Developed through spontaneity research by Dr. J. L. Moreno, a psychiatrist working in Vienna, and the founder of group psychotherapy, psychodrama encourages the spontaneity and creativity of clients for therapeutic purposes. It has very wide applications and allied disciplines of sociometry (the measurement of group relations) and sociodrama.
Psychodrama is classically structured as follows:
Warm-up: the first phase of the group is when drama and other creative activities are used to warm-up participants' spontaneity. Out of this phase one member of the group is chosen to become the protagonist whose story is explored, or who wishes to work on some difficulty.
Enactment: the group enacts scenes from the past, present and future of the protagonist under the direction of the therapist, and according to the protagonist's perception of events. Therapeutic goals are catharsis, action insight and intra-psychic and inter-personal change.
Sharing: group members share with the protagonist what they recognise from their own lives in the drama.
Psychodrama offers you an opportunity to explore things that trouble you. With the help of others, you can review scenes from your life and express how you feel. Psychodrama can also be fun, empower you and help you gain confidence in relationships. Psychodrama is usually group therapy but the method can also be used in individual therapy.
Psychodrama is recognised by the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and has spread around the world.