ITA’s Julie Brannen Demonstrates How Dance/Movement Therapy Works
ITA Dance/Movement Therapist Julie Brannen
Have you ever noticed that when you’re feeling stressed, you feel tension in your body? Your shoulders may ache, your stomach may be tight, maybe you get a tension headache. What we know is that the way we feel mentally and emotionally impacts the way our body manages itself and the physical symptoms we experience. We call this the mind-body connection: how we feel in our brains affects how our body feels. One way to alleviate these problems is through Dance/Movement Therapy.
“I work with children living with rare diseases and special needs, adolescents living within at-risk communities and underprivileged situations, adults living with chronic and severe mental illnesses, and elderly living with neurological and cognitive disorders,” says Julie Brannen, a Dance/Movement Therapist at ITA. Julie works with clients dealing with mood and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, neurological disorders, psychosomatic disorders, and traumatic disorders. She helps clients identify how their bodies are physically carrying the mental or emotional troubles they are working through. Common symptoms of depression include decreased appetite, sleep issues, and physical slowness or lack of dexterity. See below for a short video of a method Julie uses with clients to address these issues.
“At times our bodies carry stress or symptoms in an imbalanced way. Our body may feel off physically because of the mental or emotional symptoms we experience,” says ITA Practice Director Dr. Marni Rosen. “Working within the body increases the success of therapy for individuals who experience the physiological symptoms of mental health conditions.”
To dance and heal with Julie Brannen, phone the ITA Intake Line at 847-425-9708 x 590.