Beyond Self-Care: How Movement and Storytelling Are Rewriting the Rules for Preventing Healthcare Worker Burnout
Nearly half of all healthcare workers are experiencing burnout, a staggering figure that threatens not only individual well-being but the stability of our healthcare systems. But what if the solution wasn’t just about encouraging more vacations or mindfulness apps, but about fundamentally changing how caregivers are taught to care for themselves? Tara Rynders, a registered nurse and founder of The Art and Heart of Healthcare Institute, believes the answer lies in unlocking the power of embodiment – and she’s using dance to lead the way.
The Cost of Constant Giving
For decades, the healthcare profession has glorified self-sacrifice. Nurses, doctors, and other providers are often lauded as heroes for putting patients first, often at the expense of their own physical and emotional health. Rynders’ own journey reflects this pattern. After years of prioritizing others, including caring for siblings during a difficult childhood and later, supporting her sister through a devastating illness, she found herself facing a personal health crisis – an ectopic pregnancy – and realized the profound impact of simply receiving care.
“I learned something by letting myself receive care, and I wanted to share that,” Rynders explains. This realization sparked the creation of The Art and Heart of Healthcare Institute in 2017, dedicated to combating burnout, compassion fatigue, and isolation through movement, art, and storytelling.
(Re)Brilliancy: Reclaiming Humanity Through Dance
The Institute’s flagship offering, the (Re)Brilliancy workshop – a playful twist on “resiliency” – isn’t your typical professional development seminar. Participants aren’t lectured at; they’re invited to experience. Rynders greets each attendee with a symbolic hand washing, creating a space of honor and care. The day unfolds with collaborative music and poetry creation, culminating in an improv-based dance performance.
“For my colleagues, who are usually so serious—running codes and navigating life-or-death situations—just belly-laughing and playing together is really freeing,” Rynders says. The workshops aren’t about becoming skilled dancers; they’re about bypassing the cognitive barriers that often prevent caregivers from accepting support. As Jessica Brooks, a registered nurse from Fresno, California, discovered, “We’re trained to think things through…so we get kind of disembodied. Dance provided a way to help us tune into ourselves again.”
The Science of Embodied Healing
This approach isn’t simply anecdotal. A two-year study conducted in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, involving 600 nurses, demonstrated significant positive outcomes from the (Re)Brilliancy workshops. Researchers observed substantial decreases in self-reported burnout, secondary traumatic stress, negative self-judgment, and loneliness, alongside a marked increase in self-kindness. These findings align with growing research in the field of embodied cognition, which suggests that our physical sensations and movements profoundly influence our thoughts and emotions.
Beyond Nurses: A Universal Need
While Rynders initially focused on healthcare professionals, the principles of her work are increasingly relevant across a wide range of demanding professions. From educators to creatives, anyone consistently tasked with caring for others – or operating under high pressure – can benefit from learning to reconnect with their own embodied experience. Rynders’ solo dance piece, “A Nurse is Calling,” powerfully illustrates this point, depicting the isolating weight of the “healthcare hero” archetype through the metaphor of a lone boxer facing an invisible opponent.
The Future of Well-being: Integrating Movement into Professional Life
The success of The Art and Heart of Healthcare Institute points to a potential shift in how we approach professional well-being. Instead of viewing self-care as an optional add-on, organizations may begin to integrate embodied practices – like movement, art, and storytelling – directly into their training and ongoing support programs. We may see a rise in “somatic coaches” specializing in helping professionals navigate stress and cultivate resilience through body-centered techniques.
Furthermore, the emphasis on collective experience, as seen in the (Re)Brilliancy workshops, suggests a move away from individualistic self-care strategies towards a more communal approach. Building supportive networks and fostering a culture of vulnerability within workplaces will be crucial for preventing burnout and promoting long-term well-being.
What are your thoughts on the role of embodied practices in preventing burnout? Share your experiences and ideas in the comments below!