Dance movement therapy techniques to promote kinaesthetic empathy for couples: ‘I have to dance seriously with you’

Abstract

ABSTRACT Dance movement therapy (DMT) for couples is characterised by including bodily discourses in the analytical space of the session, unlike other traditional approaches. Current studies have shown the importance of this inclusion to heal maladaptive relational styles developed by individuals in their childhood. This study, in which six couples participated, investigates the effectiveness of a pedagogical programme to promote kinaesthetic empathy (KE). The material analysed using movement analysis methods and thematic analysis, allows us to understand how affective attunement, somatic mirroring and synchronous movement, facilitate the emergence of empathy and the expression of unmanifested emotions, while promoting a feeling of connection between the members of the dyad.