Ψυχόδραμα - Ε.Ε.Ψ.Υ - Ελληνική Εταιρία Ψυχοδράματος

Psychodrama

Το Psychodrama was conceived and created during the interwar period by the psychiatrist Jacob Levy Moreno (1889-1974) as a psychotherapeutic method that connects personal experience with cognitive analysis through vicarious learning. It is based on the principles and values of ancient Greek drama (human rights, human dignity, aesthetics and scansion, equality, respect, proper language, dialogue, freedom and democracy). Psychodrama treats the person as a whole, as Hippocrates has stated, without splitting the body from the emotions.

Αims to offer to the person under therapy, the protagonist, a corrective experience that leads to personal development. It is based on the dramatization of the protagonist’s experiences based on their therapeutic request. Usually, psychodrama takes place in a group but through the years, the technique of monodrama has developed to bring the advantages of psychodrama in a one-to-one session.

The 5 fundamental elements of psychodrama are:

The psychodramatic scene. A safe and distinguished space in the room where psychodramatic action is taking place as if it is happening here and now.
The director. The therapist leading the psychodramatic session.
The protagonist.The client who explores their therapeutic request. Usually, the protagonist is selected by the group through a sociometric exercise. Moreno offered the title protagonist as this person serves the group as the first to come forward in the struggle, meaning that the protagonist represents the group’s straggle for self-awareness and self-growth.
The auxiliary egos. The members of the group that play roles as chosen by the protagonist. These group members usually relate to the role they are invited to play without the protagonist being aware of that. Moreno called this tele, which is a prefix in the Greek language showing the connection that comes from afar.
The role reversal. The protagonist reverses roles with the other existing roles in the scene, being them either persons, objects, emotions or values, or anything that is brough in the scenery as part of the protagonist’s experience. Role reversal is the most fundamental element of psychodrama and a great contribution of Moreno to psychotherapy. It offers to the protagonist, empathy and insight. It leads to conflict resolution and healing of trauma in a very dynamic and effective way.

The psychodramatic session consists of 3 basic parts being:

- The warm-up. An experiential exercise with sociometric elements that aim to bring the group members together and allow them to connect, help them to trust the process and deepen in their personal needs so that a protagonist is selected by the group in order to work on their personal need.

- The drama. The protagonist’s experience is dramatized and is concluded in one or more scenes leading to catharsis.

- The de-rolling and sharing The group returns to the circle and persons that played the auxiliary roles, de-role themselves and share from the role and from their lives with the protagonist. Then, the rest of the group members share.