group of men stand on stage during psychodrama therapyThe goal of psychodrama therapy is to help individuals process memories and emotions. But in a unique and cathartic way: acting!

In psychodrama therapy, a group therapy program is led by a therapist who goes through different dramatic exercises, such as:

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

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

What Does Psychodrama Look Like?

Psychodrama therapy can be carried out in family therapy treatment program 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 because it is where we recreate the protagonist’s past memories or experiences. Also, future or hypothetical scenarios play out.

Furthermore, 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 recreating situations or memories.
  • 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. Also, it is a useful tool for practicing different ways of behaving in future scenarios.

Psychodrama is a particularly useful therapy for people struggling with and in programs for:

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

Are you ready to start your psychodrama therapy program? Call us today at 844.875.5609 for more information or to get enrolled.