Let’s clear something up right from the beginning.
You do not need to know how to dance to try dance movement therapy. No choreography, no counting steps, no dance background required. This isn’t about looking graceful. It’s about feeling something—and letting your body help you through it.
Dance movement therapy is exactly what it sounds like—a therapeutic practice that uses movement as a way to express and process what’s going on emotionally.
It’s powerful, it’s deeply personal, and it’s more accessible than most people realize. If you’ve ever felt lighter after swaying to your favorite song or crying while dancing alone in your kitchen, you’ve already touched on the emotional magic of movement.
Now we get to take that instinct and shape it into something intentional.
If you’re wondering what the experience is like or looking for the real benefits of dance therapy, you’re in the right place. Let’s break it down together, step by step (pun very much intended).
What are the benefits of dance therapy?
There are so many benefits of dance therapy, but the biggest one might be this: it helps you get out of your head and into your body. And for a lot of us, that is the hardest and most healing part.
Dance therapy can help you explore emotions that feel hard to put into words. It’s not always easy to describe sadness, anxiety, grief, or stress with language—but your body? Your body knows. And sometimes movement says things your voice can’t.
Some of the most widely experienced benefits of dance therapy include:
- Emotional release in a safe, supported space
- Increased self-awareness and body connection
- Stress relief and nervous system regulation
- Improved self-esteem and confidence
- Greater ability to regulate emotions day to day
Dance therapy is especially powerful for folks who find traditional talk therapy overwhelming or limiting. It lets you be in the moment and respond to what’s happening internally with movement, not pressure.
What are the 5 mental benefits of dancing?
You don’t need a formal therapy session to feel how dancing shifts your mood—but when movement is paired with clinical support, those benefits go even deeper. Here are five mental and emotional benefits of dancing that shine through in dance therapy:
- You feel more present. When you move intentionally, you’re pulled out of future worries or past regrets and into the now.
- You build emotional resilience. Dance therapy gives you a space to explore difficult feelings in a way that doesn’t overwhelm you.
- You reduce stress. Movement helps regulate cortisol and calm your nervous system in a really physical, embodied way.
- You gain confidence. Showing up in your body, just as you are, builds trust and comfort with yourself over time.
- You express what’s stuck. Movement allows you to say things with your body that maybe you’ve never been able to say out loud.
The benefits of dance therapy go beyond what happens in the room. The emotional regulation, increased awareness, and nervous system shifts follow you out into the rest of your life.
What kind of issues can dance therapy help with?
If you’re wondering whether dance therapy is “for you,” here’s the honest answer—it’s for everyone. No matter your age, identity, history, or relationship with your body, you’re welcome in this space. And no, you don’t have to be comfortable dancing in front of other people. You don’t even have to move much at all. Dance movement therapy meets you where you are.
Some of the most common reasons people explore dance therapy include:
- Anxiety or chronic stress
- Depression
- PTSD and trauma recovery
- Eating disorders and body image challenges
- Grief and loss
- Life transitions, like postpartum adjustment or caregiving burnout
- Feeling stuck emotionally, even when you don’t know why
Dance therapy can be a gentle way back into your body if you’ve felt disconnected for a while. It can help you move through emotions you didn’t realize you were holding. And it’s not always heavy. Sometimes the session ends with laughter, with breath, with lightness you didn’t expect.
The benefits of dance therapy show up in both the quiet moments and the big releases. You don’t have to come in with a plan. You just have to come in with curiosity.
What are the goals of dance movement therapy?
The goals of dance therapy are never about perfecting movement. They’re about noticing, expressing, releasing, and connecting. At Empowered Therapy, we see dance therapy as a deeply affirming process that helps people reconnect to themselves in a way that feels kind and grounded.
Some common goals of dance movement therapy include:
- Emotional awareness – recognizing how feelings live in your body
- Self-expression – allowing space for what needs to be felt, without needing to explain
- Self-regulation – learning how movement can calm, energize, or balance you
- Healing trauma – gently reconnecting to parts of the body that may have felt unsafe or shut down
- Building self-confidence – celebrating what your body can do, not what it looks like doing it
These goals look different for everyone. For some, it’s about reconnecting with joy. For others, it’s about moving through grief. For many, it’s a little bit of both.
The benefits of dance therapy are flexible and holistic. Whether you’re moving slowly, sitting in a chair, or dancing with your eyes closed, it’s still therapy—and it still counts.
Final thoughts: Movement is medicine, even if you feel awkward at first
We know what you might be thinking. “This sounds great, but I am not a dancer.” We hear that a lot. And you know what? That’s okay.
Dance movement therapy isn’t about dancing for performance. It’s about dancing for healing. It’s about giving your body permission to speak, even if all it says is a gentle sway or a shift in posture. You are not expected to be graceful. You are not expected to know what you’re doing. You are just invited to show up.
And that’s where the real magic begins.
At Empowered Therapy, we believe in creating spaces where you can be seen, heard, and felt—exactly as you are. If you’re curious about the benefits of dance therapy, we would love to walk with you through the process.
You deserve healing that feels good in your body. You deserve therapy that doesn’t always require words. And you deserve to feel at home in yourself again.
So come as you are. No choreography needed. We’ll meet you on the dance floor.