What is it about?
This paper shows how children aged 4-11 talked, moved, drew, and wrote about their emotions when they took part in movement sessions at school over two years. The sessions included somatic movement, developmental play, yoga, and always allowed time for the children to reflect on their own sense of embodiment. I used creative research approaches to allow the children to voice their experiences
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Why is it important?
I showed that children as young as 4 are able to recognise and reflect on their emotions, that through the work in the sessions they were also able to start self-regulating themselves, which is a therapeutic and transformative goal. I showed that the creative methods allowed the children to share and voice their emotions and experiences.
Perspectives
This paper draws on work from my PhD, where I was privileged to work with and build strong relationships with these children. My work draws on my trainings in integrative bodywork and movement therapy, and yoga, and takes a phenomenological perspective.
Dr Jennifer Leigh
University of Kent
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Experiencing emotion: children’s perceptions, reflections and self-regulation, Body Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, March 2017, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/17432979.2017.1303544.
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