Date
8-20-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)
Chair
Albert Leroy Pace
Keywords
Dance/movement therapy, psychological trauma, body-based intervention, trauma recovery, phenomenology, culturally responsive therapy
Disciplines
Psychiatry and Psychology
Recommended Citation
Alvarez Saenz, Indira, "“Cha-Cha-Libre”: A Dance Movement Therapy for Hispanic Women Recovering From Intimate Emotional Abuse" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8859.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8859
Abstract
Culturally responsive therapy for Hispanic women recovering from intimate emotional trauma is often overlooked. Unfortunately, their experiences in these culturally based healing spaces are not adequately explored in the existing literature. This qualitative phenomenological research examined the lived experiences of Hispanic women aged between 18 and 40 years in Miami-Dade County who took part in a Cha-cha-cha dance/movement therapy program for intimate abuse trauma recovery. Through purposive sampling, 25 participants were selected to participate in five culturally relevant, researcher-facilitated, sessions of Cha-cha-cha dance, followed by in-depth interviews and reflective sessions. NVivo software was used to analyze the phenomenological data following Colaizzi's seven-step method. Results on the participants’ healing experiences centered around emotional release, safety and trust, self-reconnection, empowerment, and bodily integration. The cultural value of the dance was grounded in cultural meaning, ancestral connection, joy, and dance as a healing practice. The most important dance mechanisms that helped participants feel relieved of the trauma included body awareness, somatic regulation, tension release, and embodied trauma processing. These results highlighted the importance of culturally responsive, body-focused therapeutic methods for Hispanic women to recover from intimate emotional trauma.
