Regaining balance within: Dance movement therapy with Chinese cancer patients in Hong Kong

Abstract

Balance is an important concept in Chinese culture. Holistic health in Traditional Chinese Medicine is defined by a balanced and integrated body, mind and spirit. Although the importance of living in a state of balance is implanted in Chinese people, the concept moves into the background, becoming ignored or disturbed, when an individual overwhelmed by physical and psychological distress, such as a diagnosis of cancer. Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), which works at both the physical and psychological levels, also asserts that total well-being is a function of the interconnected body, mind, and spirit, making it a particularly suitable and potentially powerful intervention for Chinese clients who find themselves out of balance. This paper demonstrates how a mix of eastern approaches such as meditation and tai-chi like movement, eastern philosophy such as living in the moment and nonattachment, and DMT's western emphasis on spontaneous movement and expression, can help Chinese clients, accustomed to containing expressive behavior, regain and embody the traditional wisdom of balance. Steps in this approach include acknowledging the influences of Confucianism and traditional education, loosening the established controls and disciplines, awakening the traditional wisdom of mind-body interconnectedness (as well as the 'sentimental side' that lies inside), and regaining the sense of balance of body, mind and spirit. © Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2006.