Atlas›Domain X · Body, movement, breath & physical›Guide 121
Guide X-121

Dances of Universal Peace (Lewis)

Samuel L. Lewis1968San Francisco
A 36 · L 54 · M 1014 interventions in the Trinity explorer
Client cardCompare
[source: …] where a claim comes from[uncertain] not confirmed in a primary source[synthesis] the writer's reconstruction

1. Introduction

Version followed: the Dances of Universal Peace (DUP) as described by Dances of Universal Peace International (Leaders Guild mentoring and certification pages) and Dances of Universal Peace UK (leader pages), current in 2026, with history from secondary sources. This is a spiritual group practice with its own lineage and leader credential, not a psychotherapy. The guide is written for the psychotherapist working alongside DUP leaders; it does not proceduralise any dance, Walk, chant or sacred phrase.

  • What it is. Circle dances in which participants sing short sacred phrases from many religious traditions, set to traditional, contemporary or improvised melodies, while doing simple movements, usually with a leader and acoustic musicians in the centre. Sources list phrases in Arabic, Aramaic, English, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Persian and Sanskrit, among others. Participation is open whatever a person's ability, and each dance is taught afresh at each gathering. [source: Wikipedia, Dances of Universal Peace; The Abode, Dances of Universal Peace]
  • Origin. Developed by Samuel L. Lewis (1896–1971), known as Murshid Sam, in San Francisco in the late 1960s; DUP UK dates the beginning of the Dances to 1968. Lewis dedicated the first Dance to his sacred-dance teacher, the modern-dance pioneer Ruth St. Denis, and the work grew from his spiritual apprenticeship with the Sufi teacher Hazrat Inayat Khan and Khan's ideal of the "Unity of Religious Ideals". Lewis created about 50 original dances; the repertoire now exceeds 500. [source: DUP UK, History; DUP UK, Samuel Lewis] His Sufi name (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chishti), the exact date of the first dance (16 March 1968) and sema as a further influence come from Wikipedia only [uncertain: secondary, unverified]. The first international centre, the Center for the Study of Spiritual Dance and Walk, was co-founded in 1982 by Neil Douglas-Klotz and Tasnim Hermila Fernandez (DUP UK's Lewis page gives 1983). [source: DUP UK, History; DUP UK, Samuel Lewis] In 1988 the Sufi Ruhaniat International created a guild of Dance Mentors to train and certify leaders; leadership training is open to people without Sufi initiation, and a Guidance Council of Senior Dance Mentors coordinates the work. [source: Sufi Ruhaniat International, DUP & Walking] The Spiritual Guide of the Dances is the Pir (head) of the Sufi Ruhaniat International, who appoints the Guidance Council of Senior Mentors. [source: DUP International, LG Mentoring Path]
  • How change is understood (as the tradition describes it, not as established fact). The tradition frames the dances as a way of experiencing the spiritual message of each phrase in the body, through mantra and movement, transmitted from experienced teacher to student in a lineage traced to Lewis. [source: DUP UK, Becoming a Leader] Douglas-Klotz, a senior teacher, writes that the chants can bring up shadow material and healing, and that authentic feeling, rather than performance, is what communicates. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015, Dances of Innocence, Dances of Experience] Participants' first-person accounts describe emotional openness and a sense of community. [source: Shelquist, wahiduddin.net; Soudack 2019]
  • Settings. Places of worship and secular settings, including schools, prisons, hospices, homes for people with special needs and holistic centres; the network reports members in 28 countries. [source: Wikipedia] Douglas-Klotz mentions use in therapy, halfway houses and addiction programmes. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015]
  • Not dance/movement therapy. The American Dance Therapy Association defines dance/movement therapy (DMT) as the psychotherapeutic use of movement, in which movement is both an assessment tool and a main mode of intervention. DMT has its own credentials (R-DMT and BC-DMT, issued through the Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board) [source: ADTA, What is Dance/Movement Therapy?]; in the UK the equivalent professional body is ADMP UK [uncertain: not verified]. A DUP leader holds a spiritual-lineage credential, not a clinical one. For DMT see Domain VIII. For overlap with other circle-dance forms see Domain VIII 100. Domain XIII does not list DUP, so it is covered here.
  • Evidence status. No independent systematic review of DUP outcomes is cited here. Wikipedia says therapeutic uses have been explored but reports no study results. A 1990 article in Self & Society (vol. 18, no. 5) is titled "Dances of Universal Peace" [uncertain]. A 1990 article reproduced on DUP UK's history page calls the Dances "a form of therapeutic movement re-education" whose uses had widened from peace-studies classes to work with people with learning disabilities [source: DUP UK, History]; this is the tradition's own description, not outcome evidence. Treat health or healing claims as the tradition's own claims. [source: Wikipedia]

2. Framework

DUP has no clinical phases. Below are (a) the format of a gathering as sources publish it, (b) the leader pathway, and (c) a suggested frame for the psychotherapist's own work [synthesis].

(a) The gathering as published

  • Dancers stand in a circle, often holding hands, with the leader and possibly musicians in the centre. Gatherings range from five to several hundred people. [source: Wikipedia; The Abode]
  • For each dance, the leader teaches the sacred phrase, then the melody, then the movements, often with some context about the tradition the phrase comes from. The dance is then done together with live music. [source: The Abode; Shelquist]
  • The emphasis is on taking part rather than performing. The Abode puts it as "Participation, not presentation, is the focus." No dance or music experience, partner or special dress is needed, and no belief is required. [source: The Abode] Spectating is discouraged. [source: Wikipedia]
  • Forms include whole-circle dances, partner dances with progressions (changing partners around the circle), turning or whirling, and dances combined with Walks (a family of walking practices developed by Lewis). [source: DUP UK, Mentored or Certified?; Wikipedia] Some partner forms include eye contact, touching a cheek and hugging. [source: Shelquist]
  • Gatherings are often monthly local circles, plus camps and retreats. One centre runs a monthly afternoon session after a Universal Worship service. [source: The Abode; DUP UK events listings]

(b) The leader pathway (who may lead)

  1. Dancer. Attend dances and observe how leaders teach and close a dance. Leading is not an expected next step. [source: DUP UK, Becoming a Leader]
  2. Mentored leader. Find a mentor who accepts you; the mentor notifies the Leaders Guild. In the UK you must have a mentor before leading public dances, and keep one for as long as you lead. A mentor cannot be your spouse, partner or relative. Join the Leaders Guild (UK subscription £60 a year, which includes the international fee; mentor fees are separate). UK membership includes group public liability insurance for official DUP events. There is "no restriction on sharing a couple of Dances with friends." [source: DUP UK, Becoming a Leader; Mentored or Certified?] DUP UK suggests beginning by learning one mantric Dance thoroughly, ideally one with no English words (its music, movements and relationship with the sacred phrase) before leading it with a group. Mentors work through training programmes, mentoring groups or one-to-one, and may charge for time and travel. Every mentored leader is automatically a member of the Leaders Guild and agrees to abide by the Mentors Guild agreements, keep an active relationship with the mentor and pay the annual Guild fee. [source: DUP UK, The Dance Leading Path]
  3. Certified leader (optional). The mentor decides when the mentee is ready and asks the Community Coordinator to register certification. Published criteria include:
    • in-depth experience of at least one spiritual tradition, with regular practice and a real relationship with a guide (psychotherapy alone does not count);
    • self-knowledge, including awareness of shadow material and openness to feedback;
    • attunement and the ability to convey a sacred atmosphere;
    • technical proficiency: mastery of at least four Original Dances of Lewis, and the ability to present at least 20 dances from varied traditions;
    • familiarity with the writings of Lewis and Hazrat Inayat Khan;
    • the ability to lead named Walks;
    • social responsibility, including communication and conflict-resolution skills. [source: DUP UK, Mentored or Certified?]
  4. Mentor-in-Training, Dance Mentor, Senior Dance Mentor. Mentors follow the Ethical Guidelines and Agreements, may not mentor family members, and are nominated through the Guidance Council Chair. [source: DUP International, LG Mentoring Path] Certification is not needed to lead; most mentors expect at least three years of dedicated study and leading before certifying [source: DUP UK, The Dance Leading Path]. The text of the Guild agreements is not on the public pages [uncertain].
  • Psychotherapists. A psychotherapist may lead the Dances only by following this lineage route as a mentored or certified leader. Clinical qualifications do not stand in for it. Facilitating "Dances of Universal Peace" under that name means working within the Leaders Guild. [source: DUP UK, Mentored or Certified?; Becoming a Leader] Without that route, the psychotherapist's role is referral, preparation and integration (Section 4).

(c) Suggested frame for the psychotherapist [synthesis]

  • Phase 1, exploration and screening (usually one or two sessions inside ongoing therapy). Cover motive, religious identity, physical and mental-state screening, and touch preferences. Move on when the client gives informed agreement, has a safety plan, and has no unmanaged contraindication.
  • Phase 2, attendance. The client attends a circle run by a mentored or certified leader. The therapist is not present.
  • Phase 3, integration (the next sessions, and over time). Debrief bodily, emotional and spiritual experiences, and belonging. Review benefit and harm. Continue, adapt, pause or stop according to the client's goals and their stability.

3. Guiding principles

  • It is the client's spiritual practice, not your intervention. Suggest it only when the client's own values point that way; never prescribe it as treatment. [synthesis]
  • Attribute, don't assert. Speak of attunement, transmission and the "spiritual message" of a phrase as the tradition's terms. Practical meaning: say "in the Dances tradition this is understood as…" and never "this will open your heart." [synthesis; terms from DUP UK and Douglas-Klotz 2015]
  • Respect the lineage and its teaching authority. Teaching authority sits with mentored and certified leaders, mentors and the Guidance Council under the Spiritual Guide. Practical meaning: do not teach dances, Walks or phrases in your sessions, and send questions about the practice to the client's leader. [source: DUP International, LG Mentoring Path; DUP UK]
  • Respect religious difference both ways. The phrases come from living traditions. Practical meaning: explore how the client's own tradition, and the traditions the phrases come from, might view the practice. Douglas-Klotz notes that communities who feel oppressed may experience outsiders chanting their phrases as cultural theft. Soudack describes an observant Jewish dancer choosing which phrases she will and will not sing. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015; Soudack 2019]
  • Participation is voluntary, moment by moment. Practical meaning: the client may sit out a dance, not sing, not hold hands, or leave, and should rehearse doing so. [synthesis]
  • Touch is consensual and never sexual. Hand-holding and partner contact are part of the form. Douglas-Klotz describes touch that neither pushes nor takes more than a person wants to give. Practical meaning: plan the client's limits beforehand and their right to change those limits during a dance. Sexual touch is never part of the practice. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015; synthesis]
  • Not therapy, not DMT. Practical meaning: do not describe a circle as therapy, and refer to a registered dance/movement therapist when a clinical movement intervention is needed. [source: ADTA]
  • Peak experiences are not the goal of therapy. Douglas-Klotz warns against chasing the "buzz" of a new dance at the expense of inner work. Practical meaning: in therapy, value ordinary changes in daily life over intensity. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015]
  • Stay within competence and keep roles clear. UKCP asks therapists to offer only forms of therapy they are adequately trained in and to manage dual relationships. The APA Ethics Code, Standard 2.01(a), requires practice within the boundaries of competence and Standard 3.05 covers multiple relationships. Practical meaning: a therapist who is also a DUP leader keeps the two roles apart. [source: UKCP Code 2019; APA Ethics Code]
  • Safety first. Screen for physical and mental-state risk before the client attends, and review after. [synthesis]

4. Intervention inventory

The items below are the psychotherapist's own interventions around DUP participation. The dances, Walks and phrases themselves are taught only by mentored or certified leaders and are not proceduralised here. Where a step comes from DUP sources it is cited; everything else is [synthesis].

4.1 Explaining what a Dances evening involves

  • Purpose / when. Use this when a client raises interest in the Dances, or when you are thinking of mentioning them, so the client can make an informed choice. [synthesis]
  • Steps.
    1. Describe the published format in neutral terms: a circle, often holding hands; a leader and musicians in the centre; for each dance the phrase, melody and movements are taught, then danced together; some dances use partners who change around the circle; no experience, partner or belief is required. [source: The Abode; Wikipedia; DUP UK]
    2. Say plainly that the phrases are sacred words from many religions, and that leaders give context about where each comes from. [source: The Abode; Wikipedia]
    3. Say that this is a spiritual practice led by lineage-trained leaders, not therapy or dance/movement therapy. [source: ADTA; DUP UK]
    4. Ask what draws the client and what concerns them.
  • Example language (illustrative). "It's a circle dance where people sing short sacred phrases from different faiths while doing simple steps. The leader teaches each one first. It comes from a Sufi-inspired lineage. It isn't therapy, but some people find it meaningful. What appeals to you about it, and what gives you pause?"
  • Watch for. Expectations of cure or of a guaranteed peak experience; discomfort at the religious content; pressure from a partner or friend to attend. It is working if the client can describe the format accurately and decides freely.

4.2 Assessing motive and fit

  • Purpose / when. Before suggesting a circle, check that the practice fits the client's own goals and values. [synthesis]
  • Steps.
    1. Explore the motive: belonging, spiritual practice, joy in movement and song, grief, loneliness, or avoiding something.
    2. Link it to the treatment goals, and agree what "helpful" would look like in daily life.
    3. Consider alternatives: the client's own faith community, a secular choir or folk-dance group, or registered DMT if a clinical movement intervention is wanted.
  • Example language (illustrative). "If this went well, what would be different for you the week after?" "Is there something here you would like from your own tradition, or are you looking for something outside it?"
  • Watch for. Use as an escape from therapy work, or a search for a guru or rescuer. One participant's account describes the practice as having "no human leader to submit to" [source: Shelquist]; a client seeking a rescuer may be disappointed or may attach to a leader anyway. It is working if the motive is clear and linked to the client's goals.

4.3 Exploring religious identity and the ethics of borrowed phrases

  • Purpose / when. Use this for every client, and especially for clients with a strong faith identity, a history of religious trauma, or membership of a tradition whose phrases may be used. [synthesis]
  • Steps.
    1. Ask about the client's current and past religious affiliations, and what chanting or praying words from other faiths would mean to them and to their community.
    2. Name the debate as sources report it. A senior DUP teacher acknowledges that oppressed traditions may see outsiders chanting their phrases as cultural theft, and reports that the community avoids Norse material because of its misuse by National Socialists. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015]
    3. Discuss choosing which phrases to sing. One observant Jewish participant describes declining some Christian and Hindu material while staying in the circle. [source: Soudack 2019]
    4. Agree that the client may stay silent during a phrase, or step out.
  • Example language (illustrative). "Some phrases may come from your own tradition and some from others. How would it feel to sing them? You can join the movement and stay quiet for any words that don't sit right."
  • Watch for. Guilt or conflict with the client's own community; reactivated religious trauma; a client from a source tradition feeling their sacred words are used lightly. It is working if the client has a clear personal stance and an opt-out plan.

4.4 Physical-safety screening and medical clearance

  • Purpose / when. Use this before first attendance. DUP sources reviewed do not publish contraindications, so this screen is [synthesis] based on general group-dance cautions. UK leader membership includes public liability insurance for official events [source: DUP UK, Becoming a Leader], but this does not replace screening.
  • Steps.
    1. Ask about balance problems, vertigo or inner-ear conditions, falls, osteoporosis, joint or back problems, cardiac or respiratory disease, epilepsy, pregnancy, and medication causing dizziness. These matter because some dances involve turning or whirling, and holding hands in a moving circle can pull a person off balance. [source for turning: Wikipedia; risk reasoning: synthesis]
    2. Where any of these apply, suggest the client asks their GP or physician whether moderate group dancing is appropriate.
    3. Suggest the client tells the leader beforehand about limits, and plans to sit out turning dances, move without spinning, or stand at a chair.
    4. Remind them of general cautions about heat, hydration and footwear in crowded rooms. [synthesis]
  • Example language (illustrative). "Some dances involve turning, and the circle moves with linked hands. With your dizziness, would you be willing to check with your doctor, and to let the leader know you'll sit out any spinning?"
  • Watch for. Dizziness, falls, chest pain or breathlessness. The client should stop and sit if any of these occur. It is working if the client attends with a plan and no injury.

4.5 Mental-state screening and preparation

  • Purpose / when. Use this before attendance, for clients with trauma, dissociation, psychosis or bipolar disorder, eating disorders or body-image distress, recent bereavement, or substance-use recovery. [synthesis] Douglas-Klotz describes the chants as capable of deep effects, comparing them to "psychic surgery" and to bringing shadow material up. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015] Treat this as the tradition's description, and as a reason for care.
  • Steps.
    1. Trauma and dissociation. Identify triggers such as linked hands, eye gaze, close partner contact, group singing and religious settings. Agree grounding skills and an exit plan.
    2. Psychosis or mania risk. Discuss how intense spiritual meaning, repetition and sleep loss at camps or retreats could destabilise the client. Agree early-warning signs, and consider deferring attendance during an acute phase.
    3. Eating disorders and body image. Discuss being seen in movement, and any urge to use dancing as compensatory exercise.
    4. Grief. Prepare for strong emotion, since dances are also used with grief. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015]
    5. Substance-use recovery. Discuss chasing the "high". The tradition itself warns against chasing it. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015]
  • Example language (illustrative). "Singing and moving together can bring up a lot quite quickly. Let's agree what you'll do if you feel yourself drifting or flooded: step back, feet on the floor, name five things you can see, and leave if you need to."
  • Watch for. Euphoria with reduced sleep; grandiose spiritual ideas; flashbacks; numbness or lost time; compulsive attendance. It is working if the client can attend and return with experiences they can talk about.

4.6 Planning touch, partner contact and consent

  • Purpose / when. Use this before attendance. Hand-holding, partner progressions, eye contact, a touch to the cheek and hugging are described in participant accounts. [source: Shelquist; Wikipedia] Douglas-Klotz calls for touch that respects boundaries and neither pushes nor takes. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015]
  • Steps.
    1. Map the client's comfort with each kind of contact: hands, partner proximity, eye gaze, cheek, hug.
    2. Rehearse ways to opt out: a hand gesture or a short phrase to a partner, standing just outside the circle, or sitting out partner dances.
    3. Affirm that consent can be withdrawn at any moment during a dance, and that any sexual touch is never part of the practice and may be reported (4.13).
    4. Suggest the client tells the leader their limits beforehand.
    5. The therapist does not touch the client, and does not take part in the client's circle (4.11). Body-psychotherapy codes such as USABP Section VIII require informed consent before touch, the right to refuse or end touch at any time, and no sexual touch ever. Talk-therapy codes ban sexual contact; for example, the APA Ethics Code Standard 10.05 (https://www.apa.org/ethics/code) and UKCP item 4. [source: USABP Code; APA Ethics Code; UKCP Code 2019]
  • Example language (illustrative). "You can say 'I'll just do the steps without hands,' or hold your palms up and smile. You don't owe anyone a reason. If someone holds on too long or touches you in a way you don't want, you can step away and tell the leader."
  • Watch for. Freezing or appeasing during contact; contact that lingers or a partner who seeks private follow-up; the client feeling unable to refuse a hug. It is working if the client uses the opt-out at least once in rehearsal and reports feeling in control afterwards.

4.7 Choosing a circle and checking leader standing

  • Purpose / when. Before first attendance, help the client choose a circle led within the lineage's accountability structure. [source: DUP UK; DUP International]
  • Steps.
    1. Look for a leader listed by the national DUP organisation, for example DUP UK's leader directory with mentored and certified profiles, or DUP International's mentor lists. [source: DUP UK, Mentored or Certified?]
    2. Note that mentored leaders are expected to have an active mentor, and that certification is optional. [source: DUP UK, Becoming a Leader]
    3. Suggest a regular local circle before a residential camp or retreat. [synthesis]
    4. Encourage the client to ask the leader how they handle people sitting out, physical limits and partner dances. [synthesis]
  • Example language (illustrative). "It may be worth starting with a regular local evening run by a listed leader, and asking them on arrival how they'd like you to signal if you're sitting a dance out."
  • Watch for. Unlisted groups that use the name without a leader in the Guild; pressure to buy retreats or private sessions; secrecy. It is working if the client chooses a known leader and an entry-level setting.

4.8 Debriefing and integrating experiences

  • Purpose / when. Use this in the session after each early attendance, then periodically. It helps turn bodily, emotional and spiritual experiences into material the client can use, without pathologising them or endorsing them as metaphysical fact. [synthesis]
  • Steps.
    1. Start with the body. What did the client notice in breath, posture, contact and energy level, in their own words?
    2. Explore emotions and memories that came up, including grief or shadow material. The tradition expects these. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015]
    3. For spiritual experiences (unity, presence, the "spiritual message" of a phrase), use the client's own frame and language. Ask what the experience means to them and what it asks of them in daily life.
    4. Separate the experience from the decisions it seems to point to. Delay big life decisions made in the glow of an event.
    5. Link the experience back to the treatment goals.
  • Example language (illustrative). "You said that during one dance you felt held by the whole circle. What was that like in your body? What, if anything, would you want to carry into this week?" "In the tradition that might be described as the phrase's message. How do you make sense of it?"
  • Watch for. Spiritual bypassing (using the experience to avoid painful material); inflation; shame after crying in public. It is working if the experiences connect to concrete changes and the client can hold more than one meaning.

4.9 Working with group belonging and community

  • Purpose / when. Use this when belonging, loneliness or social anxiety is a treatment focus, or when the client becomes attached to the circle. Sources describe a welcoming community with "no social barriers". [source: Shelquist] They also describe the dances as a shared "spiritual Esperanto" that should still respect each culture. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015]
  • Steps.
    1. Track how the client relates to the group: inclusion, exclusion, comparison, and hierarchy around leaders and long-time dancers.
    2. Use what happens in the circle as material for patterns in relationships, such as people-pleasing, merging or withdrawal.
    3. Support the client in keeping other relationships and communities, so the circle does not become their only source of belonging.
    4. Prepare for endings: a circle closing, a leader moving away, or the client losing interest.
  • Example language (illustrative). "You mentioned you always stand next to the same two people and feel lost when they're away. Does that remind you of anything?"
  • Watch for. Idealising the group, then disillusionment; excluding outside relationships; feeling exploited for unpaid work at events. It is working if the client's sense of connection grows and spreads to other parts of their life.

4.10 Monitoring for adverse effects over time

  • Purpose / when. Use this throughout, and especially after camps, retreats or more frequent attendance. [synthesis]
  • Steps.
    1. Briefly review sleep, mood, reality testing, dissociation, physical symptoms, money and time spent.
    2. Watch for signs of a "spiritual emergency" that may be an emerging psychiatric condition. Assess it as you would any change in mental state, and involve medical services where indicated.
    3. Notice whether the client is chasing "highs" without change in daily life, a pattern the tradition itself names. [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015]
    4. Agree on pausing if harms outweigh benefits.
  • Example language (illustrative). "Since the retreat you've slept far less and feel everything is a sign. Let's slow down, look at what's happening, and think about whether to take a break from dancing for now."
  • Watch for. Manic or psychotic symptoms, dissociative episodes, injuries, and escalating attendance as avoidance. It is working if these are caught early and responded to.

4.11 Managing dual relationships when the therapist dances or leads

  • Purpose / when. Use this when the therapist attends DUP circles, is a mentored or certified leader, or is asked to run dances for clients. [synthesis, grounded in codes]
  • Steps.
    1. Do not lead dances for your own psychotherapy clients, and do not mentor them as leaders. Refer them to another leader. Where a small community makes overlap unavoidable, discuss it openly, document it, and take it to supervision. [source: UKCP Code 2019, item 8; BACP Ethical Framework 2018, para 33(b); APA Ethics Code, Standard 3.05]
    2. If you meet a client at a circle, follow an agreed plan, for example a brief greeting. Do not join partner dances with them.
    3. In clinical settings such as hospices, wards or addiction programmes, dances have been used. [source: Wikipedia; Douglas-Klotz 2015] Lead them only if you are a DUP leader with your mentor's support and your employer's agreement. Obtain informed consent that names the sacred content, and keep it separate from your therapy role.
    4. Do not present DUP as therapy or as DMT in your advertising.
  • Example language (illustrative). "I also dance in that community. If we meet there I'll say hello and give you space. I won't lead any dance you're in, and we can talk here about how that feels."
  • Watch for. Blurred roles, clients seeking spiritual guidance from you, and fee or gift complications. It is working if roles stay distinct and the client feels free to attend or not.

4.12 Collaborating with the client's dance leader

  • Purpose / when. Use this when the client wants their leader to know about adaptations (physical limits, touch preferences, a seizure plan), and gives consent. [synthesis]
  • Steps.
    1. Get specific, written consent for what is shared.
    2. Share only practical adaptations, not clinical detail.
    3. Respect the leader's teaching authority over the practice. Questions about lineage or spiritual meaning go to the leader or mentor. [source: DUP International, LG Mentoring Path]
    4. Agree how the leader can reach help in an emergency. This is the client's and leader's arrangement, not the therapist's.
  • Example language (illustrative), as a note the client gives the leader: "I may sit out turning dances and prefer not to hold hands in partner dances. Please don't draw attention to it."
  • Watch for. The leader taking on a therapeutic role, or the client losing control of their information. It is working if the adaptations are honoured quietly.

4.13 Recognising and passing on harms

  • Purpose / when. Use this when a client reports pressure, exploitation, unwanted or sexual touch, financial demands, or a leader claiming spiritual authority over the client's life. [synthesis]
  • Steps.
    1. Listen, believe, and document the client's account in their own words. Assess immediate safety.
    2. Explain the internal routes as published. Leaders and mentors agree to Ethical Guidelines and Agreements, and the Guidance Council of Senior Mentors upholds standards of conduct. A leader's mentor and the Community Coordinator are named contacts in the structure. [source: DUP International, LG Mentoring Path] No complaints or safeguarding procedure appears on the public DUP UK leading-path pages; ask the national organisation directly [uncertain].
    3. Explain the external routes: the police for assault, adult or child safeguarding where relevant, and a leader's own professional regulator if they also hold a health or therapy registration.
    4. Support the client's choice of route, and their wish to stop attending.
    5. No published reports of misconduct in DUP circles are cited here [uncertain]. Name no individuals unless reliable sources report them.
  • Example language (illustrative). "What happened wasn't part of the practice, and it wasn't your fault. You have options, inside the Dances organisation and outside it, and you decide what feels right. We can look at them together."
  • Watch for. Self-blame framed in spiritual terms ("my ego resisted"); fear of losing the community; minimising. It is working if the client feels believed and chooses a route.

4.14 Referring on when a clinical movement intervention is needed

  • Purpose / when. Use this when the client needs body-based psychotherapy rather than a spiritual practice, for example severe trauma, body-image disorders, or when a secular setting is preferred. [synthesis]
  • Steps.
    1. Explain the difference between the two. DMT is a psychotherapeutic use of movement, delivered by credentialed therapists (R-DMT, BC-DMT in the US). [source: ADTA] DUP is a spiritual group practice.
    2. Refer to a registered dance/movement therapist or a body psychotherapist (see Domain VIII). Where appropriate, the client can keep attending DUP alongside, with clear roles.
    3. Coordinate care with consent. The EABP guidelines ask therapists to consider the implications when a client receives similar services from another professional. [source: EABP Ethics Guidelines 2020]
  • Example language (illustrative). "The Dances can be a source of joy and meaning. For working directly with how trauma sits in your body, a dance/movement therapist is trained for exactly that. You could do both."
  • Watch for. The client hearing the referral as rejection of their spiritual practice. It is working if the client understands the difference and engages with the right help.

5. Handling problems

None of the DUP sources address psychotherapy-specific problems. All guidance in this section is [synthesis] unless cited.

  • Overwhelm or flooding during or after a dance. Remind the client of the agreed exit plan and grounding. In therapy, slow the pace, return to sensory detail, and consider attending less often, choosing quieter circles, or pausing. Mild emotion is expected by the tradition [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015]; dissociation, panic or flashbacks call for a review of attendance.
  • Signs of mania or psychosis after a camp or retreat. Assess urgently. Involve the prescriber or crisis services. Advise stopping attendance until stable, and protect sleep. Do not argue about spiritual content; focus on function and safety.
  • Religious conflict or guilt. Return to 4.3. Explore choosing phrases, singing only some, or a different practice within the client's own tradition. Respect a decision to stop. [source: Soudack 2019 illustrates selective participation]
  • Concern about cultural appropriation. Take it seriously rather than reassuring. Mention that senior DUP teachers acknowledge the issue [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015], and help the client reach their own position, which may include choosing not to take part.
  • Unwanted touch or a partner who oversteps. Validate the experience. Rehearse opting out (4.6), encourage the client to tell the leader, and use 4.13 if the touch was sexual or coercive.
  • Physical injury or dizziness. Stop turning dances, seek medical review, and adapt (4.4).
  • Stuck or flat: "nothing happens for me." Normalise it. Explore expectations, since the tradition itself cautions against chasing highs [source: Douglas-Klotz 2015], and check the fit with goals. Stopping is a legitimate outcome.
  • Over-involvement: escalating events, spending, retreats or wanting to train as a leader in the middle of a crisis. Explore the function this serves. Suggest delaying the leader path until the client is stable. Note that the lineage itself treats leading as optional and slow-growing. [source: DUP UK, Becoming a Leader; Mentored or Certified?]
  • Idealising or devaluing a leader or mentor. Treat it as transference-like material. Support the client's autonomy and their right to change circles. Mentoring relationships may also be dissolved within the structure. [source: DUP International, LG Mentoring Path]
  • Non-adherence to the safety plan (going to a retreat without telling anyone, or ignoring an agreed pause). Explore this without blame, revise the plan collaboratively, and record risk discussions.
  • Rupture with the therapist ("you don't respect my spirituality"). Acknowledge it, repair, and make clear that you are neutral about metaphysical claims and respectful of the client's practice.
  • The therapist meets the client at a circle, or the client asks the therapist to lead. Follow 4.11: decline to lead, agree a plan for meeting, and take it to supervision.
  • The client wants to bring the dances into a group or service the therapist runs. Explain that dances are taught only by mentored or certified leaders [source: DUP UK], and consider the consent needs of others in the group, including people of other faiths or none.

Sources

Pages

Books and articles

  • Lewis, S. L. (1990). Spiritual Dance and Walk. PeaceWorks. [uncertain]
  • "Dances of Universal Peace" (1990). Self & Society, 18(5). doi:10.1080/03060497.1990.11085105 [uncertain]
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