Patricia, do tell more about Janet and how you use it for psychodrama (Anne)L
PATRICIA DESERT
honeybwomn at msn.com
Sun Jul 20 21:10:34 CDT 2008
Hi Anne--I have only done some reading of Janet because his writing, like
his contemporaries, is dense and convoluted in many areas, not readily
available, and the book was on loan to me for only a short while some years
ago. I don't even remember the title. I was fascinated enough to read
secondary sources that more easily helped me understand what he did. And
his findings on dissociation and "hysteria" (now identified in the DSM-IV as
DID, PTSD, personality disorders, etc.) and his treatments using hypnosis
are remarkable and support a lot of what I have learned and do in
psychodrama and in my practice as a mind/body/spirit clinician that sees the
affective system as a critical structure to address in working with clients.
Janet did not address the affective system directly but his work recognized
sensations as a very real part of consciousness that get derailed by the
dissociated process. And the affective system is what I routinely address
in psychodrama work. His concept of "psychological force" is also a
mainstay in my work and it directly speaks to spontaneity and creativity as
Moreno conceptualized in his Canon of Creativity and throughout his
writings.
For example, Janet talked about the "reality connect"--using the senses and
the mind to be in the moment, free from anxious thoughts, images,
sensations, etc. and able to exercise sound judgment and make accurate
meaning out of our experience. As Moreno taught us, experience enough
anxiety and we will experience a disconnect from our creativity. I see this
in some ways as Janet's "reality disconnect"--a loss of unity with body and
mind.
Also, Janet's concept of psychological force and psychological tension he
describes as the quantity of basic psychic energy available to us and our
capacity to use it. This is so basic Morenian to me--as it precurses
Moreno's ideas on spontaneity and creativity. And I see this energy
sabotaged over and over in clients who become overwhelmed with emotion.
And because I view emotion always as a feeling--after all we cannot feel a
thought right?--I immediately move into interventions that help clients
reconnect in safe, calming ways with their body. One of the primary
interventions I use to help clients become "reality connected" or in
Morenian language, reconnected with their spontaneity, is the double and
very specifically the TSM body double.
Another intervention is the mirroring structure whereby the protagonist sits
off stage and 1) puts into words the experience to be enacted, 2) while
doing so chooses auxiliaries and describes their role, what to say, etc.,
and 3) watches the enactment. This is excellent for a dissociative client
as I can titrate the action in order to help the client remain present.
Once h/she can watch without dissociating h/she is ready to move into the
scene. This intervention reflects a core capacity related to Janet's
"reality connect"--the ability to experience a coherent narrative including
effects of the experience while staying in the moment.
Of course, psychodrama is a method that requires action that engages all
parts of self--mind, body, and spirit. Janet, again in what I think was
revolutionary for his time and unfortunately derailed by Freud's
psychoanalytic perspective, made no distinction between the intellect,
feelings, and what we actually do. He saw thought, feelings, and behavior
intimately interconnected with consciousness, activity, and ideas --all that
support a natural push to manifest and expand or contract depending on who
we are and what we have experienced.
So movement is a key intervention I use. Anxiety in sufficient force
paralyze so I get the body moving in safe and supportive ways to break the
paralysis. When we move physical sensations are stimulated and provide
opportunities for clients to learn how to safely and knowledgeably
experience their bodies. Sometimes that happens through a soft, fluffy
pillow toss , other times through appropriate laughter, and many times it is
to use auxiliaries to personify a client's inner reality in positive ways.
Strengths building with auxiliaries and then role reversing is a wonderful
intervention.
As I said Janet did not specifically study the affective system, but his
concept of dissociation certainly included an understanding that sensation
was a key component in feeling safe and thinking and acting competently and
effectively. I believe this is why his treatment sessions often included
painting or listening to music or sculpting. I have used all these types of
activities in my psychodrama workshops and psychodrama a deux. They
consistently reduce anxiety and stimulate spontaneity and creativity.
His interventions through hypnosis also give us profoundly effective ideas
for helping clients heal. And while I don't use hypnosis I have applied his
idea of using an altered state of consciousness in other ways to help
clients access their innate spontaneity and creativity. They include
creative visualization, mindful meditation structures, affirmation tapes,
stream of consciousness writing, etc.
In some key respects I see Janet's work as a precursor to Moreno's ideas. I
just wonder if Moreno read his work and was inspired by it. They seem so
sympatico in some ways.
Top of the evening to you Anne. Thanks for asking. Patti
Patti Desert, LCSW-C, CEMDR, CP
Singular Pathways
208 East Melrose Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21212
Phone: 410.435.3755
Fax: 410.435.0547
www.singular-pathways.com
"from fears and tears to confidence and joy"
>From: Anne Ancelin Schutzenberger <anne.schutzenberger at wanadoo.fr>
>To: list at grouptalkweb.org
>CC: Schutzenberger Anne <anne.schutzenberger at wanadoo.fr>,LABAS Damien
><damienlabas at yahoo.fr>, Patti <HoneyBWomn at aol.com>,Leveton Eva
><eva at leveton.com>, BAIM Clark <cbaim at hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: Patricia,do tell more about Janet and how you use it for
>psychodrama (Anne)List Digest, Vol 25, Issue 22
>Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:17:30 +0200
>
>Re: Patricia, do tell more about Piere Janet - a French psychiatrist.
>(1859-1947) and how you use it for psychodrama (Anne)- List Digest, Vol
>25, Issue 22
>
>Dear Patti
>
>Please,explain more what you take from Pierre Janet and his "perspective
>and
>theories on feelings." in your work -
>What is it really - nobody explain it on grouptalk, not in real details-
>
>And I am very interrested, aspecially because I am working on a new book
>and new research about what makes psychodrama such an unique wonderfull
>but complex tool, -
>-and what various influences we psychodramatists are under;
>Freud, Janet, Foulkes, Bateson, etc..- or nonverbal communication research
>-
>or theater theories ...
>
>warmly
>best of best
>anne
>anne ancelin schutzenberger
>Unjiversity Professor, PhD,TEP,group-anayse
>transgenerational analyst
>co-Founder abd actual honorzry archivist IAGP
>-------------------------------------------------------
>anne.schutzenberger at wanadoo.fr
>http://www.psychogenealogie.name
>====== ======
>Le 19 juil. 08 à 19:00, list-request at grouptalkweb.org a écrit :
>
>When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>than "Re: Contents of List digest..."
>
>Today's Topics:
>> 1. RE: Subtle oppression anecdote (T. Treadwell)
>> 2. RE: Psychodrama Business (PATRICIA DESERT)
>> 3. RE: Pierre Janet (PATRICIA DESERT)
>--------------------------
>Message: 3
>Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:23:14 -0400
>From: "PATRICIA DESERT" <honeybwomn at msn.com>
>Subject: RE: Pierre Janet
>To: adam at blatner.com, eddy1 at labyrinth.net.au, list at grouptalkweb.org
>
>I have read some of Janet's work and resonated with his perspective and
>theories on feelings. I am interested in hearing from others who may have
>read him and what they took away from it. Patti
>
>Patti Desert, LCSW-C, CEMDR, CP
>Singular Pathways
>208 East Melrose Avenue
>Baltimore, MD 21212
>Phone: 410.435.3755
>Fax: 410.435.0547
>www.singular-pathways.com
>"from fears and tears to confidence and joy"
>==
>From: "Adam Blatner" <ablatner at verizon.net>
>Reply-To: Adam Blatner <adam at blatner.com>
>To: "Neil Hucker" <eddy1 at labyrinth.net.au>,<list at grouptalkweb.org>
>Subject: Pierre Janet
>Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:30:35 -0500
>
>Dear Neil, thanks for bringing up the name of Pierre Janet. Googling him
>brings up 184,000 hits! He's an important and under-estimated thinker who
>has insights that challenged some of Freud's---perhaps explaining why his
>work was not fully appreciated during the hegemony of psychoanalysis---a
>hegemony that tended to also devalue the many insights of others, such as
>Adler or Jung (who were characterized by the mainstream as merely
>disaffected former disciples with a father complex rather than mature
>colleagues with independent and often valid insights), Assagioli
>(psychosynthesis), Reich, Adolf Meyer, Janet, and so forth.
> So far I haven't heard of anyone who has investigated common
>themes. I'm not aware of any evidence suggesting that Moreno knew much if
>anything about Janet's work. How is it you have become interested?
>Perhaps
>you might help us enrich our work by noting some arenas where Janet's
>insights might be helpful in our own theory development and practice.
> (And of course I too would be interested if Anne knows of any
>overlap in the French psychological literature.)
> Warmly, Adam
>- - - -
>-- Original Message -- From: Neil Hucker
> To: Anne Ancelin Schutzenberger ; list at grouptalkweb.org
> Cc: Schutzenberger Anne ; Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 6:39 AM
> Subject::reaction to Anath & Anna Schaum -subtle opression /
>ListDigest, Vol 25, Issue 18
>
> Dear Anne, this is Neil Hucker in Melbourne Australia. I am a
>psychiatrist psychodramatist and I briefly met you in Melbourne when you
>were at the PIM conference.
> I would like to know whether you have any knowledge about Piere Janet a
>French psychiatrist. (1859-1947) In particulat whether there has been any
>integration of Janet's theory and psychodrama in France.
> regards
> Neil
>___
>************************************
>- Some news from Anne Ancelin Schutzenberger (Paris and Argentiere)
>Good long French summer holidays in French Alps
>Argentiere-Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (Hte Savoie) France-
>
>In Argentina in 2008 new translation of Anne's books (with new publisher
>Taurus) and new republications of old translations of Anne's books
>"Sortir du Deuil" ("Salir del Duelo") with Evelyne Bissone Jeufroy is also
>in translation and soon in print in Argentina in 2008.
>
>November 2007, Anne published a book on Psychogeneazlogy (a new approach
>to psyvchodrama and grooupwork)
> :"Psychogénéalogie, guérir les blessures familiales et se retrouver
>soi",
>Paris, Payot. (a follow up of her "The Ancestor Syndrome
>(London,Routledge).
>
>) 2007 Collectifve English book with 25 authors, including Anne Ancelin
>Schutzenberger, Adam Blatner etc
>édited by Clark Baim, Jorg Burgmeister, Manuela Maciel :
>"Psychodrama, Advances in Theory and Practice", London, Routledge, July
>2007.
>
>Happy landings
>
>Tout de bon – Best of best
>Anne, Paris, and French Alps
>
>Anne Ancelin Schutzenberger, PhD, TEP
>Professeur des Universites, groupe-analyste
>Psychodramatiste & analyste transgenerationnel
>Co-Fondateur et Archiviste IAGP
>-------------------------------------------------------
>anne.schutzenberger at wanadoo.fr
>http://www.psychogenealogie.name
>
>Grouptalk mailing list
>List at grouptalkweb.org
>http://grouptalkweb.org/mailman/listinfo/list_grouptalkweb.org
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