Embodiment
In the previous blog post, we looked at the mind-body connection. Now it is time that we use the foundational learning to dive into another essential topic, embodiment. We will also bring up Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) again.
What is Embodiment
Embodiment is a concept that has been brought up by different people, theorists, and fields. Within somatic psychology, the branch to which Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) belongs, embodiment is frequently understood as the interconnected and interdependent nature of felt bodily experience and thoughts. Felt bodily experience awareness includes the information that people get from exteroception, proprioception, and interoception.
Exteroception: Consciousness of stimuli from objects and occurrences present in the external environment arising from outside of the body that results in a response from exteroceptors, sensory cells (American Psychological Association 1, n.d.). The information from the external environment comes from what we talk about as the five senses, sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste.
Proprioception: The awareness of body movements and position in space arising from activation of proprioceptors in specific parts of the body such as muscles, tendons, joints, and the vestibular receptors (American Psychological Association 3, n.d.). Because of proprioception we can understand where we are in space without depending on our sense of sight.
Interoception: The awareness of the body’s internal senses that allow the body to identify how it feels (American Psychological Association 2, n.d.).
Despite the above definitions, there continues to be some debate about the distinctions between the concepts. The work of Toussaint et al. (2024), who suggested that a function distinction between interoception and exteroception may arise from sensor-effector loops that the information goes through to control bodily or environmental states. Despite the debate, these concepts can still be of service as we continue in this post. What we can also appreciate is how important it is to continue to question and be critical thinkers.
Is embodiment a noun or a verb? Embodiment may be considered a verb because it is a process that is both deliberate and engaging, rather than a static concept. Humans have a choice as to whether we fully engage in our experiences, partial engage, or complete check out. Let’s take a quick moment of pause. Choice potentially carries with it different connotations within the context of an environment. Choice can also be linked with privilege and control when people’s ability to make choices are suppressed or limited. Additionally, we must further consider the role of trauma and how making the choice to disconnect from an experience can be an expression of survival.
Embodiment and Dance/Movement Therapy
So why are we discussing embodiment in the context DMT? DMT, according to Koch and Fischman (2011) can be conceptualized as a form of psychotherapy that is both (1) embodied and (2) enactive because the perspective of the embodied enactive approach suggests that people are living systems that have the ability to be plastic and permeable, autonomy, sense-making, emergence, experience, and an ability to work towards balance. What a mouthful! Let’s take a quick step back to the concept of embodiment in general. “Embodied” has been used as a catch-all term to describe the different ideas of what it actually means (Di Paolo & Thompson, 2014). One of the ideas that it encompasses is the variety of ideas around “radical embodiment,” which are often based on the enactive view (Di Paolo & Thompson, 2014). Okay let’s take a side step to define the embodied enactive approach. The embodied enactive approach says that cognition is an inseparable interaction between the body, environment, and the actions of the person. Now with a more foundational understanding, we can see how DMT can be an avenue for bringing us into our bodies to help with the healing process.
In Western thought, the mind and thinking is often privileged over the body, which has contributed to cultural values and norms. In the counseling world, think about how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) tends to dominate. And, in no way is wrong or bad. It just is, and may be a reflection of cultural norms. This way of thinking may be connected to mind-body dualism which advocates form the mind and body as separate and distinct. Living in a culture that advocates mind-body dualism has consequences. It potentially disconnects us from a body in which we daily live and serves as a source of information. Thanks to the work of people like Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (2015), who has shown the role of the body in trauma, we know that disconnecting from the body may not be the best path because trauma also lives in the body, not just the mind and psyche. And still, Western thought frequently continues to influence how many approach healing, negating the importance of the body. The role of the body in other cultures has been known for centuries, and we seem to just now be catching up. There is one other piece we must come back to, choice. While incorporating the body may be an essential element for healing, people still must be empowered to make their own choices. We cannot make assumptions around people’s want or need to be in their bodies because the escape may have been necessary for survival. When it comes down to it, we all may want to consider the need to be empowered to make the choice to find our own embodied experience.
A person walking along on a tan base along the ocean. There are rocks and waves.
take action today moment:
Take a moment to reflect on your own relationship with your body and cognition. Do you tend to favor thinking, the body, or do you include the wisdom of both? What are your beliefs, cultural beliefs, and/or familiar beliefs about healing and the body? If you want to take it a step further experiment with meditation by finding a safe comfortable place to tune into your body and listen or follow your breath. See what you notice and/or learn about yourself in the process.
Learn More About Embodiment:
Embodiment as a synthesis of having a body and being a body, and its role in self-identity and mental health [Research Paper]
References
American Psychological Association (1). (n.d.). Exteroception. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved July 14, 2025, from https://dictionary.apa.org/exteroception
American Psychological Association (2). (n.d.). Introception. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved July 14, 2025, from https://dictionary.apa.org/introception
American Psychological Association (3). (n.d.). Proprioception. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved July 14, 2025, from https://dictionary.apa.org/proprioception
Di Paolo, E., & Thompson, E. (2014). The enactive approach. In L. Shapiro (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of embodied cognition (pp. 68–78). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Koch, S. C., & Fischman, D. (2011). Embodied enactive dance/movement therapy. American Journal of Dance Therapy, 33(1), 57-72.
Toussaint, B., Heinzle, J., & Stephan, K. E. (2024). A computationally informed distinction of interoception and exteroception. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 159, 105608.
Van der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Books