Evaluation of dance and movement based psychosocial support presented to women with mixed design

Ancient teachings have employed body-based practices for holistic well-being for centuries. In the present day, the latest scientific research has demonstrated the necessity and significance of body-oriented therapeutic methods for bio-psycho-socio-spiritual well-being. The limitations of traditional talk therapies that solely offer cognitive interventions have necessitated a shift towards the "embodiment." While international practices and research on body-focused approaches are prevalent, studies in this field are scarce in Turkey. This research within the scope of the thesis aims to evaluate dance and movement-based psychosocial support using a mixed-methods design. As part of the research, a psychosocial support consisting of 8 sessions with 8 female participants has been conducted, focusing on dance and movement. Within the qualitative design of the research, in-depth interviews were conducted with the participants following the intervention, and the data was analyzed using the interpretive phenomenological analysis method. In the quantitative design of the research, participants were provided with the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness-II (MAIA-II), Self-Compassion Scale, and Authenticity Scale as pre-test and post-test measures to compare levels of body awareness, self-compassion, and authenticity and their sub-dimensions before and after the sessions. The data were analyzed using Dependent Samples t-test and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test. The qualitative analysis of the research resulted in 4 themes within the main theme of "Experiencing the Unity of Mind, Body, and Energy through Dance and Movement-based Psychosocial Group Support": (1) Authenticity Emerging with Confidence: Embodiment of Liberation, (2) Reconnection: 'Something Miraculous', (3) Self-regulation: Processing 'From Bottom to Top', (4) Recognizing Individual and Societal Needs, along with 12 sub-themes corresponding to these themes. Quantitative findings indicated a significant increase in participants' levels of Body Listening (t(8)=-2.49, p<0.05), Self-Regulation (t(8)=-2.79, p<0.05), and Authentic Living (t(8)=-2.38, p<0.05) after dance and movement-based interventions. The quantitative and qualitative findings were discussed together. In light of the results, increasing dance and movement-based applications and research are deemed important for individual and societal healing.