The healing force of rhythm and embrace
Igor Sitchuk, journal PSYCHOLOGY TODAY, December 2019, original text is here
Argentinean tango is becoming a cultural phenomenon globally, with more and more people getting involved into this way of communication and self-expression. Terms such as tangoholic or tango therapy are being heard more and more often. Let's explore what and how tango is capable of healing.
Argentinean tango is a social dance and as a social dance it has a positive effect on our body. The cultural aspect of dance makes it possible to lead a fulfilled emotional life. Engaging in joint activities expands the range of social communication, promoting mental stability and satisfaction. Gentle physical movement is good for the joints, for blood circulation and in general for the whole body. In this sense, tango is undoubtedly useful, but obviously inadequate for real therapy. In order to get to the therapeutic properties of tango, we need to dive a little deeper.
The force of embrace
When we talk about tango, we talk about embrace, because embrace is the basis and mystery of tango. Not holding, not a frame, but a hug with all its qualities: warmth, openness, softness, cordiality. If we examine the phenomenon of embrace closer, then we find that embracing is a very important part of our development that goes deep into human history and even deeper - into the development of primates. All young primates, including humans, need contact with their mother created by embracing for full-fledged psychological development. Embracing is also important for us in adulthood. It improves sleep, gives vitality, rejuvenates and strengthens the immune system. You can find therapeutic hugging seminars. Every year since 1986, on 21st of December the National Hugging Day has been celebrated in the USA, and has spread gradually throughout the world. The embrace is undoubtedly a very beneficial, yet very pleasant thing, although Western culture is a bit distant and leaves little room for it. While dancing tango, you can enjoy large doses of hugs without changing your behaviour or lifestyle.
If my sources are being honest, a female tangasm can be described as a feeling of flying through the air, transporting to another reality, diving into sexual energy, getting out of your head, blending physical and emotional pleasure into one experience. Since I'm a man, I can only believe the descriptions women gave me....but I had to speak to many women to get an objective overall picture. I can describe the male tangasm based on my own experience. It is a feeling very similar to an orgasm, the only difference being that it’s not concentrated in the standard areas on the body. Rather, it flows through the entire body and feels most intense in the joints, eyes and teeth. Why here? I'm not sure...the tangasmic feeling rises slowly and once it reaches a certain threshold of intensity it's fairly easy to maintain it on this level. All the senses are heightened, reactions are faster, you’re able to focus on several things at once and have no problem dealing with all of them simultaneously. Theoretically, you could stay in this state for an unlimited amount of time but in practice I have not been able to maintain this level of adrenalin for more than 30 minutes - the intensity of the experience is too great. Following internal release, the feeling of the tangasm slowly dissipates but its remnants can still be felt the next day. What’s interesting is that every tangasm is different. I haven’t been able to have two that were the same. One could say that tangasmic experiences are very useful for men because it allows them to understand how women experience orgasm. It can certainly be considered good practice for men to become better lovers.
Marie (52) came to the milonga with a bandage around her waist. When I asked her to dance, she warned me that I had to be careful, because a trapped nerve in her waist was causing sharp pain after certain movements. I promised to be careful, and we started dancing. After ten minutes, as we finished dancing, Marie returned to her table with a happy smile and suddenly stopped, turned and opened her eyes wide. She completely forgot that something hurt her! In Argentinean tango, the dancer's spine turns slightly on both sides. The combination of increased blood flow and pain relief relieves contracted muscles, restoring normal blood circulation and resolves the problem. Of course, it is not possible to treat serious or chronic diseases in such a way, but in the case of a psychosomatic problem caused by hypodynamia or increased stress, one can speak of a significant therapeutic effect of tango at the physiological level.
It is never too late!
Tango also acts effectively on the psychological level. In addition to the general positive effect of interpersonal contact, it can relieve depression, fear, and even symptoms of post-traumatic syndrome. Jitka (28) lived abroad. She experienced a child's death, a break with her foreign husband and a forced return to the Czech Republic. She had experience in sports dancing, so she decided to try Argentinean tango to fill the void in her evenings. It turned out that her experience in sports dance is not so useful for tango. She had to start focusing mainly on relaxing the body and contact with her partner, which was the biggest barrier in her case. However, due to her talent for dance, she quickly got involved in the Argentinean tango and opened a new source of experience for her, which changed her perception of the world very much within three months. Without medicaments and antidepressants, she began to look at her life again with interest and optimism.
Ivan (65) can serve as an example of male tango therapy. Ivan attended ballroom dancing classes for many years and was firmly convinced that he is an absolute dance bumpkin. Once on the dance floor, he always began to move unnaturally, losing his balance, and even the efforts of teachers and repetition of courses could not change anything about it. Later he was lucky and met a beloved woman who liked Argentinean tango. Despite his negative dancing experience in ballroom dancing, he found the courage to take individual Argentinean tango lessons. At the lessons we were dealing with a single theme: how to take care of a partner through the embrace. Such an approach has proved to be very fruitful. This alleged non-dancer turned into a sensitive and caring dance partner within a few months, who could move freely on the dance floor without losing his balance, and still had room for music, fantasy and humour. Ivan relaxed, stopped trying to do something unnatural and began to behave on the dance floor as in ordinary life, which is exactly what tango needs. It is necessary to focus on the essence of this dance, not on its external form. It is noteworthy that Ivan has also made considerable progress in social dances. It was very moving to see the sincere joy of the elderly man, who is constantly expanding the horizon of his experiences and bringing pleasure to his partner.
Tango addiction
There are many cases of the positive effects of tango on humans, but I should also mention negative effects for balance in this story. The worst thing that can happen to you is disappointment. Disappointment that the feelings I wrote about above will not immediately appear. But sometimes you just need to hold on, tango wants its time and we are very different as individuals. The second thing I should warn you about is the risk of tango addiction. It is a situation where you fall in love with it so much that it changes your personal values and lifestyle. Such changes are not always welcome by relatives and friends, and the irony is that sometimes people can perceive tango addiction as a disease.