Dance - Movement Therapy in DFW
“When we move the body with intention, we give the soul a voice.
At NorthStar Counseling & Wellness, we believe healing doesn’t just happen through talking—it happens in the body. Our Dance/Movement Therapy sessions offer a powerful, somatic approach to reconnecting with yourself through guided movement, intentional awareness, and creative expression.
What Is Dance Movement Therapy?
Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is a therapeutic service that uses body-based practices to help clients regulate their nervous systems, process trauma, and access emotions that may be hard to reach through words alone. You don’t need any dance experience—this is not about performance. It’s about presence, release, and embodied healing.
Sessions may include:
- Gentle, guided movement
- Breathwork and grounding
- Expressive dance and improvisation
- Somatic tracking and awareness exercises
- Music and rhythm-based exploration
Each session is tailored to your needs, and you’re always in charge of what feels safe for your body.
How Is Dance/Movement Therapy Helpful?
Movement-based therapy can support you in ways traditional talk therapy might not. It can help you:
- Reconnect with your body and feel more at home in it
- Regulate your nervous system (especially helpful for anxiety, trauma, or dissociation)
- Express emotions stored in the body
- Increase mind-body awareness and emotional resilience
- Support chronic pain, GI distress, or fatigue by integrating safe movement patterns
For many, movement creates a bridge between knowing and feeling—between insight and transformation.
Who Is Dance/Movement Therapy For?
Dance & Movement Integration is for anyone looking to heal or grow through a more embodied path. It may be especially helpful for:
- Adults recovering from trauma, PTSD, or chronic stress
- Highly sensitive individuals or those with somatic symptoms
- Therapists, helpers, or caregivers experiencing burnout
- People feeling stuck in traditional therapy and seeking something deeper
- Creative souls wanting a more expressive way to heal
- Children who need to learn how to regulate emotions and express themselves
- Children and teens of all ages that need a space to process traumatic events and stuck emotions
You do not need to be “a dancer” or physically fit. You simply need curiosity and a willingness to listen to your body.
What happens in a Brainspotting session?
Since there are 1-4 quadrillion neurons in the brain, the possibilities of what your session may look like are infinite and highly attuned to your individual needs. Seeking therapy is the initial step where individuals reach out for help, and understanding your motivations is crucial for developing an effective treatment plan. Brainspotting targets physical symptoms associated with stress, tension, and pain, helping to identify and process unresolved traumas or neuroplastic pain. Brainspotting therapy is designed to facilitate rapid and effective change, often yielding faster results than traditional therapies. Feel free to ask your therapist how this could look and be integrated into your current treatment or what it may look like to get started. BSP sessions are recommended at 90 minutes but can be effective in shorter sessions as well (depending on the amount of time needed for processing and recovery). Many people who are ready for change don’t want to wait months to get in-depth healing or reach goal achievement. To accommodate people who are ready to deep dive and carve out space in their lives for healing. We also offer intensives. These last anywhere from 3 hours to a full weekend. People accomplish what they normally would in 6 months on a weekend. We encourage you to talk with your therapist to see what the best time would be for you. BSP therapy starts with a general assessment and education then moves into processing. The sessions often end with grounding exercises. It is important to find a therapist with specialized training to ensure effective and safe treatment.
Core Principles of Dance/Movement Therapy
Our approach is grounded in the principles of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT), a psychotherapeutic use of movement that supports emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration.
Key principles include:
- The body holds wisdom: Emotions, memories, and patterns live in the body and can be accessed through movement.
- Movement is communication: Nonverbal expression often reveals what words cannot.
- Mind-body connection is central to healing: Changes in the body can shift thoughts, emotions, and nervous system states.
- Each person’s movement is unique and meaningful: There is no “right” way to move—your body’s expression is valid and powerful.
- Movement can create new patterns: Through movement, we can rewrite limiting stories and practice new ways of being.
These principles guide a compassionate, trauma-informed process where the body becomes a trusted ally in healing.
How to Prepare for a Dance/Movement Session
No special equipment is needed—just your presence and openness. Here are a few tips to help you feel more at ease:
Wear comfortable clothes that let you move freely.
Bring water and anything that helps you feel grounded (a favorite object, a journal, etc.).
Create a quiet space if attending virtually—somewhere you can move safely and feel emotionally contained.
Be curious, not perfect. You’re not here to perform. You’re here to explore.
Let your body guide you. There’s no “right” way to show up. Your body already knows what it needs.
You are always in control. We’ll move at a pace that feels safe and honoring of your unique nervous system and story.
What Brainspotting Helps With
Anxiety and panic
Trauma and PTSD
Emotional expression and processing
Chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation
Grief and loss
Burnout and compassion fatigue
Chronic pain and tension
Gastrointestinal and somatic symptoms (especially those linked to stress)
Creativity blocks and self-expression
Meet
Our Dance/Movement Therapist
As a Dance/Movement Therapist, I help clients reconnect with their bodies through mindful, expressive movement to support emotional healing, nervous system regulation, and deeper self-awareness. I offer a trauma-informed, creative space where movement becomes a pathway to insight, resilience, and transformation.
