In a time of crisis like the present one, defined by the two psychoanalysts Benasayag and Schmit (2003) "The age of sad passions," in which one feels constantly "a pervasive sense of helplessness and uncertainty," leading to retire into...
moreIn a time of crisis like the present one, defined by the two psychoanalysts Benasayag and Schmit (2003) "The age of sad passions," in which one feels constantly "a pervasive sense of helplessness and uncertainty," leading to retire into oneself and in a highly individualistic society in which everything is seen in utilitarian, competitive, terms, young adults facing in working life live in a condition of deep uneasiness (loneliness, feelings of inadequacy, lack of confidence ....). The future is no longer perceived as promise but as a threat, there is a pervasive feeling of not being able to affect reality, to not have any power. The historical and existential time disappears and becomes a "pointillistic time" (Baumann, 2009): there is no connection with the past and the future but the flattening of the present and insecurity and passiveness grow. Lack of planning is associated with the lack of 'desire', imagination, curiosity, and with a depressed state that can lead to self-destructive behaviors (Galimberti 2007).
I will talk about the way to find themselves and to narrate themselves through an artistic and body-centered path, through the movement and the relationship with the others and I will explain how it constitutes an effective way to change a condition that is psychological as well as socio-cultural and political.
Based on my workshop experience for over ten years with university master's students, a dance-movement therapy course can quickly open up new existential perspectives, enabling new narratives about themselves and about one’s relationship with the world . Its artistic dimension enables the ability to perceive and recognize what Masud Khan (1980) called "the experience of the becoming of the self, the flow of vital energy" and, in parallel, the capacity to transform this energy into a form.
Thanks to this experience young adults seem to find a way for integrating different parts of themselves, for accepting their difficulties and weaknesses, for reflecting and developing deep contacts, overcoming insecurity and discovering one’s value and their own creative abilities. They also have the opportunity to live a meaningful experience in the group, through communicative, emotional and affective exchanges, without fear of judgment and without competition. So they increase the confidence in themselves and in the others and amplify the expression of creative potentiality enhanced by the contribution of all (Mignosi, 2008).