THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN DANCE AND RECOVERY FOR SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Domestic violence causes emotional trauma within the individuals who experience it, and this trauma requires trauma-informed care (TIC). Dance has unexpected healing qualities, and many dance practices have the potential to be trauma informed. Dance/movement therapy offers participants with exercises and tools that help individuals overcome their trauma. These tools and practices and trauma-informed dance intervention practices. DMT is considered a highly effective healing modality for survivors of domestic violence. Survivors can experience these healing benefits in non-traditional therapy settings if these settings are trauma informed. Arts organizations have the potential to offer trauma-informed dance programming. Therefore, this thesis offers arts manager with a unique framework for implementing trauma-informed dance intervention practices within their organization.