Drama Therapy: Creatively connecting with self through your dramatic body
By Lauryn Carney, Drama Therapist at Ginkgo, M.A, RP(Q)
Drama Therapy in Everyday Life
You may not have heard of drama therapy before. But perhaps you are already using it in your daily life without realizing it. Think back to a time when you were stressed. Maybe you used some movement to shake the sillies out; a let out a sound such as a sigh, or groan, to release your stress; maybe even a metaphor, to compare a situation, person, or feeling to something else. These subtle and oftentimes appearing naturally, are simple techniques used in drama therapy. Of course, this is not all that happens in the drama therapy room.
Examples of how you may already be using dramatic expression in your life:
Being nervous about a conversation and you practised it in the shower
Adding emojis in your texts to add a certain meaning to your words
Naming a car or any other inanimate object
Mirroring someone’s movements or speech
What exactly is Drama Therapy?
Drama therapy falls under the umbrella of the Creative Art Therapies, alongside art, music, dance and movement, play, and expressive therapy. Drama therapy largely uses dramatic techniques, such as imagery, personification, puppets, role-play, storytelling, sound and movements, symbolism, and metaphors. While that is the case, it also uses elements from other creative art therapies such as art, music, dance, and play to aid in dramatic expression.
It might seem like the most intimidating of all the creative art therapies, and you might be thinking… I have no theatre experience for this! Fret not, absolutely no theatre experience is needed. Drama therapists are specially trained to follow the rhythm of the client through attunement. This means we typically start with warm-ups and fail-proof exercises to help build up to certain techniques such as role-play or more complex story-telling. But like any other creative art therapy, we take our time to build a therapeutic relationship and get to know your creative DNA. Sometimes, we find one technique and stick with it for a while. For example, we might find that puppets help effectively with emotional expression. We may explore various exercises using that technique. All this means that when a drama therapist attunes to their client, they can work alongside the client, providing creative options for self-expression.
Sometimes, it is hard to find the right words to express your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Drama therapy offers non-verbal communication using the body, objects, stories, and metaphors to help express the internal world. After an exercise, you are given the power to interpret your own work, process it, and transform it into something else (if that is where you choose to take it). If you feel this resonates with you, or you may be interested in learning more, reach out to Lauryn Carney at info@ginkgotherapies.ca or lauryn.carney47@gmail.com.
