Movement-Integrated

What is Open Floor Practice?

Open Floor Practice is a conscious dance methodology that uses guiding movement resources rather than set steps, weaving solo and partnered movement into an ongoing exploration of embodied awareness, emotion, and connection.

Indirect Evidence

Last Updated

4 Jul 2026

We are still reviewing this page. Our research team checks every technique page for accuracy and evidence quality before final release. Details may change as that review completes. The evidence badge shows our current reading of the published research.

RECOMMENDED DOSE

How Much Open Floor Practice Should You Do?

No direct dose-response literature exists for this technique. This introductory range reflects general practice conventions for movement and dance-based meditation and is intended as a comfortable starting point only. No direct dose evidence; editorial synthesis.

No direct dose-response literature exists for this technique. This step-up reflects a typical established-practice level for movement meditation once the basics feel familiar. No direct dose evidence; editorial synthesis.

No direct dose-response literature exists for this technique. This maintenance-level range mirrors longer class-length sessions common in movement-meditation communities and should be built up to gradually. No direct dose evidence; editorial synthesis.

Session length

Session length: 15–20 minutes

MIN

How long each individual practice session should last from start to finish.

Frequency

Frequency: 2–3 days

DAYS

The number of days per week to fit a session into your routine.

Session length

Session length: 30–45 minutes

MIN

How long each individual practice session should last from start to finish.

Frequency

Frequency: 3–4 days

DAYS

The number of days per week to fit a session into your routine.

Session length

Session length: About 60 minutes

MIN

How long each individual practice session should last from start to finish.

Frequency

Frequency: 4–5 days

DAYS

The number of days per week to fit a session into your routine.

About this card. These recommendations are not a substitute for personalised guidance from a qualified practitioner. No direct dose-response literature exists for this technique; the durations and frequencies below are conservative starting points drawn from general conventions for movement-based meditation, not from studies of Open Floor Practice itself.

Related Techniques to Open Floor Practice

Authentic Movement

Common questions about Open Floor Practice

Quick answers to what people most often ask. Each card links to the deeper section below.

evidence

What does the research say about Open Floor Practice?

No clinical trials have tested Open Floor Practice directly, so measured results for it do not exist. Its aims draw on how the method is built and on broader conscious-dance research, which studies the wider practice family rather than Open Floor. Treat it as a promising, early-stage practice, not an evidence-backed treatment.

good for

Who is Open Floor Practice good for?

Open Floor Practice suits adults who want to feel more at home in their bodies, more physically confident, or more connected to others through movement, and those who find seated stillness harder than moving. Its honest scope is wellbeing and connection, not a treatment for anxiety, depression, trauma, or a diagnosed condition.

safety

Is Open Floor Practice safe?

Most adults can practise Open Floor at their own pace, resting or stepping off the floor anytime. Because continuous dance raises heart rate and loads the joints, check with a clinician if pregnant, recovering from injury, or managing a heart or joint condition. Turning attention inward can surface strong emotion when working with trauma, grief, or addiction.

how it works

How does Open Floor Practice work?

Open Floor is believed to work by turning attention to inner body signals as you move, sharpening interoceptive awareness so a tight chest or held breath registers sooner. Partnered movement adds sensorimotor integration and proprioception, your felt sense of body position, so many finish steadier and more physically present. These pathways come from its design, not measured effects.

For clinicians, researchers, and curious readers

What's in a session?

How does it work?

What does it do to the body?

What is it used for?

What does the research say?

Where does it come from?

Is it safe?Who should practise with care?How to practise safely?

How does it compare?

What does a Open Floor Practice session involve?

A conscious dance method that uses movement principles, ground, centre, expand, and dissolve, rather than set steps, blending solo and partnered movement to explore embodied awareness, emotion, and connection.

A session is guided but largely improvised. A facilitator holds the space around Open Floor's core resources, ground, centre, expand, and dissolve, rather than teaching steps to copy. Time alternates between solo exploration and relational dyad work with a partner. Dancers track inner sensation, adjust how close they move to others, and work at their own intensity, with the freedom to rest or step off the floor at any point.

Open Floor Practice is a specific conscious dance methodology, not a choreographed dance class, a fitness workout, or a performance form; there are no routines to learn and no right way to look. It shares heritage with its parent lineage, 5Rhythms, but is distinct from it, and it is not a clinical therapy, a substitute for mental-health care, or an evidence-backed treatment for any diagnosed condition. It is best understood as a movement-based wellbeing and connection practice.

Not to be confused with

Choreographed dance classes

There are no steps or routines to learn in Open Floor. It works from movement principles and improvised inquiry rather than taught sequences, so there is no choreography to get right or wrong.

Authentic Movement

Authentic Movement is a quiet, often eyes-closed practice built around a mover and a silent witness, with almost no external structure. Open Floor is more actively facilitated and uses explicit movement resources and relational exercises to guide attention.

Somatic movement therapy

Somatic movement therapies are structured, often one-to-one clinical or educational modalities aimed at retraining specific patterns. Open Floor is a group wellbeing practice using free improvisation, not an individualised therapeutic protocol.

How does Open Floor Practice work?

Open Floor is thought to work by turning attention to the body's inner signals as you move, interoceptive awareness, the skill of sensing a tight chest, a held breath, or a wave of ease more clearly than usual. As solo movement gives way to partnered work, the practice also leans on sensorimotor integration, the constant matching of what you intend to do with what your body senses, which practitioners tend to feel as movement becoming smoother and more assured. Navigating shared space draws on proprioceptive awareness, your felt sense of where your body is and how it is balanced, so many people finish a session feeling steadier and more physically present. These pathways are drawn from how the practice is built rather than measured in Open Floor itself, so they describe how it is believed to work rather than a proven effect.

Possible Mechanisms

Interoceptive Awareness

Noticing a flush of warmth, a chest that tightens, or a breath that finally settles as you move is interoceptive awareness at work, the skill of reading your body's internal signals. Open Floor treats movement as a way to investigate these sensations, so early cues of stress or ease may become easier to feel and name before they build.

Motor-Sensory Integration

When you coordinate with both your own impulses and a partner's cues, movement can start to feel more fluent and assured, the mark of motor-sensory integration, the body's working loop between what you intend to do and the feedback it senses as you do it. Open Floor's blend of solo and relational movement leans on this loop, though direct evidence in the practice itself is still limited, so it describes how the practice is thought to work rather than a measured effect.

Proprioceptive Awareness

Moving through shared space with other dancers keeps pulling your attention back to where your body is, how it is balanced, and how close it sits to the people around you. Over time this repeated tracking is thought to build proprioceptive awareness, the felt sense of your body's position and movement, which many people describe as feeling steadier on their feet, more precise in how they move, and more physically present.

What does Open Floor Practice do to the body?

What Open Floor seems to do most is sharpen how vividly you read signals from inside the body, an inner sensing sometimes called interoceptive accuracy that can mean catching a clenched jaw or a quickening heartbeat sooner than you otherwise would. Turning, changing levels, and shifting weight also draw on the vestibular system, the inner-ear network that tracks balance and head position, which dancers often feel as growing steadier and more oriented as a session goes on. None of this has been measured in Open Floor itself; the direction of these changes is expected from related conscious-dance and body-awareness work, not confirmed by studies of this practice.

Interoceptive Accuracy

Catching a held breath, a clenched jaw, or a quickening heartbeat a little sooner is interoceptive accuracy, the precision with which you read the body's internal signals. Open Floor's sustained attention to sensation as you move is expected to sharpen that reading, based on related conscious-dance and body-awareness practices rather than direct study of Open Floor itself, so it may feel like noticing stress or fatigue before it builds.

Interoceptive Network Sensitivity

You might catch a wave of emotion or a knot of tension while it is still small enough to move with, rather than only noticing once it has taken over. That earlier read reflects interoceptive network sensitivity, how finely the brain senses signals from inside the body like breath, heartbeat, and muscular tension. This has not been measured directly in Open Floor Practice; an increase is inferred from how the practice works and from related conscious-dance and interoception research.

Interoceptive Cortex Activation

Turning attention inward toward breath, heartbeat, and shifting sensation is a core part of Open Floor Practice, and it is expected to engage the insula, the brain region that maps the body's internal signals. This activation hasn't been measured directly in Open Floor and is reasoned from related movement and interoception practices, but practitioners often describe feeling more vividly present in the body, noticing sensations they would usually move past.

Vestibular Function

As you turn, change levels, and shift your weight across the floor, you may feel steadier and more oriented in the room. That work draws on the vestibular system, the inner-ear network that tracks balance and head position, though any gain here is inferred from related movement practices rather than measured in Open Floor itself.

Postural Muscle Engagement

As you move through Open Floor's shifts between grounding, expanding, and dissolving, the body can feel steadier and more upright, answering each impulse to move more readily. That steadiness reflects postural muscle engagement, the ongoing work of the trunk, pelvis, and leg muscles that keep you balanced. It has not been measured during Open Floor itself and is inferred from how similar movement practices organise weight-shifting and balance.

What is Open Floor Practice used for?

Emerging evidence to date is the honest starting point: Open Floor Practice has no clinical trials of its own to draw on. Its most commonly named aims, body awareness, physical confidence, embodiment, emotional grounding, and a felt sense of connection, rest on how the practice is designed and on broad conscious-dance research rather than on direct outcome data, and that broader research speaks to the wider practice family, not to Open Floor specifically. What remains unsupported is substantial: randomized trials of this method, measured effect sizes, long-term follow-up, and any claim that it treats anxiety, depression, trauma, or a medical condition.

What does the research say about Open Floor Practice?

No study has yet tested Open Floor Practice on its own, so there are no measured results to report for it. What exists is a description of how Andrea Juhan and Lori Saltzman built the method from the 5Rhythms conscious dance lineage, plus broader conscious-dance research that hints at wellbeing benefits but studies the wider practice family, not Open Floor specifically. That makes it an early-stage practice worth exploring rather than an evidence-backed treatment, and its proposed mechanisms are reasoned from its design rather than demonstrated.

The available material is useful for setting expectations, but it describes the practice and its lineage rather than testing it, and the broader conscious-dance research it borrows from varies in method and participant group. Treat the findings as general guidance rather than a promise about any single session, and not a replacement for clinical care.

Read the full reference list

Where does Open Floor Practice come from?

Open Floor Practice grew out of the 5Rhythms conscious dance tradition and was developed by Andrea Juhan and Lori Saltzman, who organised it around movement resources, ground, centre, expand, and dissolve, rather than choreographed steps. These roots help explain the practice's form, its treatment of dance as open-ended inquiry and its blend of solo and relational movement, not its clinical effects. The lineage frames movement as a path to self-understanding and connection, a worldview that gives the practice coherence for those who take it up.

Is Open Floor Practice safe?

For most healthy adults, Open Floor is a low-risk practice you can shape to your own pace, resting or stepping off the floor whenever you need to. Two cautions are worth naming, and both are practice-informed rather than drawn from safety trials of Open Floor itself. The first is physical: sustained dancing raises heart rate and loads the joints, so it matters if you are pregnant, recovering from an injury, or managing a heart or joint condition. The second is emotional: turning attention inward to sensation and feeling can bring strong material to the surface, which is a mechanism-inferred consideration for anyone working with trauma, grief, disordered eating, or addiction. Open Floor is offered as a wellbeing and connection practice, not a treatment for any diagnosed condition.

Who should practise with care?

Take extra care, and ideally check with a clinician first, if you are pregnant, recovering from an injury, or living with a heart or joint condition, since continuous dance stays physically active and puts sustained load on the body. Care also makes sense if you are working with trauma, grief, disordered eating, or addiction, because directing attention to inner sensation and emotion can heighten distress before it settles. That second caution is inferred from how the practice works, not from any documented harm. Telling a facilitator what you are managing lets you adjust the intensity and rest when you need to.

Heart or joint conditions, pregnancy, or injury

lowpractice-informed

Sustained dancing raises heart rate and puts repeated load on the joints, so Open Floor is an active physical practice rather than a gentle one. If you are pregnant, recovering from an injury, or managing a heart or joint condition, check with a clinician first, let the facilitator know quietly what you are working with, move at a pace your body can sustain, and ease off if your breathing or heart rate climbs higher than feels comfortable. This caution is practice-informed, drawn from the physical demands of the practice rather than safety trials of Open Floor itself.

Working with trauma, grief, disordered eating, or addiction

How does Open Floor Practice compare to similar techniques?

Technique	Best for	Use with care	Evidence strength	Distinction
5Rhythms	Dancers who want a recognisable wave of five rhythms to move through as a repeatable structure for a whole session.		emerging EVIDENCE	5Rhythms is the conscious-dance lineage Open Floor grew directly out of, mapping movement onto a defined wave of five rhythms (flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, stillness) that dancers move through in sequence. Open Floor keeps the same improvised, sensation-led spirit but organises sessions around movement resources such as ground, centre, expand, and dissolve rather than a fixed rhythmic map, and gives dyad and relational work a more explicit place.
Ecstatic Dance	People who want open, self-guided free-form dancing to music with minimal instruction or verbal framing.		emerging EVIDENCE	Ecstatic Dance is a largely unfacilitated free-movement gathering: a DJ builds a wave of music and dancers move however they wish, usually without talking, teaching, or structured exercises. Open Floor shares the barefoot, improvised, self-directed quality but adds an explicit teaching frame, named movement resources, and guided solo and partner inquiry, so a facilitator is actively shaping attention rather than only holding the space.

Glossary

Conscious dance

A family of freeform, improvised dance practices where the point is to notice and follow inner sensation and impulse rather than perform steps. Open Floor is one method within this family.

Movement resources (ground, centre, expand, dissolve)

The core frameworks Open Floor uses to guide exploration instead of set steps. Each resource points attention toward a different quality of movement, such as settling weight down, finding the body's midline, opening outward, or letting shape soften.

Interoception

The ability to sense and read the body's internal signals, like breath moving, a heartbeat, muscular tension, or temperature. Strengthening it often feels like noticing early signs of stress or ease before they build.

The perception and processing of internal bodily signals through visceral afferent pathways, supporting detection and tolerance of internal physiological states.

Proprioception

The body's sense of its own position and movement, drawn from receptors in the muscles, joints, and tendons. It shows up as knowing where your limbs are without looking, better balance, and more precise movement.

Kinesthetic awareness of body position and movement mediated by proprioceptive receptors in muscles, joints, and tendons.

Sensorimotor integration

The working loop between the movements you intend and the sensory feedback that guides them, so what you do keeps matching what you sense. It tends to feel like movement becoming smoother and more fluent.

The coordinated coupling of motor commands with proprioceptive, vestibular, and visual feedback that supports motor cognition and movement precision.

Vestibular system

The inner-ear network that tracks balance, head position, and where your body is in space. It is what keeps you steady and oriented as you turn, change levels, and shift weight.

Embodiment

Full References

[1]meta analysis

Alexander Rozental, Kristoffer Magnusson, Johanna Boettcher, Gerhard Andersson, Per Carlbring (2016). For better or worse: An individual patient data meta-analysis of deterioration among participants receiving Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy.. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000158

DOI: 10.1037/ccp0000158

Cited in: –

[2]other peer reviewed

Tara S. Peris, Scott N. Compton, Philip C. Kendall, Boris Birmaher, Joel Sherrill, John S. March (2014). Trajectories of change in youth anxiety during cognitive—behavior therapy.. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038402

DOI: 10.1037/a0038402

Cited in: –

Open Floor Practice Tracks & Video

Explore guided sessions to deepen your Open Floor Practice technique.

4.9

Guided

16 min

Creating Space for Overwhelm & Inviting Flow

Stephanie Nash

lowpractice-informed

Turning attention inward to sensation and feeling can bring strong material to the surface and may heighten distress before it settles. If you are in active care for trauma, grief, an eating concern, or addiction, clear it with a clinician first, share your sensitivities privately with the facilitator, and give yourself permission to slow the movement, ground through your feet, or step off the floor at any point. This is inferred from how the practice works, not from any documented harm, and Open Floor is offered for wellbeing and connection, not as a substitute for clinical care.

How to practise safely?

Open Floor is a low-risk practice for most healthy adults, and it works best when you approach it as something you shape to your own pace rather than a workout to keep up with. A sensible starting format is a facilitated session where you can move at an intensity your body sustains and rest or step away whenever you need to. Because turning attention inward can bring feelings to the surface, it helps to arrive knowing you are free to slow down and to give yourself time afterward to let things settle.

Clear it with a clinician if a condition applies

Before you start, check with a healthcare professional if you are pregnant, recovering from an injury, or managing a heart or joint condition, or if you are in active care for trauma, grief, an eating concern, or addiction. This screening is sensible prudence for an active, emotionally open practice, not a response to any known harm.

Tell the facilitator what you are working with

Share any physical limits or emotional sensitivities privately before the session so the person holding the floor can help you adapt. You do not need to disclose details, only enough to let them support you.

Set your own intensity

Move at a pace your body can sustain rather than matching anyone else, and treat the ground, centre, expand, and dissolve resources as invitations you can dial up or down. If your breathing or heart rate climbs higher than feels comfortable, ease off.

Keep the exit open

Give yourself explicit permission to slow down, sit out a section, or step off the floor at any point. Knowing you can pause is what makes it safe to explore.

Notice emotional surfacing and respond gently

Attention to inner sensation can bring up feelings unexpectedly, so watch for emotion rising during or after moving. If something feels like more than you can stay with, slow the movement, ground through your feet, or step aside and let a facilitator know.

Rest, rehydrate, and reintegrate afterward

Allow time to come down from physical exertion, drink water, and let strong feelings settle before driving or returning to demanding tasks. If difficult material lingers, follow up with a qualified professional rather than pushing through alone.

Medical Disclaimer

This information is educational and is not medical advice. This practice is not a substitute for professional care and should not replace prescribed medication or treatment for any medical or mental-health condition. If you are managing a health condition or taking medication, talk with a qualified health professional before changing your practice. If you are in distress or crisis, seek professional support.

Does Open Floor Practice actually work?

Not yet established. No clinical trials have tested Open Floor Practice itself, so its likely benefits, such as body awareness, physical confidence, and connection, are reasoned from how the practice is built and from broader conscious-dance research, not from direct outcome data.

Not yet established. Open Floor sits at the early, emerging end of the evidence scale: there are no randomized trials of the method, no measured effect sizes, and no long-term follow-up. What supports it is a description of how the practice is designed, plus broad conscious-dance research that studies the wider practice family rather than Open Floor specifically. That makes its proposed benefits plausible and worth exploring rather than proven, and it should not be read as a treatment for anxiety, depression, trauma, or any medical condition.

Can Open Floor Practice help with anxiety or depression?

No, it cannot be claimed to treat anxiety or depression. No clinical trials have tested Open Floor Practice, so there is no direct outcome evidence for any diagnosed condition. It is offered only as a wellbeing and connection practice, not a substitute for clinical care.

No. Open Floor Practice has no clinical trials of its own and no direct outcome evidence, so it cannot be presented as a treatment for anxiety, depression, or any diagnosed condition. What it is designed to support is narrower and non-clinical: body awareness, physical confidence, embodiment, emotional grounding, and a felt sense of connection through movement. If you are managing anxiety or depression, treat Open Floor as a possible wellbeing support alongside, not instead of, care from a qualified clinician.

Why does moving without steps make you feel more grounded?

Likely because dropping the choreography frees attention to track inner sensation and, as you shift weight and navigate space, sharpens your felt sense of balance and body position. This is a design-inferred explanation, not a measured effect: no study has tested grounding in Open Floor itself.

The likely reason is that following your own impulses instead of set steps turns attention toward interoceptive signals, the body's inner cues like breath, tension, and ease, while shifting weight and moving through shared space draws on proprioceptive awareness, your felt sense of where your body is, and the vestibular system that tracks balance. Together these pathways are thought to register as feeling steadier and more physically present. This is reasoned from how Open Floor is built and from the wider conscious-dance family, not demonstrated in Open Floor itself, so treat it as a plausible mechanism rather than a proven outcome.

Why do emotions sometimes come up when I dance in Open Floor?

Probably because turning attention inward to body sensation while you move can surface feelings you had not consciously noticed. This is a mechanism-inferred explanation drawn from how Open Floor is designed, not an effect measured in the practice itself.

Probably because the practice asks you to track interoception, your felt sense of internal signals like breath, heartbeat, and muscular tension, while moving freely. When attention drops out of the head and into the body, feelings that were held or unnoticed can rise to the surface. This is reasoned from the practice's design rather than demonstrated in studies of Open Floor, so treat it as a plausible, design-based consequence and not a therapeutic or clinical effect. If strong emotion feels like more than you can stay with, it is fine to slow down, ground through your feet, or step off the floor.

Is Open Floor Practice safe if I'm working through trauma?

Use care. Open Floor is low-risk for most adults, but its inward attention to sensation and emotion can surface strong material, so trauma warrants extra caution. Check with a clinician first, tell the facilitator what you are managing, and use your pacing and exit options. It is a wellbeing practice, not trauma treatment.

Use care. This caution comes from how the practice is built rather than from a documented harm, because no trials have measured Open Floor's safety in trauma populations. Turning attention inward to inner sensation can heighten distress before it settles, so the prudent approach is to clear it with a clinician if you are in active care, share your sensitivities privately with the facilitator, and give yourself permission to slow down, ground through your feet, or step off the floor at any point. Open Floor is offered for wellbeing and connection, not as a substitute for trauma care.

Is Open Floor too physically demanding if I have a heart or joint condition?

It can be. Open Floor involves sustained dancing that raises your heart rate and loads the joints, so if you have a cardiac or joint condition, treat it as physically active: check with a clinician first, tell the facilitator, set your own intensity, and rest or step off the floor whenever you need. This is precautionary prudence for an active practice, not a documented harm.

It can be, depending on your condition. Continuous dance is genuinely aerobic and puts repeated load on the joints, so anyone managing a heart or joint issue should approach Open Floor as an active physical practice rather than a gentle one. The safe, practical steps are to clear it with a clinician beforehand, quietly let the facilitator know what you are working with, move at a pace your body can sustain, and pause, slow, or leave the floor at any point. This caution is reasoned from the physical demands of the practice, not drawn from safety trials of Open Floor, and it is not a treatment or clearance claim for any condition.

How do I get started with Open Floor Practice?

Start by finding a facilitated Open Floor or conscious-dance session near you or online, then check with a clinician first if you are pregnant, injured, or managing a heart, joint, or mental-health condition. Move at your own intensity, keep permission to rest or step off the floor, and let the facilitator know anything you are working with.

Begin with a facilitated session, since Open Floor is a conscious-dance practice built around guiding movement resources rather than steps, so a facilitator helps you find your way in. Screen with a healthcare professional first if a physical or mental-health condition is active, tell the facilitator privately what you are managing, and set an intensity your body can sustain, with the freedom to slow down or sit out at any point. Afterward, rest, rehydrate, and give strong feelings time to settle. Treat this as practical orientation for a wellbeing and connection practice, not a treatment protocol.

What's the difference between Open Floor and 5Rhythms?

The main difference is structure: 5Rhythms is the conscious-dance lineage Open Floor grew from, moving dancers through a fixed wave of five rhythms, while Open Floor organises sessions around movement resources, ground, centre, expand, and dissolve, and gives partnered work a more explicit place. Both are emerging-evidence conscious-dance practices with no head-to-head study.

The difference is mainly one of form and lineage, not proven effect. 5Rhythms, created by Gabrielle Roth, maps movement onto a defined wave of five rhythms, flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness, that dancers move through in sequence. Open Floor, developed by Andrea Juhan and Lori Saltzman out of that same lineage, keeps the improvised, sensation-led spirit but organises sessions around movement resources rather than a fixed rhythmic map, and builds in more explicit dyad and relational work. No study has compared the two directly, so this describes how each is structured rather than a claim that one works better.

A felt sense of being present in and connected to your own body, rather than living mostly in your thoughts. Practitioners often describe it as feeling more grounded and physically 'here'.

Dyad (relational movement)

Paired movement work, where two dancers coordinate, adjust proximity, and respond to each other. In Open Floor it sits alongside solo movement as a way to explore connection and shared space.

5Rhythms

The conscious dance lineage, created by Gabrielle Roth, from which Open Floor developed. It moves dancers through a sequence of five rhythmic qualities as a map for a session.

[3]other peer reviewed

Annapurny Venkiteswaran, Shobha Tandon (2021). Role of Hypnosis in Dental Treatment. https://doi.org/10.4103/jispcd.jispcd_320_20

DOI: 10.4103/jispcd.jispcd_320_20

Cited in: –

[4]other peer reviewed

David Cooper, Sophie M. Champion, Lauren Stavropoulos, Jessica R. Grisham (2021). How technology can enhance treatment: A scoping review of clinical interventions for anxiety and obsessive‐compulsive spectrum disorders. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12279

DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12279

Cited in: –

[5]meta analysis

Geke Romijn, Neeltje M. Batelaan, Robin N. Kok, Jeroen Koning, Anton J.L.M. van Balkom, Nickolai Titov (2019). Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders in Open Community Versus Clinical Service Recruitment: Meta-Analysis. https://doi.org/10.2196/11706

DOI: 10.2196/11706

Cited in: –

[6]meta analysis

Geke Romijn, Neeltje M. Batelaan, Robin N. Kok, Jeroen Koning, Anton van Balkom, Nickolai Titov (2018). A meta-analysis of effects of Internet CBT for anxiety disorders: open community versus clinical service recruitment (Preprint). https://doi.org/10.2196/preprints.11706

DOI: 10.2196/preprints.11706

Cited in: –

[7]other peer reviewed

Heather D. Hadjistavropoulos, Vanessa Peynenburg, David Thiessen, Marcie Nugent, Eyal Karin, Blake F. Dear (2022). A randomized factorial trial of internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy: An 8-week program with or without extended support and booster lesson. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2022.100499

DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2022.100499

Cited in: –

[8]other peer reviewed

Jürgen Deckert, Angelika Erhardt (2018). Predicting treatment outcome for anxiety disorders with or without comorbid depression using clinical, imaging and (epi)genetic data. https://doi.org/10.1097/yco.0000000000000468

DOI: 10.1097/yco.0000000000000468

Cited in: –

[9]other peer reviewed

Andreas Balaskas, Stephen M. Schueller, Anna L. Cox, Gavin Doherty (2021). The Functionality of Mobile Apps for Anxiety: Systematic Search and Analysis of Engagement and Tailoring Features. https://doi.org/10.2196/26712

DOI: 10.2196/26712

Cited in: –

[10]randomized controlled trial

Creswell Cathy, Violato Mara, Fairbanks Hannah, White Elizabeth, Parkinson Monika, Abitabile Gemma (2017). Clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of brief guided parent-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy and solution-focused brief therapy for treatment of childhood anxiety disorders: a randomised controlled trial.. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(17)30149-9

DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(17)30149-9

Cited in: –

[11]other peer reviewed

Michael Edmonds, Hugh C McCall, Blake F. Dear, Nickolai Titov, Heather D. Hadjistavropoulos (2019). Does concurrent medication usage affect patient response to internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for depression and anxiety?. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2019.100302

DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2019.100302

Cited in: –

[12]observational

Susanna Österman, Erland Axelsson, Erik Forsell, Cecilia Svanborg, Nils Lindefors, Erik Hedman‐Lagerlöf (2024). Effectiveness and prediction of treatment adherence to guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for health anxiety: A cohort study in routine psychiatric care. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2024.100780

DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2024.100780

Cited in: –

[13]other peer reviewed

Anthony James, Georgina James, Felicity A. Cowdrey, Angela Soler, Aislinn Choke (2015). Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd004690.pub4

DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd004690.pub4

Cited in: –

[14]other peer reviewed

Philip C. Kendall, Jennifer L. Hudson, Elizabeth Gosch, Ellen Flannery-Schroeder, Cynthia Suveg (2008). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disordered youth: A randomized clinical trial evaluating child and family modalities.. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006x.76.2.282

DOI: 10.1037/0022-006x.76.2.282

Cited in: –

[15]other peer reviewed

Shahana C Mohamed, Suchitra Ambika, Shibu Godfrey Pereira (2022). Assessment of fear factors and practice related modifications in response to COVID-19 pandemic outbreak among dental practitioners in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala. https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijpi.2022.023

DOI: 10.18231/j.ijpi.2022.023

Cited in: –

[16]other peer reviewed

A. Mahdee, S. Gul, A. Abdulkareem, S. Qasim (2020). Anxiety, Practice Modification, and Economic Impact Among Iraqi Dentists During the COVID-19 Outbreak. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2020.595028

DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2020.595028

Cited in: –

[17]other peer reviewed

Salemink Elske, de Jong Suzanne R C, Notebaert Lies, MacLeod Colin, Van Bockstaele Bram (2022). Gamification of cognitive bias modification for interpretations in anxiety increases training engagement and enjoyment.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2022.101727

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2022.101727

Cited in: –

[18]other peer reviewed

Anthony James, Angela Soler, R. Weatherall (2005). Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd004690.pub2

DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd004690.pub2

Cited in: –

[19]observational

Kim Mathiasen, Heleen Riper, Tonny Elmose Andersen, Kirsten Kaya Roessler (2018). Guided Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adult Depression and Anxiety in Routine Secondary Care: Observational Study (Preprint). https://doi.org/10.2196/preprints.10927

DOI: 10.2196/preprints.10927

Cited in: –

[20]other peer reviewed

Eman Ali Younis, Aman Deep, Safynaz El Saied Shalaby, Sanaa Abd El‐fatah Abdo (2023). Toward safe dental service: risk perception and practice modification among Egyptian dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-10196-1

DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-10196-1

Cited in: –

[21]randomized controlled trial

Jialin Wang, Shuyi Nie, Ruirui Wang, Yuwei He, Meng Li, Xinwen Cui (2025). Multimodal Active Physiotherapy Versus Multimodal Passive Physiotherapy for Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Dual Outcomes of Physical and Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1155/prm/3449647

DOI: 10.1155/prm/3449647

Cited in: –

[22]other peer reviewed

Gemma Skaczkowski, Shannen van der Kruk, Sophie Loxton, Donna Hughes, Cate Howell, Deborah Turnbull (2022). Web-Based Interventions to Help Australian Adults Address Depression, Anxiety, Suicidal Ideation, and General Mental Well-being: Scoping Review. https://doi.org/10.2196/31018

DOI: 10.2196/31018

Cited in: –

[23]other peer reviewed

Raneeshan Rasendran, Farah Ahmad (2021). Mental health Apps to address inequitable access to care in specific regions of the global North and South: A scoping review. https://doi.org/10.32920/ihtp.v1i2.1425

DOI: 10.32920/ihtp.v1i2.1425

Cited in: –

[24]observational

DOI: 10.2196/10927

Cited in: –

[25]randomized controlled trial

Litvin Silja, Saunders Rob, Maier Markus A, Lüttke Stefan (2020). Gamification as an approach to improve resilience and reduce attrition in mobile mental health interventions: A randomized controlled trial.. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237220

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237220

Cited in: –

[26]other peer reviewed

Britt Klein, Denny Meyer, David Austin, Michael Kyrios (2011). Anxiety Online—A Virtual Clinic: Preliminary Outcomes Following Completion of Five Fully Automated Treatment Programs for Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.1918

DOI: 10.2196/jmir.1918

Cited in: –

[27]other peer reviewed

Gemma Skaczkowski, Shannen van der Kruk, Sophie Loxton, Donna Hughes, Cate Howell, Deborah Turnbull (2021). Web-Based Interventions to Help Australian Adults Address Depression, Anxiety, Suicidal Ideation, and General Mental Well-being: Scoping Review (Preprint). https://doi.org/10.2196/preprints.31018

DOI: 10.2196/preprints.31018

Cited in: –

[28]other peer reviewed

Tobias Dreischulte, Karoline Lukaschek, Marietta Rottenkolber, Jana Werle, Thomas S. Hiller, Jörg Breitbart (2022). Patient characteristics and changes in anxiety symptoms in patients with panic disorder: Post-hoc analysis of the PARADIES cluster randomised trial. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275509

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275509

Cited in: –

[29]other peer reviewed

Lockwood Joanna, Williams Laura, Martin Jennifer L, Rathee Manjul, Hill Claire, Joanna Lockwood (2022). Effectiveness, User Engagement and Experience, and Safety of a Mobile App (Lumi Nova) Delivering Exposure-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Strategies to Manage Anxiety in Children via Immersive Gaming Technology: Preliminary Evaluation Study.. https://doi.org/10.2196/29008

DOI: 10.2196/29008

Cited in: –

[30]randomized controlled trial

Sharma Gaurav, Schlosser Lisa, Jones Brett D M, Blumberger Daniel M, Gratzer David, Husain M Omair (2022). Brief App-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Symptoms in Psychiatric Inpatients: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.. https://doi.org/10.2196/38460

DOI: 10.2196/38460

Cited in: –

[31]other peer reviewed

Heather D. Hadjistavropoulos, Nicole E. Pugh, Marcie Nugent, Hugo Hesser, Gerhard Andersson, Martin Ivanov (2014). Therapist-assisted Internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy for depression and anxiety: Translating evidence into clinical practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.09.018

DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.09.018

Cited in: –

[32]other peer reviewed

Gede Pramana, B. Parmanto, J. Lomas, Oliver Lindhiem, P. Kendall, J. Silk (2018). Using Mobile Health Gamification to Facilitate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills Practice in Child Anxiety Treatment: Open Clinical Trial. https://doi.org/10.2196/games.8902

DOI: 10.2196/games.8902

Cited in: –

[33]other peer reviewed

Kangqi Ng, Beng Hoong Poon, Troy Puar, Jessica Quah, Wann Jia Loh, Yu Jun Wong (2020). COVID-19 and the Risk to Health Care Workers: A Case Report. https://doi.org/10.7326/l20-0175

DOI: 10.7326/l20-0175

Cited in: –

[34]other peer reviewed

Newton Amanda, Bagnell Alexa, Rosychuk Rhonda, Duguay Janelle, Wozney Lori, Huguet Anna (2020). A Mobile Phone-Based App for Use During Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents With Anxiety (MindClimb): User-Centered Design and Usability Study.. https://doi.org/10.2196/18439

DOI: 10.2196/18439

Cited in: –

[35]observational

Monika Kumal, Archana Shah, Kanaklata Karn, Kiran Kandel, Alina Paneru, Krishna Subedi (2025). Prevalence of dental anxiety and its associated factors among patients visiting tertiary care dental hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal: a cross-sectional study. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-103762

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-103762

Cited in: –

[36]other peer reviewed

Philip C. Kendall, Ellen Flannery-Schroeder, Susan M. Panichelli-Mindel, Michael A. Southam‐Gerow, Aude Henin (1997). Therapy for youths with anxiety disorders: A second randomized clincal trial.. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006x.65.3.366

DOI: 10.1037//0022-006x.65.3.366

Cited in: –

[37]other peer reviewed

Fahimeh Rashidi Maybodi, Vahid Herandi, Mahta Sadat Vaezpour (2025). Effect of aromatherapy with lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) on the anxiety of patients undergoing scaling and root planning: a randomized clinical trial. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-04834-w

DOI: 10.1186/s12906-025-04834-w

Cited in: –

[38]other peer reviewed

Emadi Ashkan, Chua Joel V, Talwani Rohit, Bentzen Søren M, Baddley John (2020). Safety and Efficacy of Imatinib for Hospitalized Adults with COVID-19: A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04819-9

DOI: 10.1186/s13063-020-04819-9

Cited in: –

[39]other peer reviewed

Pramana Gede, Parmanto Bambang, Kendall Philip C, Silk Jennifer S, Gede Pramana, Bambang Parmanto (2014). The SmartCAT: an m-health platform for ecological momentary intervention in child anxiety treatment.. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2013.0214

DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2013.0214

Cited in: –

[40]meta analysis

J. F. Baschab, Eva Moehler, J. Hussong (2026). Facing fears in virtual worlds: A systematic review and meta-analysis on immersive VR therapy for children and adolescents with social anxiety and related disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-025-02945-w

DOI: 10.1007/s00787-025-02945-w

Cited in: –

[41]other peer reviewed

Erik Hedman‐Lagerlöf, Tomas Furmark, Per Carlbring, Brjánn Ljótsson, Christian Rück, Nils Lindefors (2011). A 5-Year Follow-up of Internet-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.1776

DOI: 10.2196/jmir.1776

Cited in: –

[42]other peer reviewed

Kirli M Cakir, Kirli U (2021). The Impact of Restarting the High-Risk Procedures for COVID-19 Infection in Dental Practice on the Anxiety of Dental Employees: A Study with Repeated Measures.. https://doi.org/10.4103/njcp.njcp_659_20

DOI: 10.4103/njcp.njcp_659_20

Cited in: –

[43]randomized controlled trial

Barkham Michael, Saxon David, Hardy Gillian E, Bradburn Mike, Galloway Deanna, Wickramasekera Nyantara (2021). Person-centred experiential therapy versus cognitive behavioural therapy delivered in the English Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service for the treatment of moderate or severe depression (PRaCTICED): a pragmatic, randomised, non-inferiority trial.. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(21)00083-3

DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(21)00083-3

Cited in: –

[44]randomized controlled trial

Nielsen Glenn, Marston Louise, Hunter Rachael Maree, Carson Alan, Goldstein Laura H, Holt Kate (2025). Outcomes of specialist physiotherapy for functional motor disorder: the Physio4FMD RCT.. https://doi.org/10.3310/mkac9495

DOI: 10.3310/mkac9495

Cited in: –

[45]other peer reviewed

Ana Rodrigo, Inês Morais Caldas, Bruna Carvalho, Álvaro Azevedo, Pereira, Maria de Lurdes Ferreira Lobo (2023). A ansiedade, medo e stress nos Profissionais de Saúde Oral durante o primeiro ano de pandemia por Covid-19. https://doi.org/10.24873/j.rpemd.2023.07.1059

DOI: 10.24873/j.rpemd.2023.07.1059

Cited in: –

[46]other peer reviewed

Michael Edmonds, Heather D. Hadjistavropoulos, Luke H. Schneider, Blake F. Dear, Nickolai Titov (2018). Who benefits most from therapist-assisted internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy in clinical practice? Predictors of symptom change and dropout. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.01.003

DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.01.003

Cited in: –

[47]other peer reviewed

Liu Yu, Wei Xinyao, Wang Lixin, Yang Yanling, Xu Liya, Sun Tianheng (2024). Efficacy and safety of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for frequent premature ventricular complexes: rationale and design of the TASC-V trial.. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-024-04568-1

DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04568-1

Cited in: –

[48]other peer reviewed

Silke Stjerneklar, Esben Hougaard, Mikael Thastum (2019). Guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescent anxiety: Predictors of treatment response. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2019.01.003

DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2019.01.003

Cited in: –

[49]other peer reviewed

Barnhofer Thorsten, Dunn Barnaby D, Strauss Clara, Ruths Florian A, Barrett Barbara, Ryan Mary (2025). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy versus treatment as usual after non-remission with NHS Talking Therapies high-intensity psychological therapy for depression: a UK-based clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness randomised, controlled, superiority trial.. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(25)00105-1

DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(25)00105-1

Cited in: –

[50]other peer reviewed

Silfee Valerie, Williams Kelly, Leber Brett, Kogan Jane, Nikolajski Cara, Szigethy Eva (2021). Health Care Provider Perspectives on the Use of a Digital Behavioral Health App to Support Patients: Qualitative Study.. https://doi.org/10.2196/28538

DOI: 10.2196/28538

Cited in: –

More Open Floor Practice in Insight Timer

Editorially curated. Tracks are not themselves clinically studied; evidence on the page applies to Open Floor Practice as a technique.

4.9

Guided

16 min

Creating Space for Overwhelm & Inviting Flow

Stephanie Nash

Explore Open Floor Practice

Open Floor Practice effort level

How hard is Open Floor Practice?

Moderate

You move freely through four themes — ground, centre, expand, dissolve — letting the body explore rather than hit any steps.

Mental Effort

3 / 4

▾

Emotional Depth

3 / 4

▾

Physical Intensity

3 / 4

▾

Prior Knowledge

3 / 4

▾

Popular Search

Orientation

What is Open Floor Practice?

How Much Open Floor Practice Should You Do?

Related Techniques to Open Floor Practice

Common questions about Open Floor Practice

What does the research say about Open Floor Practice?

Who is Open Floor Practice good for?

Is Open Floor Practice safe?

How does Open Floor Practice work?

For clinicians, researchers, and curious readers

What does a Open Floor Practice session involve?

How does Open Floor Practice work?

Possible Mechanisms

Interoceptive Awareness

Motor-Sensory Integration

Proprioceptive Awareness

What does Open Floor Practice do to the body?

Interoceptive Accuracy

Interoceptive Network Sensitivity

Interoceptive Cortex Activation

Vestibular Function

Postural Muscle Engagement

What is Open Floor Practice used for?

What does the research say about Open Floor Practice?

Where does Open Floor Practice come from?

Is Open Floor Practice safe?

Who should practise with care?

Heart or joint conditions, pregnancy, or injury

Working with trauma, grief, disordered eating, or addiction

How does Open Floor Practice compare to similar techniques?

Other questions readers ask

Do I need dance experience to try Open Floor Practice?

What actually happens in an Open Floor session?

Glossary

Conscious dance

Movement resources (ground, centre, expand, dissolve)

Interoception

Proprioception

Sensorimotor integration

Vestibular system

Embodiment

Full References

Open Floor Practice Tracks & Video

Creating Space for Overwhelm & Inviting Flow

How to practise safely?

Clear it with a clinician if a condition applies

Tell the facilitator what you are working with

Set your own intensity

Keep the exit open

Notice emotional surfacing and respond gently

Rest, rehydrate, and reintegrate afterward

Medical Disclaimer

Does Open Floor Practice actually work?

Can Open Floor Practice help with anxiety or depression?

Why does moving without steps make you feel more grounded?

Why do emotions sometimes come up when I dance in Open Floor?

Is Open Floor Practice safe if I'm working through trauma?

Is Open Floor too physically demanding if I have a heart or joint condition?

How do I get started with Open Floor Practice?

What's the difference between Open Floor and 5Rhythms?

Dyad (relational movement)

5Rhythms

More Open Floor Practice in Insight Timer

Creating Space for Overwhelm & Inviting Flow

Explore Open Floor Practice

Open Floor Practice effort level

Moderate