The movement phrase and its clinical value in dance/movement therapy

Movement occurs through a sequencing between action and pause, also known as phrasing. The movement phrase is a basic and ubiquitous form of behavioral organization, but the concept and phenomenon is relatively under-studied in the field of Dance/Movement Therapy. Several questions about the phrase are addressed in this literature-based study. They are: if the phrase is a form oforganization that parallels the larger forms of organization in a person's life, could an intervention on the level of phrase have more global implications? More precisely, what was the relationship between phrasing and mental health?To research these questions this thesis begins by investigating sources of the phrase. The CNS provides the physiological substrate for phrase, and the psyche modifies it. How the psyche modifies the action corresponds to how it copes, or what coping mechanisms it utilizes. After thistheoretical groundwork is laid, literature is reviewed that draws connections between phrase and character, phrase and diagnosis, and phrase and behavior in the clinical setting. As very little literature exists on phrasing, future directions for research and clinical work are introduced. The directions include locating the phrase on a developmental line, utilizing the pause between phrases, and mining the relational aspects of phrase. Principles for intervention thatwere consistent across all disciplines covered were: 1. The greater range of phrases at one's disposal, the greater ability one has to cope with her/his environment. This greater ability to cope is an aspect of mental health. 2. When intervening, the clinician must begin with the client's ownnatural phrasing.