PERFORMING HEALING FOR PERSON WITH DISABILITY: A PRE-EXPERIMENTAL CULTURAL THERAPY MODEL
Keywords:
PwDA, pre-experimental design, Igal dance, dramatherapy, cultural therapy, inclusivityAbstract
This article presents a cultural therapeutic model that integrates the traditional Bajau Laut Igal dance and dramatherapy, specifically designed for Persons with Different Abilities (PwDA). Using a pre-experimental qualitative methodology, the study explored emotional, symbolic, and embodied transformations experienced by participants across two 12-week workshops. The Inclusive Treatment Experimental Ritual Performance (InTERiPe) model was developed to offer non-clinical healing anchored in cultural practices. Findings suggest enhanced emotional resilience, identity affirmation, and expressive capability among PwDA. This article contributes to the discourse on inclusive, decolonial, and culturally safe therapeutic methods in Southeast Asia.
References
Arai, M., & O’Connor, P. (2020). Culturally responsive arts-based therapy: Practices and principles. Journal of Expressive Therapies, 6(2), 101–119.
Boal, A. (2002). Games for Actors and Non-Actors. Routledge.
Kapitan, L. (2018). Introduction to Art Therapy Research. Routledge.
Leavy, P. (2020). Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Low, M. T., Kipli, M. A., & Panan, A. P. (2021). Ritual and resonance: Performance as healing in indigenous Southeast Asia. Journal of Cultural Health Studies, 14(2), 56–68.
McLeod, J. (2022). Qualitative Research in Counselling and Psychotherapy. SAGE.
Rahman, F. & Ng, S. L. (2023). Decolonizing therapy in Malaysia: Indigenous frameworks for inclusive health. Southeast Asian Psychotherapy Review, 5(1), 45–62.
Rappaport, R. A. (1999). Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity. Cambridge University Press.
Shariff, R. (2022). Dance for Parkinson’s: A Malaysian Pilot Study. Malaysian Journal of Arts and Health, 9(1), 33–49.
Snow, S., & D’Amico, M. (2021). Creative Arts Therapies and the LGBTQ Community: Theory and Practice. Routledge.