Psychodrama Therapy

Introduction:
Psychodrama is a type of relationship therapy which explores the problems, issues, concerns
and difficulties that people might have in their daily lives through role play in a group setting.

Through acting out certain types of scenarios that represent issues that are going on in a
person’s life, it enables the therapist to gain an understanding into how the person reacts in
certain given situations and to identify potential problems in order to suggest other ways the
person may have dealt with a situation in another way which might be more productive for
them in the future.

Ultimately, its aim is to develop new solutions to old unresolved problems or to suggest
meaningful solutions to new problems through role play. For people who are interested in
personal development, it can often help them to see certain situations in a new light which
then empowers them to make changes in their lives and relationships.

Psychodrama is a holistic, strengths‐based method of psychotherapy in which people are

helped to enact and explore situations from their own life ‐ past, present and future. The scenes
enacted may be based on specific events in a person’s life, their current or past relationships,
unresolved situations, desired roles or inner thoughts and conflicts. The method is typically
used in group settings, with group members taking on the various roles in the drama as needed.
Witnessing and participating in each other’s’ personal stories can generate feelings of deep
understanding and trust amongst group members.      In its so‐called ‘classical’ form, a
psychodrama will often begin with a current problem or difficulty and trace it back to earlier life
situations. Here, the participant may have the chance to experience what was missing but
needed at that time. The enactment then returns to the present, where new learning can be
integrated and put into practice.
History and Background:
Psychodrama is a professional practice based on the therapy, philosophy, and methodology
developed by Jacob Levy Moreno, M.D. (1889-1974), which uses action methods of enactment,
sociometry, group dynamics, role theory, and systems analysis to facilitate constructive change
in individuals and groups through the development of new perceptions or reorganizations of
old cognitive patterns and impacting changes in behaviour (Buchanan, 1984). The history of
psychodrama for the most part is also the history of its founder, Moreno, who immigrated to
the United States from Vienna, Austria in 1925. By the mid 1920's, Moreno had developed and
began to publish his theories of psychodrama, sociometry, and group psychotherapy.
According to Moreno, the first psychodrama session was held on April 1, 1921. Currently there
are more than 400 certified practitioners and trainers throughout the US and many more
throughout the world.

Techniques:
Psychodrama sessions are often performed as weekly group therapy sessions, typically
comprised of 8-12 members. Sessions generally last between 90 minutes and 2 hours. Each
psychodrama focuses on the life situation of one individual, with group members taking on
roles as needed.

A session is typically executed in three phases: the warm-up phase, the action phase, and the
sharing phase. Through role and drama-based play, the protagonist and other participants
develop insight into past issues, present challenges, and future possibilities.

 The goal of the warm-up phase is to help establish trust, group cohesion, and a sense of
safety among members. Without trust, group members may not feel comfortable
performing action methods or exploring raised issues or conflicts. One technique often
used in warm-up is role presentation, where members of the group adopt a certain role
in order to introduce themselves. Because in psychodrama, members of the group often
act out roles in other members' lives, this technique can help provide insight to those in
the group. As the members get to know one another, one member may volunteer to act
as the psychodrama protagonist, or the main focus of the psychodrama.
 In the action phase, the protagonist—with the therapist's help—creates a scene based
on significant events in the protagonist’s current life. The therapist directs the session,
while other group members serve as auxiliary egos, or individuals from the protagonist's
life. The rest of the group members act as an audience.
The following techniques are most commonly used as part of the action phase:
 o Role reversal:
The protagonist steps out of their own role and enacts the role of a significant
person in their life. This action can help the protagonist understand the other
person's role and help the director (therapist) better understand relationship
dynamics. Doing so may also help increase the protagonist's empathy.
The protagonist acts out the role of someone other than themselves, someone
important in their life. This can improve empathy and help the protagonist
understand the other person’s role.
o Mirroring:
The protagonist becomes an observer while auxiliary egos take up the part of the
protagonist, acting out an event so the protagonist can watch. This technique
can be helpful when a protagonist is experiencing extremely negative feelings or
is feeling separated or distanced from feelings or emotions about the scene.
The protagonist takes a step back while group members act out the protagonist’s
event. This can help those feeling distanced from their feelings about the scene
gain a different perspective.
o Doubling:
A group member adopts the protagonist's behaviour and movements, expressing
aloud any emotions or thoughts that member believes to be the protagonist's
feelings and thoughts. This technique can be used to build empathy for the
protagonist or to challenge, in a constructive and non-aggressive way, some
aspect of the scene or the protagonist's actions.
A group member will replicate the behaviour and actions of the protagonist,
expressing out loud what they believe the protagonist is thinking/feeling. This
can challenge the protagonist in a non-aggressive way.
o Soliloquy:
The protagonist relates inner thoughts and feelings to the audience. This may be
done when speaking to a double, or at the encouragement of the director
(therapist).
The protagonist relates his/her inner thoughts to the audience (other group
members).
 During the sharing phase, the director shifts back to a therapist role in order to facilitate
the processing of the scene. Processing the meaning of the feelings and emotions that
have come to light is believed to be essential for transformation to occur. The sharing
phase provides time for a group discussion about the events that took place in the
action phase. The audience might consider, among other topics, how their thoughts or
observations could have an impact on the protagonist’s ways of interacting or relating
with others?
Applications:
Psychodrama is used to treat a variety of conditions, including:

 Addiction
 Trauma
 Autism
 Eating Disorders
 Adoption and Attachment Issues

Advantages:
Psychodrama can be a powerful experience. Because it is an active, “real-time” therapy,
psychodrama can be an empowering alternative to traditional talk therapy.

Psychodrama can help people:

 Improve their relationships and communication skills

 Overcome grief and loss
 Restore confidence and well-being
 Enhance learning and life skills
 Express their feelings in a safe, supportive environment
 Experiment with new ways of thinking and behaving

Disadvantages:
There are number of disadvantages of psychodrama which are listed below:

1. Danger of over exposing of the protagonist to himself or herself or the audience exits.
To prevent this high level of expertise is required to decide the timing and amount of
exposure.
2. The training of the director or group leader require a lot of time. Also many years of
experience is required to be a director. Not only training and experience is required
development of personal qualities of the director are required like high intuition and
charisma etc.
 3. Due to this extreme dependence of the psychodrama on director it is also difficult to
achieve uniformity in various psychodrama groups. Since 1975 American Board of
examiners in psychodrama, sociometry and group psychotherapy is trying to ensure
uniformity in various psychodrama groups. (Glading, 1995, P. 396)
4. First attempts at resolving a problem are not as polished as later ones and sometime
everyone involved in the process struggles.
5. Another criticism on this approach is that it lacks substantial amount of research. For
example in role playing technique it is hypothesized that through role play client’s mind
set becomes more spontaneous. It has never been empirically investigated.
6. It may focus too much on expression of feelings than change of behavior as there is lot
of emphasizes on expression and present experience as opposed to cognition and
exploration of the past. Therefore careful construction of the group is required to avoid
this.
7. There also exists the potential problem of confidentiality especially in small cities. Such
problems must be dealt openly.
8. Another related problem is of secret alliance between the clients that are needed to be
brought to light and dealt tact fully.

Limitations:
 Professionals who offer the psychodrama approach typically report the effectiveness of
the practice based on anecdotal experiences of working with groups and experiencing
the transformations. However, there is little empirical research to date supporting the
impact of psychodrama.
 Because psychodrama places heavy emphasis on trust and safety, counselors generally
prescreen and prepare group members for the psychodrama process. The purpose of
prescreening is important to psychodrama and any form of group psychotherapy
because it ensures the group members are open to working on sensitive issues. If a
person is determined to be not ready for a psychodrama method, the therapist is
ethically bound to refer this person for individual therapy. Selecting individuals who
would be a good fit in a group together may become a time-consuming process for the
counselor. 
 The experiential component of psychodrama can require a lengthy warm-up phase in
order for group members to develop enough trust in each other to be comfortable
spontaneously acting out aspects of their lives, particularly their concerns and
challenges. Counselors are typically required to use specialized skills simultaneously in
order to facilitate the trust-building process and transition into guiding the dramatic
scene. 
 Confidentiality can also be a concern in psychodrama. Whenever a group format is
utilized, it is vital for the counselor to discuss confidentiality with the group members
and work to ensure the psychodrama events are kept within the group. In the beginning
of the group psychodrama experience, each group member will sign a contract of
confidentiality. However, there are currently no legal implications if a group member
breaks confidentiality. If a group member does divulge group information, typically the
counselor will hold a group meeting to democratically decide whether to keep that
person in the group or refer them out to another program or therapist. Any threat to
confidentiality can impact trust and safety among the group, which can further hinder
the effectiveness of the psychodrama for those involved.