Recovery and Movement: Allegory and 'Journey' as a means of exploring recovery from substance misuse

Abstract

The paper explores the quality of the affective and embodied experiences of a group of people in recovery from substance misuse as part of their involvement with dance and movement workshops provided by the Fallen Angels Dance Theatre. In the research we used the visual matrix method alongside individual and group-based movement sessions so as to explore associations and affect emerging from the visual matrix. We question the frequently used metaphor of the ‘journey’ in recovery and suggest ‘allegory’ to be more apt. The linearity implied in journey contrasts with movements – both inner and outer – that are ‘nomadic’, ‘wayfaring’ and ‘rhizomatic’, focussed on affect and experience rather than targets and outcomes. We conclude that people working in the field of recovery and other areas of social work may wish to reconsider the value of embodiment in movement, relationship and affect when working with the experience of vulnerable people.