Psychodrama recreates powerful relational dynamics from the past to bring about cathartic change in the present. Trauma from child abuse remains trapped inside us and continues to threaten our feelings of safety and wellbeing through adulthood. Psychodrama allows us to safely reinhabit the body at the point of past abuse and make sense of the experience from an adult perspective. In this video, Bob fears that he is passing on the legacy of abuse from his stepfather to his four-year-old granddaughter. He acts out scenes with his mother, stepfather and granddaughter, playing both himself and reversing roles. In so doing, Dayton helps Bob release hidden emotions, say the things he never got to as a child, and create new meaning around his past and current relationships.
Expert
Tian Dayton, PhD, TEP
Tian Dayton, PhD, TEP has presented psychodrama to wide audiences across the U.S. for two and a half decades. She taught psychodrama at New York University for eight years and seven as Director of program development for Caron Treatment Center. Currently, she is the director of The New York Psychodrama Training Institute. She is the author of numerous books, including The Living Stage: A Step-by-Step Guide to Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy, The Drama Within: Psychodrama and Experiential Therapy and Emotional Sobriety: From Relationship Trauma…
View full profile
