Buddhist Psychology Intersects with Dance Movement Therapy
Tripura Kashyap, Anubha Doshi, Karishma Arora
Creative Arts in Education and Therapy August 23, 2022 DOI: 10.15212/caet/2021/7/17 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Dance movement therapy expressive arts body preparatory routines mindful movement body scans gratitude rituals visual art use of props |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Dance Aesthetics Gratitude Movement music Compassion The arts Psychotherapist Visual arts Martial arts |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Proposes that a movement-based therapeutic model incorporating the brahmaviharas can enhance resilience, mental health, and well-being, particularly when adapted for virtual delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Abstract
This article highlights the potential role of the “brahmaviharas,” a Buddhist concept which emphasizes certain spiritual dimensions and have been interlinked with dance movement therapy combined with other expressive arts, in responding effectively to the unpredictable life changes during pandemic situations such as the COVID-19. A multiple therapeutic–expressive–creative movement sequence model and meditation practices were collaboratively developed by movement therapist Tripura Kashyap and expressive arts therapy practitioner Anubha Doshi to address each of the brahmaviharas: loving–kindness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), sympathetic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā). This article specifically reveals how the embodiment of concepts from Buddhism through movement can help in concretizing and embedding meditative practices in the mind–body continuum. Finally, the article explores the relevance of practicing the brahmaviharas by utilizing specifically crafted movement rituals, such as body preparatory routines, mindful movement, body scans, embodiment, gratitude rituals, interspersed with visual art and the use of props to focus on enhancing people’s resilience, mental health, and well-being. All these experiences were creatively adapted to the virtual medium during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review July 26, 2011
- Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being Current Directions in Psychological Science April 1, 2005
- The plasticity of well-being: A training-based framework for the cultivation of human flourishing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 7, 2020