A dança como estratégia de autocuidado profissional em cuidados paliativos

Investment in self-care is essential to achieve a healthy harmony between the personal and professional lives of professionals in the field of palliative care. Circular dances are an integrative practice, which raises awareness of a vision about the person, the world and the relationship with others. Understanding yourself involves exploring thoughts, emotions and feelings, often expressed through bodily expression. This was the motto of the project of the Community of Practice in Palliative Care at the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Lisbon, for the development of a formative moment, through circular dances as a strategy for promoting physical and emotional health. The objectives were to stimulate reflections and sharing about self-knowledge and self-care; promote learning to differentiate between thinking, feeling and acting; clarify the purpose of emotions and their bodily manifestation and embrace vulnerability. 17 professionals and 2 students from the health, social and behavioural sciences participated. Circular dances proved to be an educational and social intervention tool with potential, contributing to a greater humanization of individual and collective self-care, rescuing fundamental human values through bodily and emotional expression and self-knowledge.