Dance movement therapist and psychological counselor with corpere orientation
Who I am
My name is Maria Cristina Canta, and I am a Dance Movement Therapist and psychological counselor with a body-oriented approach, based in Berlin. My journey has always moved between two seemingly distinct but deeply connected worlds: dance and psychology. I began my path in classical and contemporary dance, fascinated by the expressive power of the body, while at the same time exploring the world of the mind and emotions through the study of psychology.
Education and Professional Experience
For years, I worked as a professional dancer and dance teacher in Rome, refining my body language while continuing my university studies. In 2013, after earning my degree in Psychology, I decided to move to Berlin, a city where I was able to continue my career as a dancer while deepening the connection between movement and emotional well-being. Here, I began my training in Dance Movement Therapy at Art Therapy Italiana in Bologna, which I completed in 2021.
Since 2021, I have been working as a:
Dance Movement Therapist and psychological consultant with psychiatric patients at:
- Besondere Wohnform Kreuzberg – Unionhilfswerk
- MHI – Mental Health Institute Berlin
I also work as a freelancer at Il Centro (starting in June 2024) and collaborate with various Berlin-based associations focused on inclusion and body-emotional awareness, including:
I accompany children and adults of all ages, backgrounds, and orientations, creating programs that promote inclusion and body-emotional awareness. These collaborations allow me to bring Dance Movement Therapy into diverse settings, offering a space where the body becomes an instrument of listening and transformation.
Therapeutic Approach
I believe that the body tells stories that words often cannot express. Through Dance Movement Therapy, I help people connect with their emotions and translate what their bodies communicate into a more conscious form of expression. This approach is based on the idea that movement is not just a physical activity but a language that can reveal, unlock, and transform inner experiences.
Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is an approach that uses movement to explore and process emotions, experiences, and relational patterns. At the core of this discipline is the concept of embodiment, which states that the mind and body are deeply interconnected and influence each other.
The theoretical roots of DMT are found in various fields:
- Attachment Theory (Bowlby, 1969): Highlights how early physical and relational experiences shape emotional development and the way we build relationships. Through movement, we can explore and rework these patterns.
- Affective Neuroscience (Damasio, 1999): Demonstrates that emotions are not just mental processes but actively involve the body, influencing the autonomic nervous system and stress regulation. DMT helps recognize and modulate these bodily responses.
- Action Theory (Stern, 2004): Emphasizes how subjective experience is constructed through movement and interaction with the environment. Working with the body allows us to give a concrete form to inner experiences that are difficult to verbalize.
- Laban Movement Analysis (LMA): Rudolf Laban developed a system to analyze human movement based on four main components: Body, Space, Movement Qualities, and Effort. This model is widely used in DMT to understand and work with individuals’ expressive patterns. For example, the analysis of Effort helps explore the relationship between tension, intention, and dynamics in movement, revealing underlying emotional and psychological aspects.
During a session, I use techniques ranging from free and spontaneous movement to more structured exercises, based on observing body language and the relationship with space and others. The Laban system allows me to observe and interpret how a person moves in the world, helping them find new expressive possibilities and greater self-awareness.
I offer individual and group sessions in:
- Body-oriented psychological counseling
- Dance Movement Therapy
- Creative movement
My Vision
My journey has taught me that the body is a place of memory, transformation, and possibility. In a world where we are often disconnected from ourselves, we tend to live in our minds, neglecting our bodies and the signals they send us. Dance Movement Therapy offers an opportunity to reconnect with oneself authentically and to develop greater body and emotional awareness.
My goal is to offer people the opportunity to truly listen to themselves, to let emerge what often remains hidden beneath the surface of daily life. I believe in the importance of creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where each individual can feel free to express themselves without judgment, discovering in movement a resource for psychophysical well-being and personal growth.
Availability
- Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Tuesday morning and Saturday upon request
mariacristinacanta.com
mariacristinacanta14@gmail.com
maria_cristina_canta