In Biodanza, the vivencias that focus on affectivity aim to integrate, strengthen and develop our affective core. As a result, they increase the intensity of our loving energy and our ability to express it both verbally and bodily with total sincerity.
According to Ribeiro at all (2005), the concept of affectivity is broad and can be approached from various different perspectives, e.g. psychological, pedagogical and philosophical. There is a plurality of words to define affectivity, for example tenderness, inter-relationship, empathy, feelings, emotions, attitudes and values, love, affection, understanding, respect, fondness, attention, companionship, moral and ethical behaviour. In general, "affectivity is driven by the expression of feelings and emotions, and can develop through training" (Ribeiro at all, 2005, p. 32).
Biodanza works mainly with the psychological and pedagogical perspectives of affectivity. "It’s through contact with our own feelings and the discovery of one's own emotions that we can get closer to what we really are, open our hearts, and prepare to bond with one another" (VIOTTI, 1997, p. 64). We therefore place great emphasis on affectivity, as all human relationships of all times and spaces are navigated by it.
According to Santos (1996), the line of affectivity aims to awaken and develop love, tenderness and solidarity. The vivencias of this channel of emotional expression resonate in people’s lives and have several regulating effects. Among them, the author cites
- the development of care, affection and tenderness (with oneself and another)
- increased self-confidence and ability to trust another
- expansion and transmutation of the energy of love
- strengthened self-esteem
- integration and bonding with the human species
- the development of the maternity and paternity functions
To attain these and other results, Biodanza uses mainly the therapeutic function of touch and caress in the line of affectivity. Toro shows that the function of contact and caress as therapeutic tools has an historical, anthropological, clinical and experiential source. Historically, Christ healed the sick with the touch of his hands, and Indian traditions emphasized the importance of the caress (Tantra, Kamasutra). Anthropological antecedents are found in primitive tribes and communities, evidence that bodily contact in its various forms is a primordial need among animals and humans. In clinical psychology, Winnicott, Piaget, Melanie Klein, Carl Rogers, Erick Fromm and Freud among others, demonstrated the importance of contact and affective bonds in the life and development of the human being, especially with regard to the mother-child (or caregiver-child) relationship. In clinical medicine, several investigations of skin disorders (eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, vitiligo, erysipelas, etc.) have associated them to emotional and affective factors. Many patients were found to have a toxic relationship with the mother, fear of abandonment, lack of affection in early childhood, phobias and anxiety (TORO).
Experientially, some authors, such as Spitz (1983) and Montagu (1988) conducted detailed scientific research on the effects of human touch, demonstrating its need for the development of the human being. The results of these experiments showed that affective touch is responsible for
- the adaptation of the human being to the surrounding environment
- the child's psychological development (children who are not touched can develop marasmus and even die)
- motor, cognitive and affective development
- language development
- the development of healthy behaviour and appropriate socialization
In addition, Toro shows us the regulating effects of affective contact and caress, and explains why these are so important to human beings. Caresses show us a dimension of who we are. They balance our sympathetic-parasympathetic system and cardiorespiratory system. They activate our sexual functions, dissolve our defensive chronic motor tensions, and elevate our mood (TORO, p.575-577). These are all examples of the benefits of attending Biodanza classes.
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