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Clapping and moving to the music give this group of veterans a break from the overwhelming symptoms of PTSD.
No worries, no nightmares.
“I say go up, and you’re going toward the music.”
These dance-as-therapy sessions are organized by Deborah Denenfeld.
“You know you get moving, the endorphins go up, and you feel good.And they tell me that they continue to feel good even after they go home and maybe into the next day and the next day.”
Between 10 and 20 percent of war veterans are living with PTSD.Roosevelt Smith, who served in the 1991 Gulf War, is one of them, and he says dancing helps.
“It’s a way of calming yourself, an outlet so to speak.We have a lot of things that we do as far as prescription drugs,but this right here is the best prescription that I’ve had as far as dance, no side effects.Actually the only thing that will happen to you is if you smile too much,you know your cheeks may, uh, you know, you get sore and you get stuck, but it’s good to be smiling.”
Denenfeld believes dance can be therapy.She developed the “Dancing Well” program for veterans with PTSD in 2013.
“This is a dance a lot of us already know, but it’s really fun.So I want to share with our newer people, too.”
The group sessions are kept small, usually less than 30 people.Each session runs for 10 weeks, the lights are kept low and the music is cheery.
“We do lower the lights for people who have traumatic brain injuries.We watch the volume of the music, some people are very sensitive to volumes and noise.”
Following the music helps participants focus on themselves and live in the moment.
“It brings me back to me, it focuses on myself and that I’m having fun,which before when I was always worried about what other people were thinking or do I do this right or stuff like that.When I’m here, I don’t have to worry about that I just have fun, we’re all just here as a family and just having fun.”
Denenfeld’s next step is to train volunteer leaders so more classes can be offered to help veterans fight PTSD.
