Focus on Psychodrama: The Therapeutic Aspects of Psychodrama

The author provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of psychodrama, presenting a systematic analysis of its essential ingredients. He specifies the core issues involved, discussing the interpersonal, the emotional, the imaginary, the behavioural and the cognitive elements. By proposing more uniform definitions for these central psychodramatic concepts, the author reduces some of the confusion which surrounds the theory of psychodramatic technique. The book examines the professional roles assumed by psychodramatists and establishes the skills required in each role, before going on to discuss the interpersonal relationships which develop between the participants in a psychodrama group, and the therapeutic value of catharsis and emotional abreaction. Also explored is the use of the concept of acting out, both in psychdrama and psychoanalysis, and how the use of action-insight methods can provoke profound learning experiences. The book concludes with discussions of the problem of resistance, and the importance of the concept and technique of closure in each psychodrama. A processing checklist is added at the end of the book as a systematic aid in evaluating the professional skills of the psychodramatist. The chapters are both pragmatic and solidly grounded in theory, thereby providing students with an effective, in-depth alternative to the traditional verbal therapies. The book is intended for students and practitioners of psychodrama, and professionals seeking to extend their knowledge of creative arts therapies.

Table of Contents:
Foreword (Jonathan Moreno). Introduction. Chapter 1. Definition. Chapter 2. Theory. Chapter 3. The Psychodramatist. Chapter 4. Charismatic Leadership. Chapter 5. Therapeutic Aspects.ÿ20Chapter 6. Catharsis. Chapter 7. Action-Insight. Chapter 8. Tele. Chapter 9. As-If . Chapter 10. Acting Out. Chapter 11. Magic . Chapter 12. Resistance. Chapter 13. Closure. Chapter 14. Processing. References. Name and Subject Index.

About the Author :
Peter Felix Kellermann is a clinical psychologist who qualified as a practitioner at the Moreno Institute, New York. He teaches psychodrama in Israel and around the world. He is the co-editor of Psychodrama with Trauma Survivors, also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Review :
The contributors to this book provide persuasive evidence of how psychodrama can safely be used to create paths of change for even the most severe traumatization. They discuss the possible transmission of trauma patters across generations. Using psychodrama, they create a place to act out unprocessed trauma within the containment of therapy, in order to stop the obsessive repetition of the past. This well-known and respected textbook is for all students and practitioners of psychodrama seeking to extend their knowledge. The author provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of psychodrama, presenting a systematic analysis of its essential therapeutic ingredients. With this volume his ingenious and highly original work will not only help create a sounder conceptual basis for psychodrama therapy, it will also establish Kellermann as one of a precious handful of significant thinkers on the foundations of psychodrama. The wide-ranging knowledge and experience that Kellermann demonstrates is impressive, and the results of these explorations are often convincing... this is an important book. Not an easy one perhaps, but one which addresses difficult and complex issues and will hopefully stimulate further structured thinking about the therapeutic factors in psychodrama. ... this work shows evidence of a good deal of thought and effort and raises some very interesting points. Buy it! This is an excellent book on psychodrama written by one of the few true scholars in our field - the work of J L Moreno is being productively expounded by rigorous, original analyses of psychodramatic theory represented in Kellerman's work. A particularly useful inclusion in the book is the "Psychodrama Director Processing Checklist"... the book is eminently buyable. This is an extremely wide-ranging and perceptive study which provides a detailed overview of the theories supporting the therapeutic claims made for psychodrama. There is much here that the drama/theatre worker could draw upon in non-clinical contexts particularly in the search for answers to the vexing question of precisely how people learn through imagined experience.