[IAGP:PSYCHODRAMA] Open sessions

Peter Parkinson peterpi at xtra.co.nz
Sat Jun 21 16:52:28 CDT 2008 

Hello Walter
My initial response is: An open session is in one where any person off the
street can walk in. As I say that I realize that that is not entirely
accurate. For my groups I never advertised in the paper, the attendants were
members of my General Medical Practice that I had introduced to the idea, or
they were people who had came as acquaintances of existing groups members or
those who had heard of the group by word of mouth. Word did spread and some
people moved home to the area to become part of the process that centered
around the ³open psychodrama².  Prostitutes came from Auckland (the nearest
city) to share a house in a nearby village and come to the groups and do
their sexual abuse recovery work and life changing process with with me and
members of my team. For some reason they preferred the Tuesday Group rather
than any other in the week.

I was also going to say that no theme was set for the group, but that too is
inaccurate. Being centered around my medical practice healing was the
unspoken theme. Much of the healing regarded healing from physical disease.
In fact of the two patients/clients who encouraged me into beginning the
open sessions, one used the process to explore her asthma, and the other her
multiple sclerosis. And what an enormous learning curve it was for me as
each opened their own personal ³textbook² of their own illness.

For me and my team open did mean ongoing 52 weeks a year. It did mean that
the door was open for people to make their own way to the group. I did learn
not to take referrals, especially from out of town. I think that a referred
person thinks that they have come to be cured and sees a completion and a
time to go home. Whereas as self referred person seems to be looking at the
process as ongoing and a way of living, just as we do ourselves.
Furthermore, the development of community was lost as soon as the referred
person went home. To my recollection, in the total population of the general
practice (1700 people) there were no deaths by suicide in the 13 years of
operation. However, in the small number of referred cases there were three
deaths by suicide. It seems that, with the passage of time, utilizing
Moreno¹s methods as part of the the work that we did, that the community
step by step healed.

This is a long answer to your question.
Cheers

Peter Parkinson 
Aoteoroa New Zealand


On 22/06/08 3:34 AM, "wbaile at mdanderson.org" <wbaile at mdanderson.org> wrote:

> 
> Some of us do not know what 'open sessions' entail..could someone enlighten?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Please Note New Mailing Address:
> 
> Walter F. Baile MD
> Professor, Behavioral Science
> Director, Program in Interpersonal Communication
> and Relationship Enhancement ( I*CARE)
> The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
> Unit 135
> 1515 Holcombe Blvd
> Houston Tx 77030
> Tel. 713 745 4116
> FAx 713  794 4236
> 
> wbaile at mdanderson.org
> 
> 
> Adam Blatner <adam at blatner.com>
> Sent by: <iagp-psychodrama at yahoogroups.com>
> 06/20/2008 04:04 PM
> Please respond to Adam Blatner
> 
>         
> To: Peter Parkinson <peterpi at xtra.co.nz>, Peter Howie
> <peterhowie at macquariehouse.com.au>, Group Talk <list at grouptalkweb.org>
> cc: Jacob Gershoni <gej9001 at nyp.org>, Manuela Maciel <manuelamaciel at sapo.pt>,
> <iagp-psychodrama at yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [IAGP:PSYCHODRAMA] Open sessions
> 
> 
> 
> Re: Sociodrama open evenings?Hello, all. The question of open psychodrama is
> interesting, as there have been some people who have expressed some wariness
> about the wisdom or ethics involved. Do people attending know what they're
> getting into? What are the cautions that directors should know about or be
> expected to maintain. What is properly not the responsibility of the director?
> In the olden days of the 1940s through the 1970s, people were viewed as
> somewhat more rational and capable of making their own boundaries. This is
> ironic, because during that era, in medical circles, they were also
> patronized---not given full information if it was thought they "couldn't
> handle it"---such as being told they had a likely fatal illness. After the
> 1970s things changed. The feminist movement brought forward themes that others
> had noted---the power of authority to subtly silence protest being one that is
> most relevant. It's as if the bar shifted upward. Medical research found that
> people who gave technically informed consent were found not to have really
> understood the paper they were signing. People who were being explained things
> often nodded and said they understood but if tested later only absorbed a
> fraction of what a patient physician may have said, and not infrequently got
> things backward. So when is informed consent "really" informed?
> The encounter groups of the 1970s were often irresponsibly conducted, with a
> baseline expectation that folks were responsible for their own needs and
> mental health. Within this setting, leaders allowed for confrontations and
> scapegoating that led to psychological casualties.
> 
> Even in ordinary yoga and fitness classes, people are led to do what the
> leader instructs, even though it may stress out certain tendons or joints and
> lead to physical problems. Learning how to "listen to your body" and resist
> the instructions that may work for others takes a bit of practice.
> 
> Nevertheless, a variety of centers have operated open sessions, from Moreno's
> work in the 1940s through the 1970s (continued by many of the leading training
> directors and Zerka during Moreno's decline and after his passing); and at
> other institutes. Let's get more feedback about who conducts such sessions.
> 
> Did anyone do this for a while but then stop and if so, why?
> 
> I have past correspondence about this, as it's been addressed on and off for
> many years. I think Jacob Gershoni was going to write up his experiences, but
> he seems to have gotten busy. I'm not personally experienced enough in leading
> such events that I'd be willing to be a first author, but I may help a little
> in sharing what I've heard and my thoughts. It would make a good symposium but
> mainly it does need to be integrated and eventually written about!
> 
> The theme of psychodrama versus sociodrama open sessions adds another
> dimension to it, for as sociodrama the contract shifts a bit to the less
> personal-- there's less of an implied contract that's therapy-like--- (not
> that such a contract ever actually existed, but there are nuances in
> phenomena). 
> here it shades into Boal's work and similar efforts like Theatre of the
> Oppressed and Rainbow of Desire.
> 
> Let's see if this probe hits anyone who wants to pick it up and run with it.
> Warmly, Adam
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Peter Parkinson
> To: Peter Howie ; Group Talk
> Sent: Friday, June 20, 2008 3:09 PM
> Subject: Re: Sociodrama open evenings?
> 
> Hi Peter
> History wise, starting 1980 there was a regular one in Thames New Zealand, a
> small rural community (8000 people) an hour from Auckland. It was a weekly
> occasion, government funded that I ran together with Sally Christie for 13
> years, and it was continues by John Barton (now in Melbourne) and Noel Borst
> for a further few years after I left the area. Chris Mourant and I (and later
> Cushla Clark who took my place, ran a Monday evening group for several years
> in Auckland also on a weekly basis. What open psychodrama will be happening in
> Auckland from now on is currently being discussed.
> 
> As you know, Peter, I am keen to see open psychodrama be available in each and
> every centre in the world, and perhaps on the same day of each week or month,
> so that, when traveling, we can meet one another through the open psychodrama
> session and have the method available as we travel.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Peter Parkinson
> Aoteoroa New Zealand
> 
> On 20/06/08 6:31 PM, "Peter Howie" <peterhowie at macquariehouse.com.au
> <mailto:peterhowie%40macquariehouse.com.au> > wrote:
> 
> HI fellows,
> 
> A quick question - I know many places run regular psychodrama open evenings -
> does any one run regular sociodrama open evenings?
> 
> We ran our first the other night and had a great response.
> 
> Cheers for now
> 
> Peter 
> 
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