A new paradigm for embodied healing in a unique, experiential, therapeutic process in which expressive
movement, guided imagery, ritual, music, and creative expression work together.
In Embody, Toni Bergins, the founder and creator of JourneyDance, an internationally renowned dance
movement program, shares with readers a powerful way to address trauma mindfully so people can confront it,
heal, and grow to love themselves unconditionally, just as they are. Embody is a dynamic, conscious practice
that can help people release what no longer serves them and shows them how to stop stuffing/numbing the
pain and start feeling, stop over-thinking/limiting, and get moving!
Embodiment is the new buzzword in personal transformation, but, most often, it is connected to static practices
like breathwork and meditation. For Toni Bergins, embodiment is best achieved through active movement, and
has created a practice where people literally get out of their heads and into their bodies! Her program is a
trauma-informed one that offers a new promise: leading readers through deep, personal work but making it
feel like play. In this book, she turns the heaviness of processing pain and past trauma into an expressive art
aligned with the most recent research. Specifically, trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk, writes in his bestselling
The Body Keeps the Score, "In order to overcome trauma, people need to feel safe enough to open up their
hearts and minds to others and become engaged with new possibilities. This can be done if trauma survivors
are helped to confront and confess the reality of what has happened and are helped to feel safe again. In many
cultures this involves communal rhythmical activities, such as dancing…" And that is Toni Bergins' mission and
method: to help readers move into a new story for their lives.
Embody features Toni's prescription for a comprehensive healing journey, comprised of five core elements:
· Music, to open the doorways of impulse, imagination, creativity and healing to change mood and awareness;
· Movement, to enhance presence and confidence, and release old patterns and traumas;
· Mystical Inquiry, where imagery and creative visualization exercises are used to guide readers into an alchemic
and shamanic state to investigate past hurts, and learn to trust their instincts;
· Prayers and Invocations, to raise energetic vibrations to a positive place with powerful affirmations; and
· Journaling, with writing prompts to process inner self-awareness learned on the dance floor or through any
of the other Embody elements.
