The discipline of authentic movement adds an important dimension to the field of dance therapy. In this paper, authentic movement is described, and three aspects are discussed and related to the theory and practice of dance therapy: inner listening, withnessing and process orientation. This work is based on fifteen years of experience with authentic movement in the Santa Barbara authentic movement group. Clinical examples are drawn from Cottage Hospital's psychiatric unit, Sanctuary House (a residential treatment program), and the author's private practice. It is concluded that the study of authentic movement can make a meaningful contribution to the training and continuing education of dance therapists.