Healing on the Dancefloor.

You will ncver find a better dance partner then your own spirit.

I have spent the last 9 years in therapy. The type of therapy that you don’t get prescribed by the NHS or recommended to you by your GP. This therapy is something that people have been doing for years. All over the world it has been advocated by different groups of people, seen in cultures and even religious ceremonies. Yet it’s not seen as part of what NICE ( National Institute of Clinical Excellence, the board of people that recommend what drugs/therapy physicians should prescribe for best outcome, or most cost efficient I should say) would fund for your mental health.

I was fortunate to find this therapy, I was also fortunate to find a great service and therapists that began the process (it was in Stoke if you are interested). This was recommended to me by some friends that really did guide me to therapy and actually came with me to hold my hand. I am eternally grateful for them to be so kind. They truly changed the direction of my life and my growth.

My therapy was RAVING; MUSIC and DANCE, in particualr house music, electronic acid house music and genres in between that were played at the dancelfoors of the raves I was taken to.

I have been reflecting on how traditional therapy takes place and how my therapy really can mirror each other.

These are my thoughts:

The Dance floor:

This is your therapy room, you enter it willingly but you are unsure how the session will go. It’s a space you hope will offer you freedom to express what you want to say, to let people know what you are feeling and not be judged in doing so.

At times you can be in group therapy or individual therapy in this therapy room. You can share your emotions with others through interaction. This can be eye contact, smiles, hand gestures or even a hug (if consent is given, obviously). Or you can be alone, moving in your own space, eyes closed and interacting only with yourself, the music and the senstations and movement being created.

The Dj:

He/She is the therapist, the psychiatrist, the healer. They prescribe you what intervention or model of therapy is needed and then deliver it. They have different models that they come from, sometimes they will mix the therapy style and use an eclectic approach, taking pieces from all the theorists that have proposed their own treatments. They will often, well the best ones do will have their own identifiable trademark of what they deliver. This often is what would of guided you to the specific therapy room you find yourself in. Not all therapies are beneficial to us all. 

The music:

The music, is what begins making the changes. This is what will heal, you need to accept this and do your own work though. It won’t work if you just turn up and not take part. The acceptance that you want change is the first step (this is seen really by you paying the fee to enter, you are showing willingness at least to attempt/contemplate change). The music makes you move it makes you dance, it shakes the energy up and moves the feelings. How much you take on of this is up to you, you can have moments where you need deep intense doses and other times it’s more a slow ongoing drip that is needed. Like medication you can take extra doses in between routine ones that can give you the extra boost. But the music is what heals hand in hand with the dancing. You will have benefit from each one alone, but together the intensity of transformation is increased.

The other dancers:

The other dancers can be your support, your family, your friends, the rest of your therapy team. Or they can be your peers, those who also have a similar condition that needs healing. The fellow individuals that understand what you are going through, they have the same motivation they too want to heal and grow. They too want to let go of all the conditions they have placed on themselves. The feelings of doubt, self criticism and judgement of not being enough. But here in this particular therapy room you are all one, all in it together. You cheerlead each other on to get the most out of this therapy session. You know sometimes they don’t last long enough so you ensure you get the treatment you need to go forward to the next session, though at times you can’t wait to get out.

The side effects:

Negative side effects can occur, like all medication and treatment, to heal you have to have some pain don’t you. But these effects usually pass quickly; the sore calves, the non-existent voice and the aching arms soon disappear and fade into memory. It can often be seen that the level of degree you suffer these side effects can be in relation to what you put into your therapy session. Achieving these really shows you’ve worked hard at the healing process.

The positive side effects are multiple and also individual. You have a sense of letting go, a lightness within, like you have released something that has been stuck inside. You smile a lot more, you sleep better, your relationships improve. You begin to know what is really making you who you are. You have had a chance to express who you are.

I truly believe I have released, cleared and healed on the dance floors that I have been on over the last 9 years, the women who stepped into her first one no longer exist. The self doubting, lacking self confidence and belief badges she once carried have been left behind, instead she wears a variety of ones with smiley faces on (and various accessories) and ones stating confidence and happiness.

I’ve worked hard in therapy, looked at parts of me I didn’t like, ones I had hidden away for years. But I have come to love that dance floor, I enjoy my therapy sessions. I so wished I had entered therapy years ago, but then I believe that last year the time was right, the people were right and the music certainly was right.

I would love to thank all my therapy team, everyone in some way has made the process one of great joy. I would recommend this therapy to anyone, it’s cost effective, adaptable to when you can fit it in and has such long lasting results. You can attend as often or as little as you like but I feel it’s essential that you keep the levels of intervention at a constant to maintain the results.

I’d love to know whar you think of music and dancing as part of your own journey and how you may or may not relate to this blog.

Message me xx