An Embodied Introspection

exploring how movement heals

Interdisciplinary Honors in the Arts (HIA) | Stanford Arts Institute | Stanford University 

Mental illness experiences are unique, elusive, and heavily stigmatized. As I pursue a career in psychiatry, I hope to investigate narrative dance and movement therapies, particularly how embodied introspection of personal experiences of mental illness can provide potential avenues of healing and human connection. 

My project first examines how thoughts and emotions can be transcribed by bodies through movement, providing a unique way of healing and expression for patients. I interviewed patients with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety and translated their individual experiences into movement improvisation scripts. These scripts were then explored through independent movement sessions with each participant. This project also considers how interactive viewership can help build empathy for patients. A sequence of scripts were utilized at a public movement session open to a general audience. I hope that by physically moving through these scripts inspired by real narratives, we can all better understand and connect to patients with mental illnesses.

Annotated Bibliography

Hello! My name is Ruth Ling, and I am a part of the class of 2022 at Stanford University. I majored in Psychology and minored in Theater and Performance Studies (Dance concentration). This fall, I will be attending Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to pursue my dream of becoming a psychiatrist. Since high school, I have been looking for ways to connect two of my passions: dance and mental health. The Interdisciplinary Honors in the Arts program from the Stanford Arts Institute gave me the mentorship and funding to explore this interdisciplinary space. I hope to continue pursing my artistic and academic endeavors and finding ways for dance to inform my medical career.  

I am incredibly grateful to have had mentorship from Sariel Golomb and Professor Amanda Reid as well as HIA director Professor Jessi Piggott. Thank you to the Interdisciplinary Honors in the Arts program and Stanford Arts Institute for making this project possible.