The purpose of this study is to shed light on the therapeutic meaning and value of dance from a historical perspectives by confirming and verifying Korean 'Byeonggut' and Italian 'Tarantism', two dance examples from both the East and the West, which overcome and heal actual diseases. First, from a synchronic perspective, the cause and background of each disease as well as the characteristics and therapeutic functions of each dance were examined. In addition, from a diachronic perspective, the process of change over time from the origin of each disease to recent research and development of each disease and dance was explored. The study was based on literature research of domestic and international books, theses, and academic papers and internet sources. The comparison and analysis of the two dances find that there are similarities in the causes of the disease, symptoms of the disease, treatment methods, and main means of treatment. However, there are differences in terms of the distribution of occurrence, participants, treatment targets, and patient attitudes between the two dances.

This study examines sixteen qualitative studies on dance/movement therapy(DMT), selected from multiple peer-reviewed Korean academic journals to identify current trends in the field. The study found that only one qualitative research-based study was conducted in 2008, and no qualitative research-based studies were conducted from 2009-2015. However, since 2016, more qualitative research methods, such as case study, phenomenological research, consensual qualitative research, and general qualitative research, have been incorporated into DMT-related articles. The data collected for these studies have been mainly based on interviews, which are then verified by the interviewees and their peers for reliability. Recently, more researchers have undergone IRB review procedures following ethical norms before conducting their studies. Participants of the research have included adults, adolescents, and children who were invited to about 10 to 15 sessions with 50-180 minutes for each session. Overall, through the analysis of the sixteen selected qualitative studies, this paper has categorized the ways in which DMT has impacted participants into seven areas: emotional, personal, physical, social, educational, cognitive, and spiritual.

The purpose of this study is to find ways to improve the negative psychological state of the non-disabled siblings of disabled children. To this end, this study examines dance/movement therapy group counseling program conducted for their experiencing physical activities and various expressions.

This study was carried out with 18 participants from various facilities for the disabled in the metropolitan area, who agreed to participate in the program. After dividing them into an experimental group and a control group, the program was applied to eight people who could participate in the experimental group. Before and after the program, a survey was conducted consisting of a self-esteem scale, a self-expression scale, and a perceived competence scale. On the basis of the collected data, the average and standard deviation of the pre- and post-test of the experimental group and the control group were investigated using the SPSS 25.0 program. In addition, differences between groups and differences before and after the test were verified through independent sample t-tests and corresponding sample t-tests, respectively. As a result, the dance/movement therapy group counseling program turned out to be effective in improving self-esteem, self-expression, and perceived competence of the non-disabled siblings of disabled children.

This study shows that the dance/movement therapy group counseling programs with active physical activities and interactions with others help them experience not only verbal-language but also non-verbal expressions and realize their maximum capacity of physical activity. In conclusion, it is summarized that they were able to improve their self-esteem through those bodily experiences.