Article
The Witness. Studying the Effect of an Observer in Dance Movement Therapy
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Authors
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Birgitt Bodingbauer
- Department of Dance and Movement Therapy, School of Therapeutic Sciences, SRH University Heidelberg, Germany
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Sabine Koch
- Department of Dance and Movement Therapy, School of Therapeutic Sciences, SRH University Heidelberg, Germany; Research Institute for Creative Arts Therapy, Department of Arts Therapies and Therapy Sciences, Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Alfter, Germany
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Janina Emrath
- Department of Dance and Movement Therapy, School of Therapeutic Sciences, SRH University Heidelberg, Germany
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Ruth Hanhnefeld
- Department of Dance and Movement Therapy, School of Therapeutic Sciences, SRH University Heidelberg, Germany
| Published: | October 12, 2020 |
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Outline
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There is a broad consensus about the significance of the therapeutic alliance to psychotherapy outcomes. Neuropsychologists such as Allan Schore identify the core of the therapeutic process as arising from non-verbal, body-based communication between client and therapist. In dance movement therapy (DMT) and mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT), receptive attention to a mover’s experience has been termed witnessing. Witnessing is thought to facilitate an enhanced and often transformative sense of processing, which has not been empirically studied.
We posed the question whether one instructor acting as a witness would elicit significant effects on a group during a movement session. Participants were led through an improvisation, in which the instructor acted as a witness in the EG and as a participant in the CG. Body-based psychological outcomes were measured pre- and post-test. Whereas the pilot study showed a significantly greater increase in in Body Self-Efficacy (n=23; p=.049) for the EG, no such effect was found in the larger follow-up study (n=45; p=.329).
As difference in group size between the two studies may have influenced the results, a further study using smaller groups is needed. We also discuss possibilities for alternative mixed- methods designs in order to discern the effects of witnessing more clearly.
