Licensed clinical professional counselor and board-certified dance/movement therapist Erica Hornthal (“The Therapist Who Moves You”) joins Aaron to explain how changing the way we move changes the way we feel. Recorded on November 3, 2025, the conversation grounds movement therapy in the realities of Chicagoland life: financial pressure, screen-driven immobility, community trauma in Highland Park, and heightened anxiety around recent ICE activity across the North Shore. Erica shares practical, accessible ways to regulate the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and communicate nonverbally when words are not enough. Key Takeaways Movement is already part of therapy: posture shifts, breathing, pacing, and small gestures can be therapeutic starting points. We have “out-evolved” our natural instinct to move; immobility amplifies anxiety. Stressors show up differently across communities. Whether it is public-safety trauma or fear tied to immigration enforcement, the body stores that stress. You can change your state by changing your movement, even with simple, seated interventions. Nonverbal work helps couples and families de-escalate conflict and build empathy. Parents can meet kids’ energy with movement rather than suppression, then teach time-and-place skills. Research supports dance and movement as effective for anxiety and depression; therapy fit and relationship still matter most. Practical access: look for “somatic,” “body-oriented,” or “creative arts therapy” in your area; insurance coverage depends on the clinician’s license. Timestamps 00:00 Intro to Erica and dance/movement therapy 02:00 What movement therapy looks like in practice 04:50 Why Erica wrote “BodyTalk” and how readers use it 08:15 Why we feel so stressed today, and how immobility feeds anxiety 10:45 Local context: Highland Park trauma and recent ICE activity on the North Shore 12:30 Changing movement to change mood and cognition 15:15 Treating the “snake bite” before debating the “why” 16:00 Individual vs group work, and what movement builds between people 17:35 Getting over discomfort and starting small 20:40 A simple intervention: washing hands slowly to interrupt anxiety 22:20 Working across ages: from 3 to 107 26:15 Coaching kids and meeting their movement needs 31:30 Nonverbal communication in relationships and negotiations 35:00 “Embodied listening” and the limits of AI for mental health 39:30 Walks, showers, and why ideas arrive during movement 42:00 Using your body as a free mental health resource 43:00 Finding somatic or creative arts therapists and dealing with insurance 46:45 What the research says about dance, anxiety, and depression 49:00 Where to find Erica and her books 50:00 Closing Practical Exercises Mentioned Seated reset: notice shoulders, jaw, feet; slow your breath and lengthen exhale. Pattern interrupt: pick one daily action and do it slowly for 20 seconds (example: handwashing) to downshift intensity. Conflict pause: step outside or to separate corners, walk, then reconvene. With kids: “shake out the wiggles,” go outside for 60 seconds, then return. Guest Erica Hornthal, LCPC, BC-DMT Founder and CEO, Chicago Dance Therapy Author of BodyTalk, Body Aware, and The Movement Therapy Deck Website: https://www.ericahornthal.com Practice: https://www.chicagodancetherapy.com Instagram: @thetherapistwhomovesyou Email: erica@hornthal.com Resources Mentioned BodyTalk: 365 Gentle Practices to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Body Body Aware The Movement Therapy Deck Search terms for local care: “somatic therapy,” “body-oriented therapy,” “creative arts therapy,” “dance movement therapy,” plus your city. For Listeners in Chicagoland If anxiety has spiked for you or your family due to recent events in the region, consider brief, daily movement check-ins. Even small posture and breath changes can reduce a constant state of alert. Nonverbal practices can help when words feel risky or overwhelming. Connect Host: Aaron Masliansky — The Chicagoland Guide Subscribe, rate, and share if this episode helped you. New episodes highlight people and ideas that make Chicagoland a great place to live. Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide. For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com. Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes. If you have questions, ideas, or topics you’d like covered, feel free to reach out. If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.
