Having personally been going through CBT and EMDR therapy since November last year, this was my first experience of physical, embodied movement therapy. Irene invited us to set an intention and permit ourselves to dance with it. I found myself moving through awkwardness, fear, guilt and anxiety. This opened me up to playfulness, joy, laughter and, finally, once everyone was gone, tears. Simple, beautiful, gentle exercises produced deep shifts and movement of emotions up and out of me.

After having several years of psycho-therapy treatment, I was surprised how fast the main issues in my behaviour came to the surface and how clear things became in dance therapy. I felt like this was a very practical approach to changing certain aspects in my thinking and doing. The visualisation and honesty of what I was experiencing through my body, made it easier for me to understand the depth and themes of my struggle.

At first I was really scared and just not certain if I had the guts to join up. But my introductory phone call with Irene helped a lot. I felt immediately safe, respected and through her words gained the courage to take the first step. Usually when I first get there I’m still filled with pent up energy, stress and sometimes anxiety and depressive feelings. But having this space where you can truly let go, take a deep breath, let out a long sigh, it really helps. It’s like a challenging mini vacation that both releases tension and stress, but also gives me tools to better combat these stressors through self-compassion.

Bringing attention to the body should be a daily exercise and dancing can be exactly that. It’s amazing how expression through dance can change our body chemistry. I find it very interesting and would definitely like to explore it more. I very much enjoyed the group feeling and the sharing, which I believe is very important and I’m glad Irene encouraged it through the drawing exercise.

Before I started, I was looking for a way to get into dancing more and not actual therapy. Dance therapy has definitely helped me in being more verbal and reflect on my movement too. I discovered that it was a very liberating experience to talk about things in life that bother me within a group and combine it with movement to express these feelings. I am able to connect with others easier, eye contact is less scary for me. I become more attuned to the energy of another dancer.

Irene is a very gentle coach, who made me feel safe. The physical exercises we did were very well chosen in relation to the things I wanted to learn and research. They were very insightful for me to go through and made me realize things that I would not have come to by just talking. I want to come back to Irene so I can keep up my physical practice and deepen my experience and insights.

The group program is an ideal place to challenge my social anxieties, to know I am not alone, to connect, to heal and develop. It empowers me to be who I am, I don’t have to be perfect. I learned to be aware for example how my body interacts towards others or how writing journal can help me. I met nice and wise people and I would not want to miss this experience. Thank you for co-creating my hero’s journey!

Irene invited us to be ourselves and have fun! I got to connect with myself, others, and exercise at the same time. I was never able to meditate but I really like to dance, so I felt the combination of both activities really helped me.

Irene is a thoughtful leader who creates a safe environment for participants to connect with their own body, mind, and emotions. All you need to do is show up and you are guided the whole way through.