Psychodrama Therapy

What Is Psychodrama Therapy?
Everyone is unique, and thus, people will have different responses to different things and different types of therapy. What will work for someone with strong visual flair, such as art therapy, may not be appropriate for someone with no interest in art, but strong religious conviction. In that case, faith-based therapy may be a better alternative. Then there is psychodrama therapy, which has had a broad application for decades now, and can act as an effective complementary form of holistic addiction treatment in addition to many other types of therapy.
Psychodrama is a carefully structured form of art—in this case, the art of acting—that is incorporated into a treatment plan for therapeutic value. Almost all of us have been a part of a theatrical experience in some way, whether that’s watching the acting in a play, movie or television program, or participating in drama ourselves in school, or some other point in our lives.
How Psychodrama Therapy for Addiction Works
But it’s often worthwhile to give it a chance. Psychodrama for addiction can reveal many things that a person never suspected if they are receptive to it. For example, one psychodrama exercise for people in addictive situations is “role reversal,” where, rather than playing the part of the addict, which was their personal experience in their life, they take on the role of someone else, such as a concerned friend or family member. In taking on this part and acting it out, participants often gain new insights, not just into themselves, but even a better understanding of how and why a person has behaved in the way they did to the addict. This insight often allows people to move forward with a greater sense of control about their own situation.
Psychodrama is Acting
However, once detoxification and withdrawal are over, simply putting a person back in their old life is not going to repair the damage that’s already been done. That is going to take work, and often it will also take the acquisition of new social skills, more empathy, and stronger bonds to make these connections. Equine therapy treatment is a safe way to undergo this process with a partner that is not judgmental, biased or harboring a personal or ulterior motive; a horse.
Working to Build Trust
To overcome the psychological factors that enable or led to addiction is a completely different challenge that takes time, effort, knowledge and patience. Psychodrama Therapy is one more vehicle for enabling this. By allowing people to watching someone else’s experience, or act it out, it gives them a chance to step beyond their own personal boundaries and, in doing so, consider ideas they wouldn’t have.
When Psychodrama Therapy is Most Effective
From the Blog
How Long Is Inpatient Treatment for Mental Health?
One of the most common questions about inpatient mental health treatment is, “How long will it take?”
read more