Psychodrama is a form of therapy using action alongside or instead of talking. It uses dramatisation in a broad sense, including role play, visualisation and action, to explore issues, ideas, conflicts, relationships, history, dreams, fantasies…. and work with them.
This could include:
- Roleplay, such as rehearsing a difficult conversation with a boss, colleague or family member.
- In order to separate confusing inner voices we might choose an object to represent each one – then ask direct questions of the object. The client provides the answers but this technique helps them to clearly define them. In this way a client may have a constructive conversation with conflicting parts of their self.
- Asking someone else to represent a family member so you can dialogue with them.
- Re-imagining past events from multiple perspectives. Recreations can illuminate the past and provide fresh perspective.
Or it could be a more complex work which helps to explore an issue by dramatising aspects of it or by reimagining it as you might want it to be. This allows for reflection, contemplation, insight and an experiential view.
These techniques are very effective for working through complicated or frightening issues, for coming to terms with changes or getting a different perspective. They also have the advantage of accessing embodied memory or deep subconcious levels of knowledge. It’s not as scary as it sounds, it can be even be playful and joyous.
Psychodrama was developed by Jacob L Moreno in the early 1900’s and is considered by many to be the genesis of group therapy and many commonly used therapy techniques.
I have a 1 year certificate in action methods awarded by the Northern School of Psychodrama.
Learn more at BPA or The Northern School.