded your teen’s life, help is available. Call us to learn more about how counseling and dance movement therapy can turn everything around for you. Contact us today at 877-466-0620.