Psychodrama is a therapeutic tool in which dramatization is the main element. Children, adults, adolescents, and the elderly can participate in this type of therapy. It consists of connecting with the deepest part of ourselves and representing what overwhelms us. Thus, it is a creative way of solving the problems we have.
Psychodrama seeks to solve problems through theatrical representation and analysis carried out by the therapist and the participants. It is a psychological technique created by Jacob Levy Moreno, a Romanian psychiatrist who came up with the idea that it is therapeutic to stage what happens to us. Here we tell you what this interesting way of resolving our conflicts is all about.
What is psychodrama?
Psychodrama is used in psychotherapy as a means for patients to find a solution to what is bothering them. It can be applied individually, as a couple, as a family, and in a group; this depends on each person and each therapist. In this form of intervention, the following process is generally maintained:
- Warm-up. In this part of the psychodrama, exercises are carried out so that the participants can integrate and become aware of the beginning.
- Role playing. Here, one person is encouraged to explain the problem they have, and they can act it out or choose others to act out their problem.
- Group analysis. In this part of the meeting, people share their experiences, either because they participated by acting or through the perception they obtained as spectators.
- Closing. Here each participant talks about what they learned during the session. Finally, the therapist summarizes the session and makes it easier to understand.
The therapist is involved in all the steps, helping the process flow and intervening when necessary. For example, if a person gets carried away or if he or she needs to emphasize something. In addition, the group has an active participation, not only at the time of the dramatization but also in the closing part and the group analysis, which makes each participant of the psychodrama essential.
This process facilitates the willingness of the participants because each step favors a greater openness and integration of the people who develop the psychodrama. In addition, it not only provides these aspects on a psychological level but also a physical level through the exercises designed by the therapist. Therefore, each step is not an improvisation, this process is duly planned by the therapist, who knows what the group needs.
Why does psychodrama work?
Sometimes when we have problems we find it difficult to accept them and understand them, we even find it difficult to know what is happening to us. Through psychodrama we can give shape to those thoughts and emotions that make us feel bad; the representation, in this case, is the blank paper on which to write.
Acting out the problem facilitates the expression of those aspects that are difficult to elaborate. This happens because the person can see their problems from another perspective and explore mentally or on stage different possibilities as a solution. In addition, they feel supported by the group and by the therapist. And because the exercises help the person to lose inhibitions and show what is happening to them.
Now, the facilitator is indispensable, because he is the one who guides the process and helps to interpret and develop different routes to solve the problems. Then, the therapist is essential to guide the process, establish what the needs of the group are, and analyze the elements that are presented during the process. For example, he obtains a lot of information through non-verbal language, a wonderful way of interpreting what we show through the body.
On the other hand, psychodrama works because it promotes personal growth through learning from simulated direct experience. And, by encouraging living in the present moment, it broadens our perspective. That is, it encourages us to apply in our daily lives the ability to pay attention to the “here and now” and to see problems from different angles. Therefore, it helps us understand our ideas and thoughts from a broader perspective.
Psychodrama techniques
In psychodrama, there are many ways of staging. Each therapist provides participants with different methods to facilitate problem-solving. Therefore, each psychodramatic meeting will be different. Here are some ways of staging psychodrama, let’s see:
- Sculpture. It involves making a sculpture out of one or more people, which expresses those feelings and thoughts that overwhelm us. The person can also mold their own body. This is a wonderful way to put all our creativity into action.
- The mirror. This consists of other people representing the problem that one of the participants has and the participant sees it from the outside. Here both people learn from the experience, and the audience, as an observer, does too.
- Soliloquy. This involves the person talking about what is happening to them as if they were thinking out loud.
- Roles. Here the person takes on the role of another person at some point in the role-play, to see the problem from the points of view of other people who are involved in it. And, to represent other people’s problems to facilitate understanding of their problems and learning from the experience.
However, these activities are always accompanied by an analysis carried out by the therapist and suggestions made to foster a therapeutic environment. And, therefore, all the people who participate learn from each experience, whether as protagonists, assistants, or spectators.
The type of activity will depend on the needs of the people involved in the psychodramatic process and the problems being addressed. The therapist, as an expert, knows how to determine what type of actions will be carried out to foster an environment of learning and expression.
What does psychodrama promote?
Psychodrama fosters different aspects. Here are some of them:
- Raising awareness of the problems.
- Exploring different solutions to problems.
- Self-knowledge.
- Understanding the feelings of others.
- Group meeting.
- Let people take charge of themselves.
- Creativity.
- Spontaneity.
- Live in the present.
- Emotional release.
Now, through dramatization, interpretation, and analysis we can come to understand what happens to us, taking into account group work and the facilitation of the therapist. A wonderful way to find ourselves, develop our creativity, take charge of who we are, and understand others.
Psychodrama is a resource capable of helping us solve our conflicts. Each experience will be a learning experience, an incredible way to get to know ourselves and strengthen empathy and creativity, freeing us from the emotions and thoughts that overwhelm us. Psychodrama is not only a therapeutic tool, it is a way of expressing and solving problems.
“Psychodrama is a new form of psychotherapy that can be widely applied.”
-Jacob Levy Moreno-