A new Pathway to Healing for Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence
This article explores a groundbreaking pilot intervention that integrates Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and traditional Greek folk dance into the recovery process for women survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) in the Netherlands. Conducted within Oranje Huis, one of the most progressive domestic violence shelters in Amsterdam, the study measured the impact of culturally embedded dance practices on participants' self-esteem and anxiety. The results, both qualitative and quantitative, highlight dance as a potent therapeutic modality capable of bridging body, memory, and narrative—ultimately restoring agency and vitality in women whose identities had been fractured by trauma.
Introduction: Gender-Based Violence and the Female Body
In 2021, over 763 million women globally had experienced intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence (WHO, 2021). The trauma of gender-based violence (GBV), while often hidden beneath social silence, leaves enduring psychological and physiological scars. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, GBV includes physical, sexual, psychological, and economic harm. Yet the harm goes deeper—undermining agency, self-worth, and body autonomy.
Evan Stark's (2007) concept of coercive control positions GBV not as isolated incidents of physical harm but as ongoing strategies of domination that reshape how women perceive themselves and their place in the world. The body, in this dynamic, becomes a site of control, fear, and emotional disconnection.
Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), particularly when paired with culturally rooted practices like Greek folk dance, offers a pathway to re-inhabit the body and recover self-possession. This study examines how movement becomes a language of resistance, restoration, and transformation for women survivors of GBV.
Theoretical Background and Previous Research
Studies consistently support the efficacy of creative arts in trauma recovery. Ogden, Pain, and Fisher (2006b) argue that including the body in trauma treatment leads to more rapid and durable outcomes. According to a 2019 BMJ study, survivors of GBV are statistically three times more likely to develop anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorders.
Dance Movement Therapy has proven particularly beneficial in diverse cultural and social contexts:
Machorrinho et al. (2023) observed improved body connection in survivors residing in Portuguese shelters.
Simmonds (2022) highlighted the importance of culturally meaningful dance in fostering identity and self-esteem in Caribbean survivors.
Goodarzi et al. (2020) documented how art therapy significantly reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms in GBV survivors.
This study advances that research by introducing a trauma-informed DMT model grounded in the expressive and social tradition of Greek folk dance—a form historically linked to ritual, celebration, and collective healing.
Intervention Design and Methodology
Objectives
The study aimed to:
Promote awareness of GBV and the transformative potential of dance therapy.
Evaluate whether Greek folk dance, embedded within a DMT framework, could improve self-esteem and reduce anxiety among survivors.
Support participants in rebuilding trust and body connection within a safe, culturally resonant space.
Participants and Setting
Six women, each with unique cultural backgrounds and trauma histories, participated in the program. They resided at Oranje Huis, a trauma-informed, non-secret shelter in Amsterdam focused on interrupting the cycle of violence collaboratively rather than isolating victims.
Structure of the Intervention
The program unfolded over 15 weekly sessions between March and August 2024, facilitated by the founder of Bailalobas - Lila Nikol as the lead researcher-therapist. It included:
Emotional Life Mapping
Symbolic and fairytales reenactments (e.g., La Llorona, The Sword Dance)
Guided improvisation and meditation
Traditional Greek dances such as Syrtaki, Zonaradikos, Zeibekiko, Hasapiko
Drawing, creative journaling, and movement reflection
Visual aids, symbolic objects (scarves, veils, swords), and grounding rituals were integrated to support embodied processing and personal expression.
Quantitative and Qualitative Findings
Quantitative Measures
Self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and anxiety levels were assessed too. Key outcomes:
Self-esteem increased significantly, from an average of 18.0 to 25.5.
A mild increase in anxiety was recorded, likely reflecting increased emotional awareness.
The intervention showed a high clinical effect size (0.92)—suggesting a meaningful, if complex, therapeutic impact.
Qualitative Themes
A thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) of interviews and participant reflections yielded five core themes:
1. Embodiment
Women described a renewed sense of aliveness, pleasure, and presence in their bodies:
“When I danced Syrtaki, it was the first time in years I felt connected to my legs. Like I belong here.”
2. Self-Discovery
Dance offered a route to rediscover buried identities:
“I always thought I was the quiet one. But in the sword dance, I felt my fire. I was the protector, the warrior.”
3. Transformation
Participants expressed a sense of internal shift:
“I used to walk hunched over. Now, I walk with my chest open. I feel taller.”
4. Cultural Empowerment
Greek dance offered a bridge to ancestral pride and a form of spiritual homecoming:
“I am not Greek, but when we danced, I felt something old awaken in me—like I was reclaiming something timeless.”
5. Future Orientation
Many reported increased hope, motivation, and clarity:
“Now I know I want to become a teacher. I want to help other women find their way back, too.”
Visual and Artistic Reflections
Participants created drawings and collages after key sessions. Recurring symbols included:
A phoenix rising from flames
Spiral shapes and ancient Greek meanders
Trees with deep roots and outstretched branches
Blooms and flowers
Rivers and the ocean
Birds
These visual expressions offered additional insights into the emotional transformation taking place—often articulating healing more viscerally than words alone could capture.
Discussion: Dance as Feminist Reclamation and Healing Ritual
Historically, Greek dance has served not only as celebration but as resistance. The Dance of Zalongo—in which Souliote women danced off a cliff rather than surrender—epitomizes dance as defiant transcendence.
In this intervention, traditional male-coded dances like Zeibekiko were reimagined for female participants. Women explored gestures of power, verticality, and groundedness—qualities traditionally withheld from feminine scripts.
This act of reclaiming the “sword” or “shoulder-opened” stance became more than metaphor—it was an embodied declaration of healing, agency, and spiritual authority. Movement allowed participants to rewrite their trauma narratives, not with words, but with presence, rhythm, and grounded breath.
There is also rich potential in exploring how traditional dances from other heritages may function as culturally specific trauma-informed healing tools.
Conclusion: Restoring the Inner Dancer
The women who joined this program did not just learn to dance—they remembered how to inhabit their own rhythm, voice, and story. Greek dance, used within a trauma-sensitive DMT framework, became a sacred medium for transformation.
One participant said it best:
“Now I’m new. I have changed. New luck. New things are coming. And that is good. Good for me.”
Through movement, metaphor, and sisterhood, the intervention allowed women to put back the puzzle pieces of identity—and perhaps even discover pieces they never knew were missing.
With gratitude to the participants. May your courage inspire new dances across generations and lead more women to liberation, gender equality and happiness.
