Clinical Scorecard: A Systematic Review of Dance and Movement Therapy for Psychotic and Eating Disorders
At a Glance
Category
Detail
Condition
Psychotic disorders and eating disorders
Key Mechanisms
Use of bodily movement, rhythm, and relational attunement to support emotional regulation, bodily awareness, and psychosocial functioning
Target Population
Adolescents and adults with psychotic disorders or eating disorders
Care Setting
Adjunctive intervention within multidisciplinary psychiatric care
Key Highlights
DMT is associated with improvements in bodily awareness, emotional expression, social functioning, and negative symptoms in psychotic disorders.
Evidence in eating disorders suggests potential benefits for body image, emotional regulation, alexithymia, and subjective well-being.
Methodological heterogeneity and variable study quality limit definitive conclusions; further well-designed controlled trials are needed.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
Consider disturbances in bodily experience and affect regulation as core features in psychotic and eating disorders.
Assess embodied self-experience, interoceptive awareness, and psychosocial functioning to identify candidates for DMT.
Management
Integrate DMT as an adjunctive therapy alongside treatment as usual for psychotic and eating disorders.
Utilize movement, posture, spatial exploration, mirroring, and rhythmic activity to enhance emotional regulation and relational engagement.
Monitoring & Follow-up
Monitor changes in negative symptoms, social engagement, bodily awareness, emotional expression, and psychosocial functioning.
Use outcome measures sensitive to embodied change and relational attunement.
Risks
No specific risks of DMT reported; however, methodological limitations in studies necessitate cautious interpretation of efficacy.
Patient & Prescribing Data
Adolescents and adults with psychotic disorders or eating disorders receiving DMT-based interventions
DMT may improve embodied and psychosocial domains, complementing pharmacological and verbal therapies, especially for symptoms less responsive to medication.
Clinical Best Practices
Employ standardized DMT protocols with clear reporting to enhance reproducibility and clinical applicability.
Prioritize interventions targeting embodied self-experience, emotional regulation, and social attunement.
Incorporate qualitative feedback to capture experiential benefits such as increased emotional awareness and sense of agency.
Focus research and clinical efforts on underrepresented populations, particularly individuals with eating disorders.
