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Personal
Background and Influences on my Work
I first consciously
harnessed the healing power of dance when I was 19 years old
to help me through a period of angst. This was long before I knew Dance/Movement
Therapy was an established profession. Since that time, I have been
engaged in a path of self- discovery and self-expression through movement,
dance, psychological and spiritual |
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Authentic
Movement was the initial kinesthetic process I studied to integrate
unconscious elements of the body, psyche, and spirit. This form
taught me how to listen attentively to my immediate body experience,
to physically express evolving images, memories and emotions
and to be a clear, attentive witness to the movement of others.
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| Next, I was drawn to the dynamic improvisation and performance practice of Body Tales which weaves personal storytelling with creative movement expression. | |
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I
received my Marriage
and Family Therapist License (LMFT) and became registered as
a Dance/Movement Therapist
(DTR) in 1995. Soon after, I began studying The Blanche Evan Method
of dance therapy with Bonnie Bernstein. This work is a major influence
on my present practice. The approach purposefully mobilizes the
many creative elements of dance to discover, express and integrate
in depth personal questions and issues.
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| Currently, I am an advanced student of Hakomi Body-Centered Psychotherapy and use this a great deal in my work. Through mindfulness and somatically-based awareness, this method gently supports exploring present experience. By staying with felt experience, the transformation of old core beliefs into new choices and the emerging of your true self can evolve. | |
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Other
meaningful influences on my work are Egyptian, African and
Jazz dance, The NIA Technique, Yoga, T'ai Chi Chih, and spiritual
dance. These diverse dance forms as well as depth-oriented movement
practices continue to be a part of who I am and how I approach body-oriented
psychotherapy.
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Teaching and
Professional Experience For 15 years, I taught the movement forms of T'ai Chi Chih, NIA (mind/body/spirit aerobics), and Creative Movement and Dance for Children. Teaching helped me to develop my movement observation skills, to lead and follow a group's energy, and to integrate many styles of movement. |
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In 1996, I trained with BAWAR (Bay Area Women Against Rape) answering crisis calls for women and co-leading support groups including one with a combination of self-defense and therapeutic processing. |
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| I taught Couples Communication for Kaiser Permanente from 2000-2001. These classes focused on listening skills, positive and effective communication styles, managing anger and conflicts, and problem solving. | |||
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I have been in private practice as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 1996, and have supported people with the following issues:
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Copyright
2004 by Ariana Candell, MFT, DTR |
