Psychodrama Therapy

The goal of psychodrama therapy is to help individuals process memories and emotions in a unique and cathartic way: acting!

In psychodrama therapy, a small group of people is led by a therapist through different dramatic exercises. Such exercises may include:

• Role-playing
• Mirroring
• Role reversal
• Replay
• Doubling

Spontaneity and creativity are highly encouraged during psychodrama therapy. There are no scripts to work from.

What Does Psychodrama Look Like?

Psychodrama therapy can be carried out with families or with several unrelated individuals. The key roles in any psychodrama session are:

• The Protagonist — The person who “stars” in the production and whose life and experiences will be explored.
• The Director / Producer — The therapist, who helps guide the dramatic action based on the protagonist’s experiences and thoughts.
• Auxiliary Egos — Other group members who take on supporting roles in the production.

The stage is a safe place in which the protagonist’s past memories or experiences are recreated. Future or hypothetical scenarios can also be played out.

In psychodrama, there are three important phases:

• Warm-up — The protagonist briefly explores feelings and experiences that will be addressed on stage; the director gives everyone their roles.
• Enactment — The main action takes place, and situations or memories are recreated.
• Closure — Everyone steps out of their roles for a supportive discussion about how they felt and what they learned during the enactment.

Who Can Benefit From Psychodrama?

Individuals are able to come to terms with past experiences via psychodrama, promoting healing in the here and now. It is also a useful tool for practicing different ways of behaving in future scenarios.

Psychodrama is a particularly useful therapy for people struggling with:

• Anxiety or panic disorders
• Mood disorders
• Grief and loss
• Substance abuse
• Borderline personality disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder

Elements Behavioral Health offers psychodrama therapy for a wide variety of mental health disorders. If you have yet to experience a significant breakthrough in traditional therapy approaches, psychodrama may be an excellent choice.

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