
Case Psychodrama
Playful yet profound, how?
Carmen and I work together a a therpist duo and often use psychodrama techniques. We hae worked with many couples. One such couple is Bob and Tracey.
Bob and Tracey are not on the same page when it comes to understanding each other. Bob tries to express himself with emotions, but does not know how. Tracey thinks he is cheating on her and is angry. Both want to restore their relationship to how it once was. They have been married for over 25 years.
My intention is to change and prevent their blame game.
We start with diving into their attachment issues, and look at their coping patterns. We do this on the 'floor' with floormats and images. This makes it a lot easier to understand as the visual props help clarify what is happening. With the role reversal, both Bob and Tracey actually feel and experience each other's perspective. We learn that how Tracey communicates her anger is really important. She depletes her emotional reserves by holding onto anger. In therapy we incorporate her body by doing playful interactions. Profound shifts take place during the session. Tracey is able to externalize her anger while Bob learns that his 'wall' of defense, only makes matters worse. By letting down his wall he shows he trusts Tracey and dares to let her see his vulnerability. This takes courage. Bob is able to externalize and visualize his wall while Tracey does the same with her anger. The damaging barriers in their relationship are now identified and recognized. The progress made is significant.
The session took 1 day, with 2 therapists.