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Human Rights
at home, abroad and on the way...

Healing Through Movement: A Review of Dance Movement Therapy and Psycho-social Rehabilitation in the Sampoornata Model

Dance Movement Therapy and Psycho-social Rehabilitation: The Sampoornata Model

Sohini Chakraborty. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2023. 216 pp. Flowcharts, acknowledgements, notes, and index. Hardback $128.00 eBook $43.99.

WhatsApp Image 2024 09 18 at 14.24.28 ad2e6d8aSohini Chakraborty’s book, Dance Movement Therapy and Psycho-social Rehabilitation: The Sampoornata Model, is a meaningful contribution to India’s understudied dance and movement therapy field. The book examines Chakraborty’s pioneering Sampoornata model and its remarkable healing power for survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and human trafficking. I had the privilege of participating in some Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) sessions led by Sohini Chakraborty earlier this year during the Women Workers Forum for Change Conference, hosted by GAATW in Bangkok, Thailand, where I witnessed firsthand its transformative impact.

Sohini Chakraborty is a sociologist, dance activist, dance movement therapist, and the founder-director of Kolkata Sanved. With over 26 years of experience, she is dedicated to supporting women survivors of GBV and human trafficking across India and South Asia. At Kolkata Sanved, she leads DMT programmes for healing, empowerment, and social change through workshops, training, and community outreach. Through her work, she realised the limitations of Western DMT models in India and developed the culturally aware Sampoornata model tailored to address the needs of Indian survivors. 

The book has two purposes: to detail the development and impact of the Sampoornata model and to develop indicators for future research and evaluation. She details DMT’s empowering and healing capabilities and shows how her Sampoornata model offers survivors a chance to reconnect with their region-specific dance and music heritage. India has notoriously high rates of GBV, and is a source, destination, and transit point for human trafficking, causing severe trauma for millions of women and girls. Survivors need comprehensive support for their recovery and reintegration, and DMT provides a non-verbal outlet for survivors to express and process their experiences. 

Narrative interviews with seven survivors of GBV and human trafficking form the bulk of the book, and their experiences are mapped from childhood abuse to their transformative journey with DMT. Chakraborty has worked closely with each survivor for years and acknowledges these close relationships' benefits and potential drawbacks in her research. She adequately addresses the ethical implications of her transitions from mentor to researcher and contends that her intimate connection with the women provides a richer understanding of their experience. 

The Sampoornata Model’s impact on the women survivors is multifaceted. DMT is based on the idea that physical trauma is stored in the body and therefore requires bodily interventions to effectively address that trauma. Physically, it provides survivors an opportunity to reconnect with their bodies, and foster relationships of love and appreciation instead of shame or indifference. DMT often leads to improved health and helps release trauma stored in the body. Emotionally, DMT helps people learn to manage and process complex feelings and develop effective coping mechanisms. Furthermore, Kolkata Sanved’s DMT practitioner training programmes provide survivors with employment opportunities and the ability to contribute meaningfully to their communities, cultivating a cycle of shared healing and support. 

The Sampoornata model is a therapeutic framework specifically tailored for survivors of GBV and human trafficking in India. Designed by Chakraborty for group settings and low-resource environments, the model enhances accessibility and impact by integrating the healing aspects of Indian dance forms to promote well-being and empowerment.  It follows a three-stage process: healing, empowerment, and transformation. The first two stages last six months and involve reconnecting with the body, guided and creative movement, and building community. The final stage takes at least one year and helps participants gain independence and start their journey from survivor to healer.

This model offers Indian women the opportunity to reconnect with their heritage and culture through dance and music while building the confidence to become leaders in their communities, making it a unique tool for both psycho-social rehabilitation and professional development. A distinctive feature of Sampoornata is the healing touch at the end of each session, where facilitators gently touch participants’ heads to deepen their connection with the self. The therapeutic touch is essential for creating a safe space and fostering greater body awareness. 

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Chakraborty carefully analyses survivor journeys to develop indicators that measure trauma recovery across physical, emotional, and social dimensions. Her meticulous work not only provides concrete metrics for evaluating DMT’s impact but also cements the Sampoornata model as a credible and effective therapy for Indian survivors of abuse. Chakraborty establishes a foundation for further research in DMT for psycho-social rehabilitation by demonstrating tangible outcomes in healing, empowerment, and transformation.  

Earlier this year, I had the chance to experience the Sampoornata model and DMT firsthand. Although it was brief, it was profoundly moving and emotional. At first, I was apprehensive about moving my body creatively because I had never done anything like that before, however, my nervousness melted away after the guided warm-up. The practitioners led us in movements to upbeat Indian music, and the group began to move freely, becoming more comfortable in the space and our bodies. After the warm-up, we partnered up to do an exercise where we danced while keeping different body parts connected. This exercise encouraged us to move creatively while still guiding us with specific movement parameters. The joy and laughter that filled the room during this exercise were palpable as we all tried to negotiate our limbs while moving to the beat of the music.

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The music was vibrant, upbeat, emotional, and epic, which enhanced the emotional experience and increased the energy in the room. After our partnered exercise, we did a solo ‘throwaway’ movement to expel any leftover negative energy from our bodies. Although performing in a large group felt vulnerable, the safe space we had created for ourselves during the warmup and previous exercises made it feel more comfortable. We then lay down for the healing touch and ending phases. As I lay on the floor, the soothing music guided me into a state of deep relaxation and meditation. When the practitioner gently placed her hands on my head, I felt a wave of calm happiness wash over me.

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 During the closing ritual, we shared our experiences and thoughts about the session. We could not fathom the intense emotions and tension released from our bodies. It was hard, and still is hard, to verbalise the experience. We all had emotional responses to the session but struggled to explain why our reactions were so intense. After experiencing it myself, I can see DMT’s therapeutic potential for survivors of abuse and trafficking, and how adapting it culturally for different communities can have a greater impact. Although it was just one session, I became a firm believer in this form of healing. As Chakraborty describes in her book sustained DMT programmes have immense transformational potential. Sohini Chakraborty’s book, Dance Movement Therapy and Psycho-social Rehabilitation: The Sampoornata Model, is an important contribution to the academic literature on DMT. However, DMT remains an experiential process, and its true value is best understood through participation. I encourage anyone who can, to participate in DMT with an open mind and heart.

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This review was written by Carly Egan, a student intern at GAATW since May 2024. She is from the University of Victoria in Canada and majoring in History. In June 2024, she participated in Sohini Chakraborty’s Dance Movement Therapy workshop during the Women’s Workers for Chance conference in Bangkok.