Jan. 8, 2001 (St. Louis) -- Patients take off their shoes before beginning therapy with Caroline Heckman. They close their eyes and listen to their bodies. Some will skip or stretch, others will stand cross-armed or pound the floor.

Heckman watches. And when the session is complete, she discusses what she observed.

"Feelings come up -- grief, anger, loss, shame," says Heckman, MA Ed., a registered dance therapist (ADTR) in private practice in St. Louis. "When you start to move the body ... the feelings get activated, too."

For centuries, dance has been recognized as a means of expressing oneself, celebrating life, or performing ritualistic healing. Now, dance is increasingly accepted as a way to help work through one's problems. Whether someone is suffering from sexual abuse or bulimia, breast cancer or depression, advocates say dance therapy can help people gain insight into their behavior, improve their self-esteem, and provide options for coping.

"Movement is a healing force," says Vivien Marcow Speiser, PhD, ADTR, a dance therapy professor and chairwoman of the Institute for Body, Mind and Spirituality at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. "Everybody knows that when you move, you feel better. That's why so many people exercise and take care of their bodies."

Dance therapy officially surfaced in the wards of psychiatric hospitals during World War II, when dance instructor Marian Chace used movement to treat veterans in Washington, D.C. The practice was labeled as a distinct profession in the 1960s and was recognized by President Carter's Commission on Mental Health a decade later. Dance therapy has more recently been the focus of studies receiving federal funding as researchers aim to document its effectiveness. Furthermore, the first U.S. doctorate program in the field is currently being launched.

"As we move into the new millennium, we need to increase the strategies that have evolved for keeping people healthy," says Marcow Speiser. "Dance therapy definitely has its place."

Because dance is a basic communication skill, it is a valuable means of therapy, according to the American Dance Therapy Association. It is used to improve emotional, developmental, mental, social, and physical well-being. Therapists can work with groups or on a one-on-one basis. Dance therapy is currently offered in day care centers, prisons, mental health facilities, and hospitals, and is based on the belief that the body, mind, and spirit are interconnected.

"The whole person is involved in the treatment instead of just the words or the language or the thoughts," says Sally L. Totenbier, ADTR, chairwoman of the association. "We have the language and words and thoughts because they occur along with the movement, but we also have the physical movement with the memories and associations that come from being in movement. You have more layers that are occurring."