Erica Hornthal, Author at Tiny Buddha

Posts by Erica Hornthal

Erica Hornthal, a licensed clinical professional counselor and board-certified dance/movement therapist, is the CEO and founder of Chicago Dance Therapy. Known as the “Therapist Who Moves You,” Erica is changing the way people see movement with regard to mental health. Erica is the author of the new book, Body Aware: Rediscover Your Mind Body Connection, Stop Feeling Stuck, and Improve Your Mental Health through Simple Movement Practices.

5 Ways to Use Movement (Not Exercise) to Support Your Mental Health

By Erica Hornthal

“Nothing is more revealing than movement.” ~Martha Graham

It seems like only yesterday that I was at home with a newborn, a kindergartener, two dogs, and a husband who, just like me, was working from home, when we were thrown into the unthinkable COVID19 pandemic.

It didn’t take long for the stress and tension to build in my body. The feeling of instability, uncertainty, and fear, not to mention the post-partum anxiety, took its toll on my body as it became more rigid, bound, immobile, and frozen.

All the ways I had relied on movement as exercise were taken away, …