“I Follow You; You Follow Me”: Ilene Serlin, BC-DMT, PhD—An Animate Life

This is a tribute to the animate life and career of Ilene A. Serlin. As a psychologist and dance/movement therapist, Serlin advocated for the creative and expressive arts across multiple domains in academia, clinical psychology, and healthcare. Dedicated to the voice of the body, cultural rituals and traditions, to bridging divisions of people and institutions, and caring for the traumatized, Serlin championed a whole person approach to scholarship and psychotherapy. Ilene’s proclamation of the body as text comprised a depth, existential-humanistic approach, referred to as “Kinesthetic Imaging.” Serlin’s career was an unending collaboration with clinicians, scientists, and educators across the globe. This international sentimentality and professionalism were fully represented in Serlin’s leadership role in a special APA COVID-19 task force, where multiple work groups formed to support healthcare workers and disseminate relevant information during the pandemic. A passionate promoter of a humanistic approach to trauma, Serlin dedicated especially the last 20 years to evolving whole person perspectives on trauma and healing. Ilene’s multimodal and mixed-media presentations brought movement, art, creativity, compassion, caring, and scholarly aptitude to diverse and multidisciplinary venues. Ilene’s grace, presence, and spontaneity in the service of others and community will be the most highly regarded and missed.