People in Recovery
Addiction, particularly opioid addiction, is a growing national epidemic, and supporting people in recovery with effective treatments is a vital public health need. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 19.7 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2017. In the year prior, drug overdoses claimed the lives of nearly 64,000 Americans; nearly two-thirds of these deaths (66%) involved a prescription or illicit opioid. The NIH tells us that mortality rates for opioid overdose from 1999 through 2016 increased by 507% among women at 321% among men. More treatment options are needed including safe non-drug alternatives, and treatments that recognize the relationship between trauma and substance abuse.
We offer classes to women at Options Recovery Services, a recovery center in Berkeley, as well as for both male and female veterans at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System.The groups we work with at both facilities include people of every ethnicity and generation facing various challenges, including mental illness, PTSD, homelessness, and abusive relationships. Many feel unsafe in their bodies and most have never danced sober. They have come into a recovery program seeking change in their lives and our class supports them in this important step. Using dance, we develop tools and resources to help participants stay sober. These tools focus on developing new strategies to support relapse prevention and healthy lifestyle choices.
We focus on how to express suppressed emotions healthily through movement. We explore what it feels like to support and feel supported by others, how to trust in relationship, and face life’s challenges with conviction and commitment. It is very satisfying and powerful to watch these participants transform week to week. When they first arrive they are often angry and depressed, their bodies are detoxing and they resist movement. With time their attitude transforms, their bodies lift and lighten, the sparkle returns to their eyes, their skin clears, and they become inspired by the many possibilities that await them.
Current sites: Options Recovery Services, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System
We offer classes to women at Options Recovery Services, a recovery center in Berkeley, as well as for both male and female veterans at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System.The groups we work with at both facilities include people of every ethnicity and generation facing various challenges, including mental illness, PTSD, homelessness, and abusive relationships. Many feel unsafe in their bodies and most have never danced sober. They have come into a recovery program seeking change in their lives and our class supports them in this important step. Using dance, we develop tools and resources to help participants stay sober. These tools focus on developing new strategies to support relapse prevention and healthy lifestyle choices.
We focus on how to express suppressed emotions healthily through movement. We explore what it feels like to support and feel supported by others, how to trust in relationship, and face life’s challenges with conviction and commitment. It is very satisfying and powerful to watch these participants transform week to week. When they first arrive they are often angry and depressed, their bodies are detoxing and they resist movement. With time their attitude transforms, their bodies lift and lighten, the sparkle returns to their eyes, their skin clears, and they become inspired by the many possibilities that await them.
Current sites: Options Recovery Services, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System
Give Dance to People in Recovery
“I remember the first time Sylvie came in to Options, I walked into the auditorium and the women were happy. That is not usual. They’re usually really not happy. And it was so wondrous to see them. There was one part I adored about her class, where one of the women gets to do a movement, and all the other women join and complement her. Most of the women have never, ever had anyone in their lives be behind them or follow them. The program right now is really a community, and I know that Sylvie contributes to that.” - Peg Miller, Counselor, Options Recovery Services 
“Dancing with you really helped me with my recovery and it has really helped me to stay sober. I didn't used to be like this before this class." - Past participant & current staff member, Options Recovery Services |
"I came in here not thinking I would like this at all, but it turned out to be really fun. I haven't danced sober in a long time." - Male veteran participant |