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The title of my February 27 blog was: "Psychodrama: Counseling in the Third Dimension." I explained how psychodrama and talk-listen therapy differ. This blog shows how I used psychodrama to help a 45-year-old man named George find meaning in his life. He had met with a discussion group for several months but came away from the gatherings with more questions than answers.
I guided George through a psychodramatic journey leading to an alternative reality that simulated his own funeral. My objective was for George to see life with the wisdom that comes from seeing the panorama of life after death.
We set the scene first. Scene setting is an important part of a psychodrama. When I told George we were going to attend his funeral he looked at me as if I had a few screws loose. But George allowed his fantasy to take over. As he set the scene George described in detail the funeral home as he perceived it, including the color of the walls, the ceiling, the number of windows and their placement, as well as the texture and color of the carpet. He walked around the room showing where things were located, including his casket and where people were seated. He even identified two or three people. By now the scene felt a real to him.
We created the casket by placing two chairs side-by-side. I said to George, "Reverse roles with the deceased George by lying down on the chairs." After George lay down I interviewed him in the role of the deceased George in order to establish the presence of the deceased George. I asked questions like, "When did you die? If you were alive, what is one thing you would change?" I then gave George the most important directive of the psychodrama session. I said, "When you talk to George you will have a great deal of wisdom. It will be important for George to hear this wisdom." Creating a wisdom figure is common when using psychodrama.
You're beginning to see how this process unfolds. After George reversed roles with the deceased George a few times the image of the deceased George became very clear in his mind.
I said to the deceased George, "Before you died, you were preoccupied with a search for meaning to your life. Your view of life is now much different and perhaps filled with wisdom. Please give George your guidance." The deceased George gave a relatively long list of things that the living George could begin doing, including risking more and being less timid and reluctant to get involved with life.
The interview with the deceased George was important because it empowered George to find answers by looking back from the grave. The final role reversal put George back to the reality of the funeral home. Or, perhaps more appropriately stated, "to the surplus reality of the funeral."
My objective in this blog was to give you some idea of how psychodrama evolves in a psychodramatic session when there is only the therapist and the client. A more extensive description of how to use psychodrama in a one-on-one therapy session can be found in my book, Counseling and Drama, Psychodrama A' Deux, (2009).
My book of eight case studies can be purchased by going to Xlibris.com and typing in my name and the title of the book as follows: Marvin Knittel, Counseling and Drama, Psychodrama A' Deux, (2009)
