Overcoming Depression with Dance Movement Therapy: A Case Report

In our society that sets high standards of perfection to be ok and wins, the depressed is commonly considered as an outsider, a marginalized person unable to be in line with standards and rhythms fast and competitive of the time we live. So the social stigma against people who suffer from mood disorders is a very powerful factor that negatively affects the healing of patient. He is often isolated from the others for the fear of being judged "fool, crazy or dangerous" or discriminated and emarginated for his mental health problem. For this reason, a cornerstone of depression rehabilitation is the bringing out of the patient from his isolation, the reintegration of user in the social context with the increase and the improvement in the quality of interpersonal relationships in the family and in the external context. So in this way is possible an increase in the tone of mood and a reduction of the symptoms of depression. The method used in our project is the dance movement therapy. In particular, dancing the "Bachata" and later more spontaneous dance becomes a rehabilitation tool to express emotions through the body and to open to the world, on the territory, overcoming the fear of being judged by others, the prejudice and the social stigma about mental illness. This work presents the results of a case report of a depressed patient treated with dance movement therapy.