DRAMA THERAPY
Jayanth.M VI sem BA
National college Jayanagar
INTRODUCTION
Drama therapy is the use of theatre techniques to facilitate
personal growth and promote mental health. Drama therapy is used in
a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, mental health
centers, prisons, and businesses. Drama therapy, as a form of
'expressive therapy' (also known as creative arts therapies'), exists in
many forms and can be applicable to individuals, couples, families,
and various groups.
Jacob L. Moreno
HISTORY
The modern use of dramatic process and theatre as a therapeutic intervention began with
Dr. Jacob L. Moreno's development of Psychodrama. The field has expanded to allow many
forms of theatrical interventions as therapy including role-play, theatre games, group-dynamic
games, mime, puppetry, and other improvisational techniques. Often, drama therapy is utilized to
help a client:
Solve a problem
Achieve a catharsis
Delve into truths about self
Understand the meaning of personally resonant images
Explore and transcend unhealthy personal patterns of behavior and interpersonal interaction
HISTORY
The theoretical foundation of drama therapy lies in drama, theater, psychology,
psychotherapy, anthropology, play, as well as interactive and creative processes. In his book,
"Drama as Therapy: Theory, practice and research," Phil Jones describes the emergence of the
intentional use of drama as therapy as three-fold. First a long history of drama as a healing
force with ancient roots in the healing rituals and dramas of various societies. The connection
between drama and the psychological healing of society, though not of the individual, was first
formally acknowledged by Aristotle, who was the originator of the term 'catharsis'. Secondly, in
the early twentieth century, hospital theatre and the work of Moreno, Evreinov, and Iljine,
marked a new attitude towards the relationship between therapy and theatre that provided a
foundation for the emergence of drama therapy later in the century. Finally, influenced by
experimental approaches to theatre, the advent and popularization of improvisational theater,
group dynamics, role playing and psychology in the 1960s, drama therapy emerged as a creative
arts therapy in the 1970s.
HOW DRAMA THERAPY DIFFERS FROM
ACTING
Due to the cathartic nature of dramatic artistic expression, drama
itself tends to promote good mental health. However, drama therapy
consists of more than just acting. Like art, music, and dance therapies,
drama therapy uses the art form as a springboard for deeper, more
meaningful work with participants. Drama therapists guide people in
therapy through a series of intentional activities that allow them to
enact scenes representative of the way they want to live their lives.
HOW DRAMA THERAPY
DIFFERS FROM ACTING
Participants utilizing drama therapy are often able to improve their
interpersonal relationship skills through active participation in things like:
Storytelling
Role-playing
Puppetry
Rituals
Games
Improvisation
Scripts
DRAMA THERAPY
OBJECTIVES
The primary goal of drama therapy is to provide people with a safe and secure
experience that encourages the full expression of their emotional voice through
playful, dramatic activity.
As a practice, drama therapy aims to do the following:
Promote positive behavioral changes
Improve interpersonal relationship skills
Integrate physical and emotional well-being
Achieve personal growth and self-awareness
Improve overall quality of life
DRAMA THERAPY USES
Drama therapy may be used as a treatment for the following:
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Anxiety
Depression
Substance abuse
Dementia etc.
DRAMA THERAPY SESSION
A typical group drama therapy session may work like this
1. Check in – This is designed to help the drama therapist understand how you're
feeling today. Younger children may be supported in this with the use of emotion cards.
2. Warm-up – At this point the drama therapist will want to prepare you for the
session. A warm-up activity is something that loosens the muscles and engages the
imagination; an example of this is the name game where members of the group introduce
themselves by stating their name and miming an action that represents how they are
feeling.
3. The main activity – This is when the therapist will help the group explore issues
through various drama therapy techniques such as role-play.
4. Closing – At the end of the session the therapist may ask for your input into how
you think the session went, or they may de-brief the group to let you know what you've
achieved.
DRAMA THERAPY
ACTIVITIES
Role-play
Improvisation
Mime
Speech
Movement
Acting out
Use of props and masks
Role play Improvisation
ACTIVITIES
Role-play
One of the most common activities used in drama therapy is role-play.
This is when you act the part of a certain character in a certain situation.
An example of this would be to act the part of a child or parent and to
explore any emotions this brings to the surface.
Improvisation
To improvise in acting is to make up a scenario and dialogue on the
spot. This technique may require you to work with others and makes you
think on your feet.
Mime Speech
ACTIVITIES
Mime
Miming is essentially acting without the use of speech. This means that you will
need to rely on your body language alone to portray a certain emotion or scenario.
This can cause you to think in different ways and may tap into feelings you've not
experienced before.
Speech
Using speech in drama therapy could involve speaking in ways you don't
normally (for example if you have low self-confidence, your therapist may ask you
to shout rather than whisper) or it may involve using language to describe the way a
character is feeling.
Movement Acting out
ACTIVITIES
Movement
Similarly to mime, movement therapy requires you to express emotions through
your body rather than through speaking. You may find yourself dancing to do this,
or indicating a state of mind through an action.
Acting out
In some cases your drama therapist may ask you to re-enact behaviours or
situations that have caused you problems in the past. This can be a difficult task to
undertake as it can cause you to remember and re-experience difficult emotions.
The idea behind doing this is to help you learn how you can do things differently in
the future or simply understand why what happened affected you the way it did.
Mask and props
ACTIVITIES
Use of props and masks
Sometimes using props and masks during a dramatherapy activity
can help you to take on different roles. These can be especially
important when working with young children to help them identify
with the character they are portraying or simply to help them express
emotions.
PRESENT THERAPIST
Samadhan institute used drama therapy in school settings
Aanand Chabukswar – Drama therapist, Projects head,
World Centre for Creative Learning, Pune.
Evan Hastings – Drama Therapist & Counselling
Psychologist, Founder-director: Shadow Liberation, Bangalore
Maitri Gopalakrishna – Drama Therapist & Counselling Psychologist,
Bangalore.
CONCLUSION
There exists many therapies in present 20th century which are
equally efficient in the treatment process of clients.
Drama therapy or psychodrama is also one among these therapies
which is equally competent in treating patients with psychological
illness.
So it is highly practiced among clinicians now a days.
