Drama Therapy Definitions

Jacob Levy Moreno
(born Bucharest, Romania, May 18, 1889; died New York, USA, May 14, 1974) was an Austrian- American leading psychiatrist and psycho sociologist, thinker and educator, a Sephardi Jew born in Romania, the founder of psychodrama, and the foremost pioneer of group psychotherapy. During his lifetime, he was recognized as one of the leading social scientists

What is Drama Therapy?
The use of theatre techniques to facilitate personal growth and promote health
Often, drama therapy is utilized to help a client:
• Solve a problem
• Achieve a catharsis
• Delve into truths about self
• Understand the meaning of personally resonant images
• Explore and transcend unhealthy patterns of interaction


Role Theory
A perspective in sociology and in social psychology that considers most of everyday activity to be the acting out of socially defined categories (e.g., mother, manager, teacher).

Bibliodrama
Bibliodrama is structured in five steps. The steps are a progressive journey into the text. They begin with description, continue by gradually immersing the
players into character, and culminate with playing out a scene. Finally, the
players are debriefed and what has been learned is reviewed through the step
labeled, “Closure.” An important aspect of Bibliodrama is that any of the steps
may be chosen to fit into a lesson without the other steps, or in combination, as
suits the leader, time constraints, or dynamics of the group

Puppetry in Therapy
The puppet becomes a mediator, with the potential to reach the child and provide an acceptable outlet for expression of feelings. Often a child is too young or frightened to verbalize the complexity of medical treatment. A puppet becomes a friend who can touch, comfort, and react to what the child thinks or feels. By entering the child’s world of fantasy and imagination, a puppet can help to identify fears and misconceptions and teach children about what is happening to them. We will examine the drama therapeutic projective technique and theatrical technique of puppetry

Define projection
Projective identification is the process whereby a person identifies with a character in a story.

Dramatic distancing
refers to the way that emotional and psychological problems can be accessed easier through metaphor. The client has a distanced relationship through metaphor to these problems that makes them easier to tolerate.

Psychodrama
Psychodrama's core function is the raising of spontaneity. is a form of human development which explores, through dramatic action, the problems, issues, concerns, dreams and highest aspirations of people, groups, systems and organizations. It is mostly used as a group work method, in which each person in the group can become a therapeutic agent for each other in the group. The audience is fully involved with the dramatic action. Audience involvement is either through personal interest in the concerns of the leading actor, called the protagonist; or through playing some roles of the drama which helps the protagonist; or taking the form of some of the other elements of the drama

Sociodrama
is a dramatic play in which several individuals act out assigned roles for the purpose of studying and remedying problems in group or collective relationships.[1] It was developed by social scientist Jacob L. Moreno to explore sociological interests using the techniques he originated in Psychodrama for Psychology

Playback Theatre
is an original form of improvisational theatre in which audience or group members tell stories from their lives and watch them enacted on the spot. Playback Theatre is sometimes considered a modality of drama therapy. Founded in 1975 by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas. Fox was a student of improvisational theatre, oral traditional storytelling, psychodrama and the work of Paulo Freire.


Doubling
is a technique where a participant, perhaps asked by the psychodrama director, supplements the role (self, role reversal) of the the protagonist, usually by standing behind the them and saying things that the protagonist might want to say or is withholding. In this way one is able to hear things that may (or not) reflect what they feel or think. Thereby, the doubling can help provoke abreactive and mental catharsis, insight, and transformation


Developmental Transformations
Developmental Transformations is a practice involving the continuous transformation of embodied encounters in the playspace. Designed to enhance personal growth through improvisational free play, the method has been developed by drama therapists over the past twenty years. Generally, Developmental Transformations is attractive to people who like to (or who want to) play, move around, and make noise during their sessions
Emotional narrative vs. Literal Narrative