defending psychodrama
Carole Oliver
carololivernj at optonline.net
Mon Jul 31 17:36:42 CDT 2006
Patti, I cant agree more. Psychodrama is a powerful method and has to be
treated with the utmost respect and every psychodranmatist that presents at
a conference should be mindful of the participants and protagonist
boundaries. I have attended few that I believe crossed the line. However,
for the most part, I am proud to say that most of the psychodrama trainers I
know are skilled and sensitive to all the boundary issues. Perhaps, we can
prepare a synopsis of the do's and don't for new pracrioners. I know as a
trainer, I have a list guidelines for my students on how to conduct a
workshop at the conferences. I think it is a trainers responsiblity to teach
our students this.of a synopsis of
.
----- Original Message -----
From: "PATRICIA DESERT" <honeybwomn at msn.com>
To: <drjb at mindspring.com>; <list at grouptalkweb.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 7:34 AM
Subject: Re: defending psychodrama
> Dear Kaya --The "Psychotherapy Networker" published an article a few
> months ago on the Evolution Conference and said much the same thing that
> you have reported. Initially I was quite disturbed reading about
> Meichembaum's behavior, after all he is a guru in our field and should
> know better right? As I reflected on it I reminded myself how I forget
> that the masters in our field are also human and, as such, are subject to
> act in unkind, disrespectful, and arrogant ways. Intelligence and
> creativity do not automatically give any of us the awareness, the
> willingness, and the ability to corral our hurtful behavior. I don't
> always remember that unfortunately. {sigh} On my best days though I do
> and that helps me keep my own behavior in check and to choose to learn and
> grow with those learned folks in our field who can do likewise.
> And I agree with you that our conferences have similar experiences,
> particularly around the issue of safety. I believe presenters have the
> responsibility to make sure safety exists in workshops before any movement
> into action. Experiential methods are powerful and although professionals
> attend the workshops at our psychodrama conferences they are bringing
> their histories and personalities into the mix. We don't like to admit it
> perhaps, but many of our colleagues are walking wounded, with unhealed
> trauma managed by the sense of control that the role of "healer" offers.
> That veneer of control in participants can slip away in a psychodrama
> workshop where a presenter pushes for abreaction. I have been in a
> workshop where the presenter continually pressured an obviously anxious
> and reluctant protagonist to express his anger. The presenter was so
> invested in making this happen, which it never did, that we ended up
> having about 10 minutes for sharing before the end of the workshop. The
> frustration was palpable.
> So I look for that safety being created, know that it won't always be
> there in conferences, and don't subject myself to experiences where it
> doesn't exist. And isn't it wonderful that our conference organizers
> recognize this too and provide a place for folks to go when they need
> support? Anyway, that was my two sense, or more {smile}.
> Kaya, sounds like you are one of those folks who is searching for your
> answers to all this. I think your community is blessed to have you willing
> to grapple with it all and to continue bringing psychodrama into the mix.
> Blessings and peace, Patti Desert in Baltimore, MD.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <drjb at mindspring.com>
> To: <list at grouptalkweb.org>
> Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 2:08 AM
> Subject: Re: defending psychodrama
>
>
>> Yikes Kaya-- I have been scheduled to do a short course for the 6th
>> Brief Therapy Conference on December 7, 2006 in Anaheim. It is organized
>> by the Milton Erickson Foundation, the organizers for The Evolution of
>> Psychotherapy Conference with a similar format and with many of the same
>> presenters as the Evolution Conference. I hope it will be a kinder and
>> gentler place than when you attended. My workshop is called Couples
>> Enacting a Lasting Solution with Psychodrama. It runs for 90 minutes on
>> the first day of the conference.
>>
>> Thanks for your interesting and honest reporting of the 2005 conference.
>> This conference meets every five years. I attended the 2000 Evolution of
>> Psychotherapy conference with Zerka. She was one of the master faculty
>> and she represented us beautifully--a lecture on tele, a 3 hour workshop
>> with a drama, a wonderful 1 hour demonstration drama using the photo
>> technique and a conversation hour plus a dialog with Salvadore Minuchin
>> on family therapy and a commentary on Paul Wachawitz's lecture, What If?
>> I was privileged to be her companion and so to be invited to all of the
>> faculty meals and functions. It was a wonderful sampling of all of the
>> therapies and their founders. There was also some infighting-- EMDR was
>> the scapegoat that year and some of the older faculty was quite rude and
>> unkind to Shapiro (especially Meichenbaum).
>>
>> The good news is that you can read Zerkas lecture in her new book, The
>> Quintessential Zerka, pp.289-301 and she does quote van der Kolk. Also
>> you can obtain tapes of Zerka's work by contacting the Milton Erickson
>> Foundation, 3606 North 24th Street, PhoenixAZ, 85016-6500 Phone 602
>> 956-6196 www.erickson-foundation.org.
>>
>> Jeffrey Zeig invited Zerka to the 2005 Evolution Conference but she was
>> not physically up to it. He was not willing to take a substitute for that
>> conference because the master category is for the originators of the
>> theories.
>>
>> Wasn't it exciting to have Moreno cited among the few in the Beyond Freud
>> article in Newsweek this year? Psychodrama kicks still.
>>
>> Please wish me well in Anaheim and wish us all well as we continue to
>> teach this modality in all of the ways we do. Jeanne
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> >From: k.kade at att.net
>> >Sent: Jul 28, 2006 2:39 PM
>> >To: list at grouptalkweb.org
>> >Subject: defending psychodrama
>> >
>> >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
>>
>> Warmly, Jeanne
>>
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