Dancing Through Distress: How Dance Can Alleviate Panic Attacks

Dance serves as a powerful therapeutic tool for managing panic attacks, enhancing stress relief, grounding, and promoting mindfulness through movement.

Highlights:

Dance promotes stress relief by releasing endorphins, alleviating panic attack symptoms
Grounding through movement helps individuals reconnect with their bodies during distress
Indian classical dance fosters mindfulness and concentration, aiding in anxiety management

Dance is known as a way of artistic experience but people have recently started to realize its importance as a healing art particularly during panic attacks. In music therapy and mental health practice, people conceive dance as a specific kind of coping, which does appear to enhance feelings of well-being and bodily connection ().

Therapeutic Benefits of Dance

Stress Relief and Endorphin Release

As stated by music therapists, dancing is referred to as a ‘stress buster.’ Participating on high intensity physical activity such as dance can initiate the secretion of endorphins-the happy hormones that reduce stress. This biochemical response can do much to help minimize the feelings elicited by panic attacks.

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‘Did You Know?
Engaging in dance can release endorphins, acting as natural mood elevators and stress busters. #dance #panicattacks #depression #medindia’

Grounding Through Movement

Dance helps to improve interaction with the physical body and serves as an anchor to help people with panic episodes. According to this method, grounding involves trying to focus on the physical touch with immediate surroundings so as to reduce indicated instances of panic attacks since the senses come with the feeling of dissociation.

Deep Breathing and Rhythm

Panic attacks are often associated with hyperventilation, which can be alleviated by rhythm, that forms the basis of dance, and breath control. Through correct coordination of movement and breathing, it is possible to control all physiological changes in the body associated with anxiety.

Impact of Indian Classical Dance

Indian classical dance, this art form not only brings relief or as a consoling effect against anxiety at present time, but also has therapeutic effects in giving long-term psychological assets. In synchronized movements and physical expressions involved in the Indian classical dance there is an underlying quality of grounding, focussed energy that is extremely comfortable during a panic attack.

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Mindfulness and Concentration: It therefore becomes apparent that hand movements that are referred to as hasta mudras, in Indian dances contribute in two ways –narration of the story and cultivation of and attitude of awareness. These complex sign languages assist the dancers to focus hence clearing their anxiety and how to tackle a panic attack.

From one’s experience incorporating dancing to one’s daily schedule has proven to have short-term and long-lasting positive effects on the health of the mind. It is a wonderful aid in stress and anxiety control, and helps turn each step as a road to serenity and calmness. Because panic attacks are an overwhelming part of daily life in today’s busy world, dance as a form of body balance is a great advantage to consider.

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Reference:

Effect of Dancing Interventions on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10813489/)

Source-Medindia

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