Dance movement therapy with children who have undergone sexual trauma

Children who have experienced sexual trauma carry body memories not recorded in the mind. In such circumstances, the trauma is expressed in actions, with no ability to speak it and give it meaning or interpretation. The article describes manifestations of the dissociation mechanism in childhood and the significance of attention and sensitive orientation to embodied knowledge, for achieving a life not governed by the trauma. The ideas of Anne Alvarez accompany the theoretical thinking throughout the article.