Selfhood Practices explores how gentle guided movement can benefit individuals with long-term pain conditions.

This initiative began as a pilot project in 2021/2022, aiming to develop and test new practical methods for patients diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. The project sought to improve patients’ physical and mental well-being, build confidence in living with their condition, establish a peer support network, and enhance ongoing self-efficacy.

The project emerged from a partnership between Nottingham City Care Partnership’s (NCC) MOSAIC Pain Service and Midlands-based dance organisation FABRIC. By using dance and choreographic methods, Selfhood Practices enabled patients to explore ways of managing their condition while also enjoying highly artistic experiences.

Additionally, the pilot project introduced new approaches for the pain service, offering training and organisational development opportunities with artists. These efforts aimed to support and enrich existing clinical and non-medical programmes.

Building on the success of the pilot phase, weekly Selfhood Practices dance sessions are now available for people living with any long-term pain condition. To learn more about the original pilot project and what to expect from the sessions, watch the video below, which includes interviews with participants and group leaders.

Selfhood Practices Online Resource

Below you will find our Selfhood Practices online resource, which has been created as part of Selfhood Practices.

This resource has been created alongside our regular in-person Selfhood Practices sessions, which happen at FABRIC in Nottingham. You can follow along with this online version of a Selfhood Practice session delivered by dance artist, Siobhan Hayes.

These sessions are for anyone with a chronic pain condition. Please take the exercises at your own pace and feel free to pause, skip or rewind as you see fit.

You can use this online resource as many times as you like. We would love to see you in-person too. Our regular in-person Selfhood Practice sessions take place at our Nottingham site at iC4C. Details of the in-person sessions are available here.

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Selfhood Practices Dance Sessions

Selfhood Practices Dance Sessions have been created in response to the pilot research project. After a positive response, the sessions have now become open to others who live with chronic pain conditions.

Weekly sessions are on Thursdays:

11am till 11.30am – Arrivals and refreshments
11.30am till 1pm – Studio time
1 till 1.30pm – Social and more refreshments

The sessions are FREE to attend with the option to make a suggested donation of up to £5 if you can.

Your benefits, including Personal Independent Payment (PIP) should not be affected by attending these sessions, but if you have any concerns, please get in touch at jessica@fabric.dance or phone 0115 924 2016.