Movement, Emotion, and Meaning: A Psychocorporeal Approach to Dance and Therapy

Abstract

This review examines how movement, emotion, and meaning interrelate within a psychocorporeal framework—a view that situates bodily movement as both expressive and therapeutic. Contemporary dance and movement therapies integrate emotional, cognitive, and bodily processes, blurring traditional mind–body distinctions. We synthesize theoretical foundations from embodied cognition, phenomenology, and somatic psychology with empirical evidence on dance-based interventions and therapeutic outcomes. Research demonstrates that movement, particularly in dance and dance/movement therapy (DMT), fosters emotion regulation, social connectedness, embodied expression, and meaning-making across clinical and non-clinical populations. We explore mechanisms such as neural integration, interoceptive awareness, and dyadic attunement, and discuss how movement functions as a symbolic and somatic medium for emotional healing. The review also highlights gaps and future directions for psychocorporeal research, advocating for integrative, culturally sensitive, and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding how the body archives emotional experience and contributes to psychological resilience.