Root Images of Healing in Dance Therapy

Dance therapy is both a modern and an ancient art of healing. For modern dance therapists, the understanding and practice of healing practices is enriched with echoes of ancient images and practices. These echoes provide both humility and perspective on practices carried out in mental health clinics, nursing homes, schools, and other settings today. ~'Root images" in this paper will be used to refer to those ancient practices which prefigure and continue to echo in contemporary dance therapy work. By listening to the echo of these images, dance therapists can increase their sensitivity to the cultural and historical contexts of their own profound work.