Integrative Therapy

• Movement as a path to healing:  Dance/movement therapy (DMT) uses your body’s natural wisdom and expressive movement to help you explore, understand, and work through emotions that might be difficult to put into words.
• Your body speaks too: This approach honors that communication happens through more than just words. Your gestures, posture, breathing, and movements all carry meaning and can express what’s happening inside you, sometimes more truthfully than language alone.
• Building a positive relationship with yourself: Through supportive movement experiences in a safe therapeutic relationship, you can develop greater self-awareness, learn to regulate your emotions, and build a more compassionate view of yourself.
• Addressing trauma where it lives: Because trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind, this approach helps you heal from the ground up by first finding safety and trust in your own body—the essential foundation for lasting change.
• Real-world benefits: Research shows that DMT can help you feel more connected to others, lift your mood, ease anxiety, and express yourself more authentically—all while honoring that your body’s language is just as meaningful as your words.

A dance/movement therapist pays close attention to how you move and uses movement and dance expression as the primary tool for both understanding what you’re experiencing and helping you heal. They’re trained to notice what your body is communicating—perhaps tension in your shoulders, the way you hold yourself, or how freely (or hesitantly) you move through space. Through guided movement experiences, Dr. Michele helps you to express feelings that might be stuck or hard to say out loud, and create bridges between what your body is feeling/sensing and what you can eventually put into words. The goal is to help you discover new ways of moving and being that feel more authentic, expansive, and true to who you are. Dance/movement therapists believe that dance is not merely a form of exercise or entertainment; it is inherently healing.

Dance/movement therapy sessions can happen one-on-one or in a group setting, depending on what works best for you. Each session is designed around your comfort level, interests, and goals. As a trained DJ, Dr. Michele might use recorded music to support your process as well as props like scarves or balls, or simply silence to invite movement and self-expression. You might explore different styles of movement—from gentle swaying or stretching to more expressive dance—whatever feels right for you in the moment. Sessions can include improvised movement where you follow what your body wants to do, relaxation and breathing exercises, creative expression, talking about what you’re experiencing, or even using movement and dance to explore different scenarios or feelings. There’s no “right” way to move, and you’re never asked to perform or do anything that doesn’t feel safe. The focus is on discovering what your body needs to express and how movement can support your healing and growth.

No prior dance experience is required in order to participate or benefit from dance/movement therapy. It is designed for all levels of physical ability/mobility and focuses on using movement for expression, not performance.