Psychodrama and Christian Counseling – Christian User Friendly Psychodrama

Wang Yan

Global Courant

Psychodrama began in 1921 with JL Moreno, a doctor who immigrated to the United States from Austria in 1925. Blatner defines psychodrama as a method of psychotherapy in which patients act out the relevant events in their lives rather than simply talking about them. This includes exploring in action not only historical events, but more importantly, dimensions of psychological events not normally addressed in conventional dramatic processes: unspoken thoughts, encounters with those who are not present, representations of fantasies of what others could feel and think, imagine future possibilities. , and many other aspects of the phenomenology of human experience.

Even before leaving Vienna, Moreno was actively pioneering many of the concepts most counselors take for granted today: terms such as group psychotherapy, action methods, and warm-up. Psychodrama, in its most comprehensive definition, has developed a variety of applications: group psychotherapy, clinical role play, supervision, marital and family therapy2, drama games, play, sociodrama, and therapeutic community; and offshoots, such as Playback Theater developed by Jonathan Fox. It has influenced many schools of therapy: Fritz Perls (Gestalt and the empty chair technique); Virginia Satir (family therapy and family sculpture that Moreno called action sociogram); Eric Berne transactional analysis). Perhaps one of the most brilliant recent developments for Christians is Peter Pitzele’s bibliodrama3, rendered as a form of midrash, an experiential form of Jewish/Biblical storytelling.4 Why Psychodrama is Excellent for Christian Counseling One of the greatest appeals of psychodramas for Christians is the fact that it can be so Christian user friendly. 5 Moreno, although born into a Sephardic Jewish family, was sympathetic to Christianity. He once said that Christianity may be regarded as the most ingenious and powerful psychotherapeutic operation ever invented.6 Moreno’s appreciation of the healing properties of religion, a concept that went against the grain of most psychological thought of this century, runs like a common thread through all of his works.

Moreno envisioned a religion based on recognizing the likeness to God in each person and the ability to bring out the creator in each person. The expression of these religious beliefs would be in action, interacting with others according to principles based on the sanctity of spontaneity and creativity in each individual. He hypothesized that if we get sick in relationships, we should get better at relationships, a therapeutic service that the body of Christ should provide to all who join. While most talk therapies emphasize the verbal mode of healing, psychodrama brings the actions of body language, role play, and behavioral rehearsal into psychotherapy. Since most of what happens to us is a whole experience, much more than just verbal, the techniques of psychodrama make it possible to reproduce life in such a way that it can be relived, understood, reaffirmed, reframed, addressed and new behavior can be rehearsed. in a safe and protected atmosphere. Relationships between group members reproduce both society and their own personal forms of relationships in a micro format within the group, giving us the chance to see on the spot how members interact, give them feedback, and even work through conflicting relationships to new forms of interaction.

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The Basic Framework of Psychodrama: The basic framework of psychodrama requires a director (the therapist), an auxiliary (co-therapist or group members), a stage (where the action takes place), the audience (other group members), and the protagonist (group member chosen to his or her problem). The beauty of this structure is that it allows the protagonist to project onto the stage whatever he or she wants to work on. The story belongs to the patient, not the therapist. Anything within a person’s imagination can be worked on, including metaphorical and religious themes, such as one’s relationship with God.9 Once the various objects/persons have been put on stage, the protagonist has the opportunity to interpret their meaning and meaning on a concrete level. to explore meaning. what he or she wants to do with these things. He or she can even try different ways of doing things with the assurance that if they don’t work on stage, the client can delete them, try again, or go back to how they were.

There is the added benefit of psychodrama that it provides a safe environment for specific conversations to take place. Many patients are encouraged by their therapist to go home and talk to the significant person they feel has wronged them. Sometimes that person is not available, due to death or distance, or sometimes it is simply inadvisable. The psychodrama stage, on the other hand, offers the unique opportunity to create those conversations. The healing usually achieved in such situations is permanent and irreversible. Find a therapist to get solution of your problems.

Even if it didn’t happen with the real person, there was a real conversation and a real solution. Perhaps role reversal is the jewel in Moreno’s crown of psychodrama techniques. Putting yourself in the role of someone else results in feeling that person’s feelings, looking out from that person’s soul, gaining a new understanding of what moves the person, and possibly discovering what drives the person to do what he or she does. she does. It often means dying to opinions previously held about that person and his or her motivation. It is impossible to return to one’s role after a reversal and be the same. One knows something that one did not know before.10 Perhaps the finest example of role reversal is that of God himself when he assumes humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. It is interesting to note (as a psychoplaywright, not a theologian) that the redemptive work of salvation culminates in the cross, where God in the person of Jesus Christ turns the tables with humanity, feels our pain, sin, and lust, and then die in our place. The Resurrection is the final seal that secures our access to the Lord. From there nothing can separate us from the love of God.


Psychodrama and Christian Counseling – Christian User Friendly Psychodrama

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