Creating Safety: Dance/Movement Therapy with Refugees

Abstract

This thesis is a research based study that focuses on the use of dance/movement therapy in creating the experience of safety for refugees. With 65.6 million displaced people worldwide, and 22.5 million being refugees, the need for safety is ever growing. Beginning with a brief de-scription of the policies and process refugees must go through when entering the United States, this thesis aims to scratch the surface in describing the difficulties refugees experience. Much of the trauma they have endured has affected their bodies, and especially their integration of self. Dance/Movement therapy, which focuses on the body and movement, can help refugees to connect to themselves, their experiences, their therapist, and their communities. The role of dance/movement therapy and the therapist in creating an experience of safety for a refugee is discussed.