Depression is a highly prevalent mood disorder that impairs a person’s social skills and quality of life.
Depressed patients have been shown to have difficulty in identifying, expressing, and regulating emotions,
especially negative emotions, such as anger. Here, we present a study that investigates using bodyand
movement-based therapy intervention in the treatment of depression. Central to this study is the
use of a short-term group form of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) intervention. The main research
question was whether a short-term group form of DMT intervention could decrease the symptoms of
depression and anxiety. Depressed participants (N = 21, aged 18–60 years) received 20 sessions of group
DMT, and measurements, including psychometric questionnaires, were taken before and after the intervention.
The mean score of the primary outcome measure, the BDI, decreased significantly from the pre-
(M = 21.67, SD = 5.26) to post-measurement (M = 10.50, SD = 5.50), t(17) = 10.40, p < .001. Thus, the shortterm,
group form of DMT intervention had a positive effect on patients with depression. However, further
research using a control group, follow-up measurements and a larger sample size is needed to acquire
more evidence supporting the efficacy of the intervention model described in this pilot study.