The Effects of the Somatic Intervention 'Dance-Walk' on Body Awareness, Vitality, and Mental Health in Help-Seeking Adults: a RCT Study

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a movement program called "Dance-Walk" can improve body awareness, energy levels, and mental health in adults seeking mental health support. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does Dance-Walk help people feel more connected to their bodies? Does Dance-Walk increase people's energy and vitality? Does Dance-Walk improve mental health by reducing depression, anxiety, and stress?

Researchers will compare people who do Dance-Walk right away to people who wait to do the program later to see if Dance-Walk works to improve mental health.

All participants will fill out online surveys about their mood, energy levels, and body awareness at the start of the study. Then, every participant will be randomly placed into one of two groups - one group will start Dance-Walk right away, the other will wait. Participants who will be assigned to the first group will attend 4 weekly Dance-Walk sessions that combine movement, dance, and walking. All participants will fill out the same surveys again after the 4-week program. Participants who will be assigned to the second group will get to do the Dance-Walk program after the first group finishes.

Each Dance-Walk session will focus on helping people tune into their body feelings and use movement to manage emotions and stress. The program is designed to help people feel more energetic and improve their overall mental well-being.

Conditions

• Healthy
• Psychological Distress
• Stress
• Depression Disorders
• Anxiety
• Well-being
• Mental Health
• Body Awareness
• Vitality

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Dance-walk

Dance-Walk is a 4-week somatic intervention combining movement, dance, and walking elements designed to enhance body awareness and emotional regulation. The program consists of 4 weekly group sessions, each lasting approximately 90-120 minutes. Sessions focus on helping participants connect with their body sensations through guided movement exercises that integrate dance movements with mindful walking practices. The intervention targets autonomic nervous system regulation and aims to improve interoceptive awareness, emotional expression, and stress management through embodied practices. Sessions are facilitated by trained practitioners and emphasize non-verbal emotional expression and somatic experiencing to promote mental health and vitality.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Vilnius University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Inga Truskauskaite, PhD · Vilnius University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-03-12

Primary Completion

2025-06-30

Completion

2025-06-30

Countries

• Lithuania

Study Locations