The Effects of the Somatic Intervention 'Dance-Walk' on Body Awareness, Vitality, and Mental Health in Help-Seeking Adults: a RCT Study

NCT07024901 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: (1.13 E) 250000-KT-33
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 117
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a movement program called "Dance-Walk" can improve body awareness, energy levels, and mental health in adults seeking mental health support. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does Dance-Walk help people feel more connected to their bodies? Does Dance-Walk increase people's energy and vitality? Does Dance-Walk improve mental health by reducing depression, anxiety, and stress? Researchers will compare people who do Dance-Walk right away to people who wait to do the program later to see if Dance-Walk works to improve mental health. All participants will fill out online surveys about their mood, energy levels, and body awareness at the start of the study. Then, every participant will be randomly placed into one of two groups - one group will start Dance-Walk right away, the other will wait. Participants who will be assigned to the first group will attend 4 weekly Dance-Walk sessions that combine movement, dance, and walking. All participants will fill out the same surveys again after the 4-week program. Participants who will be assigned to the second group will get to do the Dance-Walk program after the first group finishes. Each Dance-Walk session will focus on helping people tune into their body feelings and use movement to manage emotions and stress. The program is designed to help people feel more energetic and improve their overall mental well-being.

Conditions

Healthy; Psychological Distress; Stress; Depression Disorders; Anxiety; Well-being; Mental Health; Body Awareness; Vitality

Keywords

Mental Health; Depression; Anxiety; Stress; Psychological Distress; Emotional Well-being; Somatic Intervention; Body-Mind Intervention; Mind-Body Practice; Embodied Practice; Body Awareness; Interoception; Vitality; Subjective Vitality; Positive Mental Health; Well-being; Adults; Help-seeking Adults; Randomized Controlled Trial; RCT; Waitlist Control; Autonomic Nervous System; Emotion Regulation; Stress Reduction; Mindfulness; Self-Awareness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Scale-2 (MAIA-2) (Mehling et al., 2018)

  Assesses multiple dimensions of interoceptive awareness, including noticing (score range: 0-20), not-distracting (score range: 0-30), not-worrying (score range: 0-25), attention regulation (score range: 0-35), emotional awareness (score range: 0-25), self-regulation (score range: 0-20), body listening (score range: 0-15), and trusting (score range: 0-15). Higher scores indicate greater interoceptive awareness (better outcome).

  Baseline to immediately post-intervention (approximately 4 weeks)

• Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS) (Ryan & Frederick, 1997)

  Measures feelings of energy and aliveness (score range: 0-47). Higher scores indicate greater subjective vitality and energy levels (better outcome).

  Baseline to immediately post-intervention (approximately 4 weeks)

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995)

  Baseline to immediately post-intervention (approximately 4 weeks)

• Positive Mental Health Scale (PMH-Scale) (Lukat et al., 2016)

  Baseline to immediately post-intervention (approximately 4 weeks)

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participated in the "Dance-Walk" intervention after baseline measurment

Behavioral: Dance-walk

Waiting-list control

NO INTERVENTION

Participates in the "Dance-Walk" intervention after the last study measure

Interventions

Dance-walk BEHAVIORAL

Dance-Walk is a 4-week somatic intervention combining movement, dance, and walking elements designed to enhance body awareness and emotional regulation. The program consists of 4 weekly group sessions, each lasting approximately 90-120 minutes. Sessions focus on helping participants connect with their body sensations through guided movement exercises that integrate dance movements with mindful walking practices. The intervention targets autonomic nervous system regulation and aims to improve interoceptive awareness, emotional expression, and stress management through embodied practices. Sessions are facilitated by trained practitioners and emphasize non-verbal emotional expression and somatic experiencing to promote mental health and vitality.

Intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18 years or older
• Seeking to improve emotional well-being or mental health
• Able to participate in light physical activity (walking and gentle movement)
• Able to read and understand Lithuanian language
• Willing to attend 4 weekly group sessions
• Able to complete online questionnaires
• Willing to be randomly assigned to either immediate intervention or waitlist group
• Able to provide informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Under 18 years of age
• Current severe mental health crisis requiring immediate professional intervention
• Physical limitations that prevent participation in walking or gentle movement activities
• Unable to commit to attending 4 weekly sessions
• Currently participating in another research study involving mental health interventions
• Unable to access internet for completing online questionnaires

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Vilnius University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Vilnius university

Vilnius, Lithuania

Location

Related Publications (4)

• Lukat J, Margraf J, Lutz R, van der Veld WM, Becker ES. Psychometric properties of the Positive Mental Health Scale (PMH-scale). BMC Psychol. 2016 Feb 10;4:8. doi: 10.1186/s40359-016-0111-x.

  PMID: 26865173 BACKGROUND

• Lovibond PF, Lovibond SH. The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behav Res Ther. 1995 Mar;33(3):335-43. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-u.

  PMID: 7726811 BACKGROUND

• Ryan RM, Frederick C. On energy, personality, and health: subjective vitality as a dynamic reflection of well-being. J Pers. 1997 Sep;65(3):529-65. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1997.tb00326.x.

  PMID: 9327588 BACKGROUND

• Mehling WE, Acree M, Stewart A, Silas J, Jones A. The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2). PLoS One. 2018 Dec 4;13(12):e0208034. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208034. eCollection 2018.

  PMID: 30513087 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders; Psychological Well-Being; Depression; Emotional Regulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Personal Satisfaction; Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms; Self-Control; Social Behavior

Study Officials

• Inga Truskauskaite, PhD

  Vilnius University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 9, 2025
• First Posted: June 17, 2025
• Study Start: March 12, 2025
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2025
• Study Completion: June 30, 2025
• Last Updated: December 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

LI (1)