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Tidewater
Psychodrama Group
Dr. Jeanne
Burger, EDD, LPC, LMFT, TEP.
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What Is Psychodrama?
Psychodrama is an action-oriented form of therapy that
promotes change through self-awareness and increased
sensitivity and understanding of others. Conceived by
J. L. Moreno, M.D. and developed by him with the collaboration
of his wife, Zerka T. Moreno over a period of sixty
years, Psychodrama offers a unique and powerful way
to creatively encounter the challenges and opportunities
of life and relationships. Participants are guided to
enact significant events of the personal past, present
and future in order to help identify and express the
thoughts, feelings and perceptions which "make meaning"
of experiences. By sharing these experiences with others,
participants gain the insight and compassion needed
for personal integration and interpersonal harmony.
Creativity and spontaneity are fostered.
Psychodrama has been effectively used for group, individual
and family therapy. It has been successfully applied
to many treatment problems such as substance abuse,
codependency, dysfunctional marriage, domestic violence,
eating disorders, childhood sexual abuse, post-traumatic
stress disorder and mood disorders. It has been used
in psychiatric hospitals, schools, courtrooms and training
programs for business, law enforcement and military
personnel.
The three phases of psychodrama are: warm-up, enactment
and sharing.
The warm-up consists of exercises designed to create
cohesion and comfort within the group and to identify
areas of concern. The sociometry of the group (a measure
of the relationships) is explored and a protagonist
is selected to enact his conflict or issue.
The enactment phase of a psychodrama is a dramatization
of the protagonist's issue. To begin the action, the
director guides the protagonist (known as the primary
ego) to set the scene and to choose group members (called
auxiliary egos) to play the roles in the drama. Some
production techniques unique to psychodrama are role-reversal,
double, soliloquy, aside and mirror.
- The role-reversal is the most important therapeutic
agent of psychodrama, allowing the protagonist to see
the self through the eyes of the other by actually exchanging
roles with an important other as portrayed by an auxiliary
ego and addressing the self from that role.
- The double is one of the most frequently used techniques
and is effective for helping the protagonist to express
feelings and thoughts not yet verbalized and at times
not yet conscious. The double is an auxiliary invited
by the protagonist to be an inner voice and reflection
of the protagonist.
- The soliloquy is the spoken running commentary of
the protagonist about immediate thoughts and feelings.
It is often used to bridge the reflections to the actions
in the drama.
- The aside is a comment made by the protagonist to
make overt his/her thoughts to the audience without
interrupting the action of the scene.
- The mirror technique allows the protagonist to step
out of the scene and to observe someone else enacting
his/her role. The protagonist can then see him/herself
as others see him/her. This often allows a new perspective
of the protagonist's own actions and may suggest a different
way to interact.
Special production scenes include the empty chair, the
sculptured social atom, the future projection scene,
the wished for scene and the as-if scene.
The psychodrama enactment usually ends when a protagonist
experiences a shift in perspective and a new and effective
method for approaching the issue is tested.
The sharing phase is germane to Psychodrama. Every drama
is closed with communication from the group members
to the protagonist about the personal emotions and associations
evoked during the enactment. There is no analyzing,
advice giving or confrontation of the protagonist. This
phase is to allow group members to express their feelings
and connection to the drama and for the protagonist
to be re-integrated to the group.
Psychodrama is a specialized action modality that encourages
participants to explore not only what and why events
occurred but what should have occurred.
Further information about Psychodrama can be obtained
from:
The American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama
(ASGPP)
301 North Harrison Street, Suite 508, Princeton, N.J.
08540
Phone: (609) 452-1339 / Fax: (732) 605-7033 / Web: www.ASGPP.org
A complete list of practitioners, trainers and requirements
for certification can also be obtained by contacting:
American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry
and Group Psychotherapy
Box 15572, Washington, D.C, 20003-0572 / Phone: (202)
483-0514
E-Mail: abepsychodrama@yahoo.com / Web: www.psychodramacertification.org
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