A language is a means of communication. A doorway to form relationships. A medium to express oneself. It was just recently that I observed something simple yet wonderful. A language has therapeutic potential - it could also help one be calmer, happier and healthier.
Sounds weird? Let me explain.
Let's whirlwind a little to the recent past.
My lovely colleagues Madhur Arora and Hardeep Singh have been patiently helping me learn Indian Sign Language. I tried learning Hindi. Kannada. Telugu. Even German. But I have not learnt any language as quickly as Sign Language. So it was natural for me to like it more.
What good could learning one language do to one? Well, this one was a game-changer. It introduced me to a whole new world. I learnt about deafhood and deaf culture, which is intriguing and fascinating as any other culture. And I'd love to learn more and hopefully write more about it sooner.
But this post is about one facet of the deaf culture. The last week of September is celebrated as the International Week of Deaf People. We had a huge festival-like celebration at the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) for the same. I was volunteering for the events. There were workshops, panel discussions, performances, games, and others - just like for any other events.
As I interacted more with deaf people, I happened to observe something. They seem to be more expressive, casual and relaxed than hearing people. I could hardly remember meeting any deaf person who's uptight, rigid or reserved. Although, there is of course nothing wrong in being rigid or reserved, we all carry different stories and experiences.
Coming back my observation of their expressive and relaxed nature. it struck a chord with me as a dance/movement therapy facilitator.
The most basic idea of why we bring in movements into a therapy session is simply this. Overtime we give significance to what we call the pre-frontal lobe of our brain. You see, it is this part of our brain that's responsible for our thought processes and is more logical.
Let me give an example. As a kid I remember running behind a butterfly or being utterly fascinated by its vibrant colors. Now when I see one, I try to observe and think what its name is. Do you notice how I transitioned from being emotional to logical? Naturally, we human beings grow to be either more emotional, or more logical, or able to balance both. It all depends on our experience and coping mechanisms. However it is quite noticeable that largely we have become thinking beings over feeling beings.
Though physiologically, the hormones responsible for certain emotions and moods remain the same. But we often prioritize logical thinking over emotional intelligence, leading to a disconnection between our minds and bodies.
But what does this have to do with sign language anyway?!
Well, I am angry. When I text my friend that I am angry, I type it with scarce involvement. If I throw in a few emojis, then it becomes a little pictorial which helps me a little to visualise my anger. However, if I sign that I am angry, it uses a certain energy as I am expressing and using my hands to express. Now my emotion is a bit concretised. It feels noticed.
Imagine this happening for all emotions and feelings. I feel a little relieved and relaxed.
And simply, the physicality of sign language allows for a more embodied expression - you use your eyebrows, eyes, mouth, hands. It smoothly enhances one's mind-body connection. And ofcourse just like there are dialects in any regional languages, there are dialects in sign languages as well. With a dialect enters the nuanced cultural contexts. So the relatability of one's language further helps in expressing.
This of course is my postulation which I hope to research further. If my fellow dance therapy facilitators or practitioners find this intriguing, I would love to research this collaboratively.
If you're a sign language user or learner, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
References:
The role of dance movement therapy in enhancing emotional regulation: A literature review: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11336824/