DRama therapy
Very often therapy is portrayed as a long, drawn-out, and frankly boring event. But, a new technique called “drama therapy” is setting out to change this! Drama therapy, as defined by positive psychology, “is a type of therapy that uses theatrical techniques and concepts to bring about meaningful change.” Various studies have linked huge changes and progress to “drama therapy,” and many more say it is, “an intriguing form of treatment with such exciting potential.”
Drama therapy was developed by Jacob Moreno, who called it “psychodrama.” His initial goals were to have users be able to express themselves, dig up new sides to their personalities, or remember long-forgotten ones. Psychodrama is an extremely different way of working through psychology, as it focuses on the present and future, versus the past. Moreno’s psychodrama sessions often had 4 parts.
The session is focused on one person, deemed the “protagonist”
The other participants act out emotions by reacting.
Mirroring the protagonist, and role reversal help with empathy and understanding.
Creativity and improvisation are encouraged, to help forward progress.
What followed Moreno was a new form of psychodrama with what we call drama therapy. With people noticing the psychological distance that acting gives from traumatic moments, Moren’s technique was refined and updated. This form of psychodrama was much more focused on a group, and not just one person. In the 1960s, the technique was described as a “theater that revolved around the actor’s experience instead of the audience’s.” The therapy began to gain traction when in 1969, the Dance Therapy Association formed the American Art Therapy Association. Soon after in 1979, the North American Drama Therapy Association was established.
In more recent years, drama therapy’s goals have shifted, but the principles remain the same. GoodTherapy says that it:
Promotes behavioral changes
Improve interpersonal relationship skills
Integrate physical/emotional wellbeing
Achieve personal growth/self-awareness
Improve overall quality of life.
Its unique techniques give users the opportunity to express feelings, tell their stories, act/work out issues, achieve emotional/physical integration, expand the depth of their inner experiences, develop trust, improve spontaneity/creativity, and boost self-confidence, along with many more.
These new sessions are divided into four parts, similar to Moreno’s style. These include:
The Check-in
In this first component of the session, participants will check in with the therapist and share how they are feeling today.
The warm-up
The warm-up activity is meant to get the blood flowing as well as participants’ creative juices; it should help get everyone engaged, mind and body.
The main activity
This is the biggest component of the session and the focus of the therapeutic work for the day.
Closing
Closing out the session offers an opportunity to discuss how the session went for each participant and reinforce any lessons learned or objectives achieved.
Many of the techniques used are very similar to strategies theater schools use to teach acting. These include personification, improvisation problem solving, and connecting a participant’s real life to a dramatic scene.
Relating more personally, drama therapy has been shown to improve therapy for Asian Americans. With the stigmas surrounding traditional therapies in the Asian American community, drama therapy helps immigrants and their parents understand each other, without the proverbial “trauma dump.” Stigmas around therapy are lifted, and interactive skits help parents and children working through anxiety, depression, and more. Drama therapy is on the rise, and this therapeutic gem’s benefits can’t be ignored.
Sources:
