The Body in Psychodramatic Work

1. The Body in Psychodramatic Work BPA Annual Conference 2013 – Dublin/Ireland Emma Hagen, Performer, Psychodrama Psychotherapist UKCP, Doris Prügel-Bennett, Teacher of the Alexander Technique STAT, Psychodrama Psychotherapist UKCP

2. Objective of workshop: • Making the body visible in theory and practice. Contributing to the discourse • Taking your body into the conference Our assumptions for the workshop: • Part of action of the body in psychodrama needs to be personal physical work and clarifying theoretical/ideological underpinnings • Provocation on experiential and theoretical level to show ambiguity and fluidity of the subject matter

3. Moreno’s work in its philosophical and historical contextWarming up our thinking chamber Moreno’s contributions regarding the body: - Rescued the body into psychotherapy and inspired others - Philosophically: the body is part of the self - Development of roles and self happens relationally - The body in psychotherapeutic work on a practical level (pragmatism) - Human life and development happens relational – role development, role theory, concept of encounter - Challenges: - Cryptic, vague concepts - Mainly non-reflected pragmatic approach = conserve - No theoretical embedding neither into psychodramatic nor in wider discourse

4. Therefore: Celebration and Provocation Disclaimer: We do not intend to discuss aspects of what might be termed trauma, its diagnostics or treatment, in this workshop. Nor do we intend to give a definite theory to the theme. Rather this workshop’s aim is to generate contributions to a wider discourse that is generally going on without the perspective of psychodrama.

5. Psychodramatistshave vast experience of the body in psychotherapy. However, that pragmatist approach is no longer sufficient and even unprofessional. Every practice has consequences.

6. Addressing perpetuation unreflected agendas and/or transference by • knowing and naming our concepts of the body • Reflecting on our theoretical and practical stance

7. Where is the discourse in psychodrama?With the women - Psychodrama = Psychodrama as a bodytherapeutic method (Stöber, 2006, Aaron) - The gendered body, mainly the female body: role theory, role development, power relationships, encounter (Knapp, 2006, Stöber, 2006, Novy, 2012) - The development of creativity and spontaneity (Radizi-Pauls, 2003) - The moving body (Levy, 1979) - The energetic body (Aaron, 2012) - The touchable body (Prügel-Bennett, 2011)

8. Three strands of practice/discourse in body oriented work in the wider psychotherapeutic field “the expressive and energetic body” “the moving and self-observing body” “the body in the encounter – the touched body” (Geuter, in Geissler, Heisterkamp, 2013, p. 27)

9. Thoughts and quotes by Moreno regarding the concept of the body In the context of catharsis assessment: Realizing the sourceof suffering and dysfunction – could be in the body or in the relationship between body and mind: “... private tragedies may be caused by various disequilibrating experiences, one source of which may be the body. They may be caused by the relationship of the body to the mind, or by that of the mind to the body, and result in an inadequacy of performance at the moment.” (Moreno in Fox, 1987, p 50)

10. Arguing for the power of catharsis within drama he envisages “a medium for catharsis that includes a realization [cognitive insight] as well as a catharsis of the body” (Moreno in Fox, 1987, p 50) In the context of psychodramatic work Moreno knows about ethical challenges (Moreno, 1985, p. 9). “bodily contact requires special skill and training”. (Moreno in Fox, 1987, p 177)

11. Tele, the process of reciprocity, attraction towards and repulsion away from another person, includes the physical aspect. “The encounter is a telic phenomenon. The fundamental process of tele is reciprocity”. “A meeting of two: eye to eye, face to face. And when you are near I will tear your eyes out And place them instead of mine, And you will tear my eyes out And will place them instead of yours, Then I will look at you with your eyes... And you will look at me with mine.” (Moreno, in Fox, 1987, p 4) • Context of Role Theory, roles develop in interaction, child/mother physical interaction Primary roles:Secondary roles: • somatic a) psychodramatic • psychological b) conserved • social • transcendental/integrative (Leutz, 1974, pp. 48 - 53)

12. Context of the warming up process towards spontaneity “The warming up process manifests itself in every expression of the living organism as it strives towards an act. It has a somatic expression, a psychological expression, and a social expression.” (Moreno, 1985, pp. 54) Context of creativity “Characters of creativity”: 1st: spontaneity, 2nd: feeling of surprise, 3rd: unreality => to reality changes, 4th: acting upon a stimulus. 5th: processes of being acted upon trigger mimetic effects including mimetic embodiment. (Moreno, 1985, pp 35/36, highlighted by D. P-B)

13. Summary The stance of pragmatism is outdated and for today’s theme it has long turned into a conserve. This is unprofessional. It does matter to our practical work what we think about the body, to ourselves and to our clients. Psychodramatists’ vast experience needs holding in psychodramatic theory and relating to exchanging thoughts with other bodytherapeutic modalities. More research is required. This workshop was a contribution to the discourse. Psychodrama requires a stance of awareness (theoretically, practically, embodied, personally and within client work).

14. References Aaron, S. (2010). Psychodramatic Bodywork® Explored. The British Journal of Psychodrama and Sociodrama. 25(1), 19 – 53. Alexander, F.M. (1998), The Use of the Self (10thed). Great Britain: Methuen. Bass, G. (2008). Sweet Are the Uses of Adversity. In: Frances Summer Anderson (ed), Bodies in Treatment. The Unspoken Dimension, London: The Analytic Press, pp. 151 – 167. Battersby, C. (1998). The Phenomenal Woman. Feminist Metaphysics and the Patterns of Identity. Cambridge: Polity Press. Butler, J. (1999). Gender Trouble. 2nd ed. London: Routledge. Fox, J., Ed., (1987). The Essential Moreno. Writings on Psychodrama, Group, Method and Spontaneity USA: Springer, pp 9/10, 50, 177. Geiβler, P., Heisterkamp, G. (2013). Einführung in die analytische Körperpsychotherapie. Gieβen: Psychosozial-Verlag. Knapp, H. (2006). Geschlecht und Psychodrama – ein blind date? Zeitschrift für Psychodrama und Soziometrie, 2(2), 261 – 273. Leutz, G. (1974). Psychodrama 1. Theorie und Praxis. Das klassische Psychodrama nach J.L. Moreno, Berlin: Springer. • Levy, F. Psychodramatic Movement Therapy: A Sorting Out Process. American Journal of Dance Therapy • Fall 1979, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp 32-42. Moreno, J. L. (1985). Psychodrama. First Volume. Fourth Edition with New Introduction. Ambler. PA: Beacon House Inc. Novy, K. (2012). Autonomes Handeln, Soziologische, feministische und psychodramatische Perspektiven. Zeitschrift für Psychodrama und Soziometrie, DOI 10.12007/s11620012-0166-5. Prügel-Bennett, D. (2011). Towards a Cotemporary Touch Culture in Psychodrama(unpublished diploma thesis), Oxford School of Psychodrama and Integrative Psychotherapy, Oxford, UK. Radizi-Pauls, A. (2003). Die Bedeutung des Körpers für die Kreativitätsentwicklung im Psychodrama. Zeitschrift für Psychodrama und Soziometrie, 2(2), 313 – 330. Stöber, A. (2006). Die Genderperspektive in der psychodramatischen Supervision. Zeitschrift für Psychodrama und Soziometrie, 1(1), 89 – 103.