1. What is art therapy and in what ways are these creative expressions therapeutic?

Art therapy is using different forms of art to help in the process of therapeutic intervention. Art forms like drawing, music, and dance can be used to express an individual’s feelings or thinking. Art therapy enables us to tap into our feelings, sub-consciousness or imagination. These facades of our life are very important in determining how we behave, see ourselves, and the world around us.

2. Specifically, can you tell us what is dance therapy and who can benefit from it?

Dance therapy is nowadays referred to as body movement therapy. Dance therapy is often misunderstood. For example, people sometimes think it is a social dance.

We use body movement to achieve healing. Body movement, which involves rhythm and music, is self-expression. How you want to move your body and create rhythm is up to you. Through moving your body, in expressing form and space, it allows you to explore. For example, some people through body movement come to realize that they may move too fast or too slow. Body movement then allows them to develop the other extreme. For example, if one is always slow, one can experience short, quick movements. In exploring various body movements (even ones we are not accustomed to), we become a more complete individual. We also become more flexible. Body movement can also be another source of motivation – inspiring and giving us a comforting feeling.

In body movement, a lot of activities are involved, including interpersonal relationships. Different kinds of body movements can lead us to explore different ways of relating to people. Body movement allows us to explore non-verbal communication. In dance therapy workshops, we not only move our bodies but we also learn to interact socially. There are different ways of using our bodies to send out a message or make a statement. Body movement helps us to better understand ourselves and this in turn gives us more self-control, self-confidence, and self-awareness.

Through body movement therapy, certain disorders can also be diagnosed or it can be used to assess an individual for different types of personal problems – including psychological, emotional, and psychosomatic issues. For example, a person’s way of dancing may indicate a specific problem. At other times, people with disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder  (ADHD) or autism can develop both their social and cognitive abilities through body movement.

3. What made you decide to explore body movement therapy as a way of helping your clients?

I explore whatever forms that have proven to be effective in helping people. I believe that the body, mind, and soul are interactive. They work together for an individual to achieve his or her highest potential. So if we have a body, we need to use it. We don’t just use our minds. Body movement also allows us to express our feelings immediately. It is an effective channel.

In addition, I met a Taiwanese dance therapist who became my best friend. As a friend, her lifestyle was an inspiration for me.

In church, besides singing we can also dance or jump. That expresses one’s total existence in doing something. In the Bible there is a passage about David dancing in front of the ark of God (2 Sam 6:14-15).

Body movement is the whole person immersed in that moment. It is a very precious time for an individual to reach their full potential, to be whole as a person. The body is very amazing, and we need to learn about it and use it. That’s why I introduce it to my clients.

Also, I realize in modern life we tend to constrain our body movements. For example, if we live in the mountains or the countryside, we can run wild, climb trees or go down to the river. We feel free. But in urban life, we are restricted by a lot of rules and regulations. So a certain part of us – the freedom, the creativity – fades away if we don’t allow for an opportunity to insert body movement into our daily life. For modern people living the urban life, we need this.

4. Do you think there is enough emphasis placed on the importance of using art as a form of therapy in Singapore?

Currently there is not enough emphasis on creative therapy yet. It is still an emerging therapy. However, more and more are aware that we need to express ourselves, instead of just working like machines. We are individuals; we want our own voice. We need different ways of expressing ourselves. Overall, Singaporeans need more of this so that we are free and alive, and life itself is not reduced to robotic movements. Often we work, we perform, and we function quite well. But we are not just functioning machines. We are human beings. We have spirit, we have feelings, and we have this search for eternity.

5. What available resources are there in Singapore for people who are interested in dance and other forms of art therapy? Where do we stand internationally?

For dance therapy, we do not have any professional associations yet – unlike countries such as America and Taiwan. In such associations, the professionals are trained and they provide counseling for people. In Singapore, we do not have such an association because we do not yet have enough trained dance therapists. Currently, such a subject is not offered in schools. Only certain organizations have engaged professionals from overseas for training. I myself have engaged expertise from Taiwan. In other cultures such therapies are more accepted. In Singapore, it is still an emerging profession.

For children and adolescents, we have done more. For adolescents, they prefer certain forms of body movements like street dance. For children, some private organizations incorporate body movements to help stimulate and thus assist in developing their brains.

In countries like America, Australia, and even Taiwan – more adults realize the importance of their spiritual and psychological development and they will seek out these types of therapy.

For drama therapy, people act out unscripted performances. Many people find it powerful and effective. They act out their inner world under the guidance of the director – normally the therapist. Drama therapy was introduced into Singapore ten years ago and since then more organizations have become involved in this form of therapy.

The Centre for Creative Development is available for people interested in these (and other) types of therapies, to help them reach their potential. For art therapy (painting, drawing), LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore offers a Masters in Art Therapy. It is the first formal institute to focus on creative arts therapy. Various family service centers and other social service agencies are also starting to explore elements of creative therapy. Besides this, there are also small groups of people who focus on these types of therapies.

Therapists who engage in various forms of art therapy say that they find the best reward is the client’s feedback – that they have received help which may not have been possible in traditional forms of therapy.

Dr Chou Mei Ling is the Director of Centre for Creative Development (Singapore) (www.ccd.sg) and a Senior Consultant Psychologist for EMCC (www.emcc.org.sg). For over twenty years, Dr Chou has been involved in individual counseling, coaching, family therapy, and couple therapy. She has been instrumental in introducing psychodrama as a therapy tool in Singapore. A registered psychologist with the Singapore Register of Psychologists, her clientele also extends to Malaysia, Taiwan, and China.

For the purpose of this article, “art therapy” refers to any type of creative arts therapy unless otherwise stated.