defending psychodrama

[k.kade at att.net]

Hello I want to tell a little story of mine that still echoes inside me.... I went to the Evolution of Psychotherapy conference last December.  I think attendance was over 6,000 people and it was overwhelming... All the top names...it was like being at Woodstock or what I would imagine Woodstock to be.... Who do you choose to see etc.   I went and saw Van Der Kolk (Spelling is not my forte)  I really enjoyed his presentation and enjoyed the research that he was discovering.... All those mathematical and statistical formulas that was supporting his findings that the body needed to be included etc.  All these things that we can use to support us.  Then he showed us a video tape of working with teenagers who have experienced a big trauma..rape etc.  and he is using theatre and they re-create the stories and present them.... He has a director etc. etc. etc.  So I am very curious about this as he's a big name and he's doing theatre as a way to heal these issues that he is one of the int
ernational recognized known experts  on. So I went up to him and asked him why he did not call it psychodrama, what he thought of psychodrama etc.  His answer to me was that he attended a psychodrama conference and had three incidents that he was turned off by it.  One of those incidents had something to do with people coming out dressed in black robes with masks and that he felt that there was no safety involved.  

Now this conference was heavily ladden with the CBT people.  The opening session was done by ohhh that guy that Robin Williams played... Patch Adams  Really interesting man who has done a lot and for me I think I learned alot from him.  However he showed us pictures from some of the stuff he has done and really I left that feeling traumatized..... I wont describe the pictures so I don't traumatize any of who... Then Cloe Madanes and Anthony Robbins did a live presentation working with a couple...Now it may not be my style of working but it looked to me like the couple got something..... Later the next day I met the couple and they said they were very happy they had done it and they felt that it had done something for them.  I asked them if it felt like it was going to stick and they said they thought so but how would they kknow until it had stuck.... Well that couple and Cloe got a lot of hard time.  Madaanes and Robbins poster was actually defaced and written all over..... People 
were coming up to the couple saying how sorry they were for the stuff that was said etc. etc. etc....   Lastly I went and saw Meichenbaum and Van Der Kolk have an interactive discussion and I was horrified at the discussion.  I was shocked at the condescending and rude way in which Meichenbaum treated Van Der Kolk... I was astounded.  I have the recording just because I could not believe that one professional would treat another in that way.  

I know this is long and thank-you for hanging in there with me.  I do not hear people saying they will never attend this again even though all this kind of stuff happened..... I do not think there was any more safety at this conference than what we provide at ours....We are professionals when we attend conferences.  What I wonder is why does Psychodrama seem like it is the scapegoat in our professional arena?  Why do the "stars" of our profession get given a lee way that we are not?  If we approach it from this star idea and we maybe the rejectee star how do we sociometrically change that?  Does mathematical numerical equations that support us will that change this "role" that we are in?  Questions that I am pondering as I forge a path into the Alaskan Frontier....Trying to avoid accepting the position that seems to be assigned to this beautiful, powerful method/way of life.  Kaya
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