My Dance Is My Prayer
Anette Torgersen
American Journal of Dance Therapy January 14, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s10465-025-09426-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Intentional dance prayer |
| Duration | Six-year |
| Keywords | Prayer Phenomenology philosophy Health psychology Empirical research Hermeneutic phenomenology Aesthetics Psychoanalysis Qualitative research Foundation evidence Dance therapy Psychotherapist |
| Key findings | Intentional dance prayer, derived from authentic movement, provides spiritual and therapeutic benefits through emotional, spiritual, and bodily insights and transformations. |
Abstract
Abstract This study investigates how intentional dance prayer (IDP), an approach derived from authentic movement (AM), can provide spiritual and therapeutic benefits. The theoretical foundation draws on Merleau-Ponty’s body phenomenology and prior AM research. The empirical work was a six-year longitudinal qualitative study, using a practical-theoretical reflection process to examine participants’ experiences of IDP. This article presents participants’ first-person accounts of the insights and transformations—emotional, spiritual, and bodily—that emerged from the practice.