METHOD | Mood Moves

Method by Stefan Freedman

A trauma-informed movement approach that integrates principles from somatic psychology, expressive movement, and contemporary trauma research.

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Emotional Movement Cycle

Five of Stefan’s original concepts that therapists make practical use of in client work are:

Internal Climate, Mood Measure, The Invisible Dance, Crisis is Compost & Variations Welcome.

The work is informed by breakthroughs in body-based therapeutic fields, including the contributions of Peter A. Levine, Gabor Maté, and Stephen W. Porges, as well as research on embodied trauma such as The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk.

Drawing on these perspectives, the method uses structured yet accessible movement, rhythm and breath to support nervous-system regulation and emotional processing. These practical exercises have evolved through years of direct group work in mental health settings and community programmes with vulnerable populations.

3 Interconnected Aspects of Therapeutic Dance

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Awareness of Inner States

When a mood visits frequently it becomes our internal climate. Just like ice, heavy rain or thunderstorms, persistent feelings of being frozen, innundated or terrified close down every aspect of life. Fortunately such patterns are not a life sentence. Participants learn to notice the shifting “weather” of bodily sensations, emotions, and energy levels.

This principle aligns with somatic approaches developed by thinkers such as Peter Levine and Bessel van der Kolk, who emphasise that emotional states are deeply rooted in physiological processes.

Music, rhythm and patterned movement all create pleasurable sensations. These produce oxytocin, dopamine and seratonin. Now the dancer has agency over their mood. A virtual cycle of hope, engagement and enjoyable exercise can change a harsh internal climate into a clement one.

Accessing Body Wisdom

Every posture, gesture and movement corresponds to a mood or feeling. Slump and look down, then notice how you feel. Expand your chest, look up and notice any differences. Compare how you feel, first shuffling then skipping.

As we engage in a wide variety of rhythmic movements millions of neurons are activated ‘dancing’ in our brain. Music is a powerful language of emotion, lighting up more parts of our brain simultaneously than any other stimulus, and evoking a strong response from our nervous system.

The vitalising and integrative effects of dance do not depend on performance. Regulating and uplifting benefits are available to all, including those severely restricted in range of physical movement.

The invisible dance is everything that awakens internally in response to gesture, rhythm and melody.

Transformation through Movement

Difficult emotional states are not treated as problems to eliminate but as raw material for growth. Through movement, expression, and embodied exploration, intense experiences can be metabolised and transformed.

This principle echoes ideas in depth psychology and trauma work. We see discomfort as a natural indicator and motivator in a process of reorganisation.

Creative Agency

Participants are encouraged to modify movements, rhythms, and exercises according to their own needs. Personal adaptation is not seen as deviation but as the creative heart of the process.

This reflects the improvisational ethos found in the work of dance innovators such as Anna Halprin and Steve Paxton.

Stefan’s widely quoted maxim when learning a structured dance is: ‘There are no mistakes, only variations and interpretations’.

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