Developing a body-oriented intervention for trauma

2014-04-30This dissertation is a three‐study investigation exploring the use of dance/movement therapy (DMT) for the treatment of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This investigation is the first study of its kind, using established research protocols to document dance/movement therapists’ knowledge regarding the impact of body engagement in trauma work. Building on the principal investigator’s qualifying exam (a qualitative exploration of the common elements of dance/movement therapy), the present study moves the research forward with aims of addressing the common components of the treatment modality through mixed methods analysis. The present work is designed to gain confirmation of the treatment elements of DMT and when these treatment elements are used in a single session. Employing three different research methods (a qualitative systematic review, a Q‐Sort methodology, and a survey study), the principal investigator collected and analyzed mixed methods data to advance the understanding of treatment methods used in DMT. These studies are part of the preliminary research required for manualization of a body‐oriented intervention