Psychiatrist Jacob Levy Moreno coined the term ‘psychodrama’ which refers to an unscripted dramatic enactment of a patient-directed play used for cathartic healing and practicing positive behaviors.
Rather than focusing on correcting dysfunctions, Moreno’s sunny outlook on life emphasizes that everyone is capable of creativity and has the power to shape his or her own world. Psychodrama is also a key component in many drug and alcohol treatment programs.
Key Roles and Terms in Psychodrama Therapy
Just as there is a central character in a Broadway play, there is a protagonist in a psychodrama play. There is also a director overseeing the play who is a trained psychodrama therapist. The audience is there to provide a safe and supportive environment for the protagonist to share his or her experiences and feelings. Being able to share something that was once locked away empowers people. An auxiliary is a small, supporting role played by a group member.
Other key terms include:
- Double: An auxiliary who takes on the role of the inner mind of the protagonist.
- The Moment: A “corrective emotional experience” that occurs on stage to replace a past negative experience.
- Role Reversal: A technique that enables the protagonist to look at situations from another’s point of view.
- Mirroring: A technique that ‘removes’ the protagonist from the situation to look at it from the outside-in.
- Surplus Reality: The belief that what we imagine can happen in reality – there are no boundaries between imagination and reality in psychodrama enactments.
Three Stages of Psychodrama Therapy
- Warm-Up: A welcoming atmosphere is created to build group cohesiveness and to encourage spontaneity. The group discusses issues that concern them and a protagonist for the play is chosen.
- Action: The protagonist steps onto the stage to act out issue(s) he or she has identified as concerns during the warm-up phase. Everything is completely unscripted and spontaneity is brought about throughout the unfolding scenes while the director provides guidance and support by teaching techniques such as role-reversal. Other group members may play supporting roles in the play or act as the audience.
- Sharing: Once the play is completed, the protagonist joins the group again. Group members are asked to share their thoughts and any insights they may have gleaned from the play. The protagonist is accepted and supported by the group for sharing his or her feelings and experiences.
Creativity + Spontaneity
Moreno believed that creativity and spontaneity work hand-in-hand, or rather that, “Spontaneity is the state of production and is the engine that drives a creative act.” Through psychodrama, group members are able to build confidence and foster spontaneity in order to shape their lives in the manner they would like.
Discovering Our True Selves
Ultimately Moreno believed that developing the skill of spontaneity would bring us all closer to discovering our true selves – one that exists free of the constraints and expectations of so-called ‘normal’ society. Authenticity and being true to oneself can only lead to happiness.
To learn more about psychodrama, and how it relates to successful drug and alcohol treatment, click here. Beachway Therapy Center offers many other holistic healing practices including art therapy, meditation and music therapy.