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Training Modalities
The Two Lakes training program makes use of a wide variety of action therapy modalities. The primary focus of the program is to help participants become skilled and intuitive practitioners of psychodrama, psychomotor therapy, group psychotherapy, and sociometry.
About Psychodrama:
J. L. Moreno, M.D., who was the creator of psychodrama, sociometry and group psychotherapy, once succinctly described psychodrama in the following way: “Psychodrama can be defined, therefore, as the science which explores “personal truth” through dramatic methods”. In today’s psychotherapy world this hardly seems like an unusual form of therapy. In the early 1900’s, when the therapeutic encounter was limited to the analyst and the patient, and psychoanalysis was considered to be the only treatment for emotional disorders, Moreno’s ideas were seen by the medical community as all but heresy. Moreno was a “larger than life” figure, possessed of an insatiable curiosity about the world, including the spiritual realm, and was convinced that he was right about the need to awaken the spontaneous and creative forces in people.
He developed and practiced approaches to psychotherapy that are in use today throughout the world. He coined the terms “group psychotherapy”, “sociometry”, and “psychodrama”, and there are few action methods used in psychotherapy today that do not owe their inceptions to Moreno’s creative genius. He was joined in the process of developing psychodrama and group psychotherapy, in l941, by Zerka Toeman. They were married in l949, and were co-creators of the methodology until his death in l974. Zerka Moreno is still active in the psychodrama community, teaching and writing about psychodrama, with a new book, The Quintessential Zerka, just published.
The five basic elements of psychodrama are:
The protagonist: the person who is the focus of a psychodrama, being selected to represent a central theme for the group, through the exploration of his or her personal issues in a particular session.
The director: who in collaboration with the protagonist and the group, directs and facilitates any individual drama. This individual can be considered as the therapist for the session.
The auxiliary egos: members of the group, or in some instances co-therapists, who play significant individuals from the protagonist’s life, thus assisting with the enactment of the drama.
The audience: a general term for other group members who are not directly involved in the enactment. These individuals serve as witnesses to the protagonist’s issues, and by remaining actively and positively involved in the process, gain personal growth from the session.
The stage: the area designated as the space where the action will take place. Some facilities have an actual stage available—most designate an area in a room as the space where the action of the psychodrama will take place.
The phases of psychodrama:
The warm-up. Work begins with a number of interwoven techniques aimed at developing group cohesion, spontaneity, trust in the director, interest and concern for the protagonist, safety in the group, and eventually the emergence of a protagonist whose problem represents a central concern of the group. In sociodramatic work, the warm-up is intended to help the group develop the group issue or central concern.
The action. As the group goes through the warm-up, the Director helps with the articulation of issues, and helps the group refine concerns to those of immediate relevance to the work of the group. A protagonist emerges from this in psychodrama, a theme/issue emerges in sociodrama. The protagonist, utilizing a variety of techniques and the concept of surplus reality, uses the drama to explore and deal with the issue.
The sharing process. Following the action, group members are encouraged to tell the protagonist and the others in the group, what ways the enactment reminded them of aspects of their own lives. Analysis and interpretation of the protagonist should not be allowed, and the group member encouraged to examine and reflect on his or her own process. Those who have played auxiliary roles may share both how they felt playing the role, as well as their own personal emotions and realizations after the close of the action.
Those who have taken part in psychodrama or psychomotor therapy group experience know how immediate and life-changing the process can be. In the hands of a skilled director, the protagonist can experience catharsis, develop insight, and practice new behaviors and roles, all in the moment. It is not until practitioners begin to have opportunities to function in the role of director that they realize that something that looks easy from the outside, is indeed an art and a skill requiring study and practice. We encourage trainees to begin “thinking psychodramatically”, to begin to develop the ability to visualize the scene being described by the protagonist, and to use the information in that process to find a point of entry to the drama. We find this process so useful that we also encourage participants seeking personal growth to develop this ability to think psychodramatically about the problem issues in their lives.
© Georgia A. Rigg, LCSW, T.E.P.
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