Trauma and Psychodrama


The convention definition of trauma is incomplete because it focuses too much on traumatic events, or bad things that should not have happened. For complex, high comorbid patients, the bad things that happened in childhood are probably less important, less damaging, and less traumatic than the events which did no happen. It is the errors of omission by the parents, not the errors of commission, which are the fundamental problem. The deeper trauma is the absence of normal love, affection, attention, care and protection the trauma is not being special to mom and dad.

In recent years the mental health community has become increasingly sensitized to a promising new development in the theory and treatment of emotional illness. The central role of trauma-physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect-in the generation of a wide variety of symptomatic behavior and emotional distress is more and more apparent.

The Effects of Trauma
Trauma can lead to many symptoms including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, psychosis, and dissociation. An enduring pattern of numerous complex symptoms can devastate a person’s emotional and cognitive development, causing severe dysfunction and distress in adulthood. Traumas various manifestations include chronic depression, lack of coherent self image, low self esteem, repetitive self defeating and self destructive behaviors, unstable mood, and hallucinations.

Treatment:
A person, who is exposed to traumatic experiences as a child, adolescent or adult (such as physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect or abandonment; or such as witnessing or experiencing an accident or horrific event or even a perceived trauma) and/or never learned healthy expression of affect (emotions), is often developmentally arrested at an emotional level. Due to his arrested development, a person then relies on a variety or primitive and unhealthy cognitions (thoughts, beliefs) and behaviors to defend against painful emotions. It is these cognitions and behaviors that are manifested in a variety of diagnosis, addictions, and symptoms, which in turn defines the current crisis. Since symptoms are seen in defenses against intolerable affect, the treatment plan is the same for everyone; to feel my feelings and stay safe. Staying safe means not relying on thoughts or behaviors that are destructive or unhealthy for emotional management, such as suicidal ideations, homicidal ideation, or self destructive and addictive behaviors. With this in mind, all of theses defenses can be described as addictions and the clients are addicted to avoiding their affect. Therefore, we utilize an addiction model in our treatment. Identifying the underlying reason for the defense (affect avoidance) helps to stop the addictive group cycle. Our objective in group is to help clients identify their unhealthy defenses that they use to regulate feelings and to use desensitization techniques to enable them to accept t he feelings that they have avoided in the past. It is through the combination of cognitive-behavioral, experiential and didactic (teaching) therapies. The client begins to acquire greater affect tolerance, increased ego strength, increased frustration tolerance, and self soothing skills that are critical to recovery and future self sufficiency management of painful feelings. One aspect of therapy is psychodrama.

What is Psychodrama?
Psychodrama is the name given by J.L. Moreno to the method he developed for helping people become more creative in day to day living. It has applications in many different areas in which people are learning, changing and relating to others, in training, education, healing, spiritual life, business, performing arts and in organizations. Practitioners of this powerful method integrate all levels of a human being: their thinking, their intellect, their imaginations, their feelings and their actions in their social context. In this way, learning is able to be applied directly in actual living situations at work, outside the home, in other organizations and in close relations. Under the guidance of a trained practitioner known as the director, the method involves improvisational dramatic action. The script for the drama is “written”, moment by moment, out of the purposes and concerns of an individual, or the group where the method is being applied. Group members take an active part in one another’s dramas that they bring to as close to life as possible. In this way group members may generate and practice new behaviors and ways of thinking and test them out for their impact on those around them before they do this in the actual work or life situation. The consequences can be examined and new decisions made as to how to apply the learning.

How may an individual benefit?
The method can move very fully into people’s subjective world without judgment. Thus long frustrated desires or fears can be enacted and greater freedom experienced. Old agendas can be completed, including grieving, trauma or celebration. Imagination and intuition are developed. Possible futures are enjoyed and tested when brought to life on the psychodrama stage. Fresh understanding of significant relationships can be gained.

From time to time each individual in a group can be a star. In experiencing and expressing themselves dramatically a greater sense of self work and ability to rise to life’s challenges are developed. Usually participants have fun. Many aspects of being human which find no other outlet in our contemporary world can be expressed by ordinary people. Dreams, myths and wishes become concrete for a time and lend power and depth to everyday living.

The connections between the individual’s participating are deepened and strengthened through walking together into one another’s reality. New and lasting friendships are often formed and better communication and interpersonal skills developed. Reversing into the role of another creates fresh experience of the wider world.

What does psychodrama look like?
Conceived and developed by Jacob L. Moreno, MD, psychodrama employs guided dramatic action to examine problems or issues raised by an individual (psychodrama) or a group (sociodrama). Using experiential methods, sociometry, role theory, and group dynamics, psychodrama facilitates insight, personal growth, and integration on cognitive affective and behavioral levels. It clarifies issues, increases physical and emotional well being, enhances leering and develops new skills.

The basic elements (operational components) psychodrama is:

  • The protagonist: Person(s) selected to “represent them” of group in drama.

  • The auxiliary egos: Group members who assume the roles of significant others in the drama.

  • The audience: Group members who witness the drama and represent the world at large.

  • The State: The physical space in which the drama is conducted.

  • The director: the trained pschodramatist who participants through each phase of the session.
     

In classically, structured psychodrama sessions, there are three distinct phases:

  1. The warm-up: The group theme is identified and a protagonist is selected.

  2. The action: The problem is dramatized and the protagonist explores new methods of resolving it.

  3. The sharing: Group members are invited to express their connection with the protagonist’s work.

Rules for Psychodrama

  1. Please do not leave once we have started.

  2. Please do not talk or whisper or have any side conversations.

  3. Please do not create any distractions.

  4. Please keep the content of the group confidential.

  5. Please give feedback to those who have worked.
     

 

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