Date of Award
Spring 5-5-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MA - Master of Arts
Department
Expressive Therapies
Advisor
Tamar Hadar, PhD, MT-BC
Abstract
This thesis explores the potential role of play and playfulness in dance movement therapy (DMT) for the treatment of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), which results from exposure to complex trauma. As its name suggests, CPTSD symptoms can be more severe than that of PTSD, and the prevalence of CPTSD is estimated at 3.8% of the U.S. population (Cloitre et al., 2019). Given these factors, this mental health issue warrants further research and treatment support. Towards this end, a critical review of the literature on the topics of complex trauma/CPTSD, play, and DMT has been conducted. Based on a synthesis of the findings, the benefits of integrating play and DMT for CPTSD treatment are presented, and initial recommendations for how to integrate the therapeutic use of play with a phased model of DMT are made. Specifically, play offers the potential for the transformation of self and promotes increased adaptability, both of which complement DMT as an embodied modality. Together, DMT and play are well suited to tackle the core issues of CPTSD.
Creative Commons License
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Recommended Citation
Chen, Kaiyue, "Embodied Transformation: A Review of Play and Dance Movement Therapy for Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" (2020). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 266.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/266
Rights
The author owns the copyright to this work.
