.Danielsson and Rosberg (2015) suggested that movement shakes up the multidimensional standstill of depression; it causes an elevated heart rate, increased blood circulation and muscle contractions, and deeper inhaling and exhaling. In other words, by enhancing the biological rhythms of life, the depressed body is revitalized through movement. In their study, Danielsson and Rosberg had their patients recall instant vital responses in their exercises, such as being able to breathe more freely, spontaneous sighs and yawns, walking more vigorously, or sensing the elasticity of the muscles when stretching and releasing them. Another aspect of vitality was the experience of oscillating flow and rhythm in movements, connecting to elasticity and lightness, the body moving freely “by itself.” Therefore, dance as a therapy can bring joy and vitality and alleviate the negative effects of depression (Koch, Morlinghaus, & Fuchs, 2007).
In my research I observed Sterns’ (1985) notion of “affective vitality” or “vitality affects” in depressed patients. Vitality affects are forms of affect, rather than content, described in dynamic kinetic terms, such as exploding or fleeting. Vitality affects are constantly present in every experience, whether the individual is conscious of them or not, and infants are especially sensitive to them. This research observes affective vitality as the main active ingredient and a main agent of change in depressed individuals undergoing DMT. Supporting this are arguments made regarding dance participation as a physiological response associated with exercise, such as the secretion of endorphins, the enhancement of chemical neurotransmitters (Jola & Calmeiro, 2017), and the active engagement of almost every part of the brain (Bläsing, 2018). In the 2015 Cochrane Review, Meekums et al. hypothesized and identified several reasons why a DMT intervention could be useful for depression.
