What Is Psychodrama? Replaying Your Life on Stage

What is psychodrama and what happens in a group session? Read about role reversal, mirroring and doubling, who it suits and what to know before you join.

Imagine having, one evening, in front of a group of people and on a stage, the conversation with your father that you have not been able to have for years. Opposite you is someone playing your father; but at some point the director asks you to take his place, and suddenly you find yourself in your father's chair, speaking in his voice. This experience may sound like theatre; yet the aim is not to move an audience but for the person to be able to look at their own life from a new place. So what is psychodrama, what really happens in a group session, who is it suitable for, and what should you bear in mind before joining? In this article we explain the core elements of psychodrama, its commonly used techniques, its possible benefits and its limits, in plain language for anyone thinking of joining a psychodrama group.

What Is Psychodrama?

Psychodrama is a method of group psychotherapy in which a person explores situations they have lived through, or fear living through, by acting them out on a stage in a group setting rather than describing them in words. It was developed in Vienna in the early 20th century by the Romanian-born psychiatrist Jacob Levy Moreno. Watching the games children played in parks and experiments in spontaneous theatre, Moreno noticed how freely people could express themselves by playing roles.

The two core concepts Moreno brought to psychodrama are spontaneity and creativity. In his view, a large part of psychological distress arises from a person responding to new situations with old, fixed reactions. Psychodrama makes it possible to try out new responses in a safe setting, in a sense to "rehearse".

Moreno was also one of the pioneers of the concept of group psychotherapy, and he developed sociometry, which studies relationships within a group, and sociodrama, in which social issues are enacted within the group. In Turkey, too, psychodrama has long been a known method, particularly in psychiatry and psychology circles; today there are associations and institutes offering psychodrama training. Although groups are mostly held in the big cities, some leaders also run weekend workshops in other cities.

If you are curious about the general principles of therapy in a group setting, you can take a look at our article on group therapy.

The Core Elements of Psychodrama

There are five core elements in a psychodrama session:

• Protagonist: The person whose own story is being worked on in that session. The word means "lead actor". Every member of the group may become the protagonist over time, but no one is pressured into it.
• Director: The therapist trained in psychodrama. They set the scene, choose the techniques, look after the protagonist's emotional safety and guide the process.
• Auxiliary egos: Group members who play important people in the protagonist's life, such as a parent, a spouse, a boss, or even a part of the protagonist themselves. Sometimes they may also play an object or a feeling.
• The group: Members who are not on stage act as witnesses. Their presence helps the protagonist feel they are not alone.
• The stage: The area of the room set aside for the work. A few chairs, a piece of fabric and a cushion are enough to bring a kitchen table or a hospital room to life.

How Does a Psychodrama Session Unfold?

Sessions usually consist of three stages.

1. Warm-up: Group members make contact with one another and with their own feelings. Movement, short games or sharing questions may be used. By the end of this stage, a protagonist who is ready to work that day emerges.

2. Action: A scene chosen by the protagonist is enacted. It may be an event from the past, a conflict happening today, a feared moment in the future, or a dream. The director builds the scene step by step: "Where are we? What time is it? Who is in the room?"

3. Sharing: After the enactment, group members share what the protagonist's story touched in their own lives. No interpretations are made and no advice is given at this stage. The aim is to give the protagonist the message: "You are not alone." Sharing also allows the protagonist, who may have experienced intense feelings on stage, to rejoin the group and end the session in a more collected state.

Imagine a man in his thirties who works in the family business his father founded but has wanted for years to make his own way in another profession. Every time he tries to tell his father, he either falls silent or a row breaks out. In the psychodrama session he chooses someone from the group to play his father and the scene is set: the family home, an evening meal after the Bayram (religious holiday) visits. In the first few sentences his throat tightens again. At one point the director asks them to reverse roles. Sitting in his father's chair and speaking as him, the protagonist says: "I opened this shop for you; if you leave, it will all have been for nothing." This sentence lets him feel, for the first time, the fear underlying his father's anger. When the scene ends, the content of the conversation may not have changed; but the protagonist now knows how he will talk to his father.

In psychodrama, change often begins not with thinking a sentence through, but with feeling in your body, for the first time, the courage to say it.

Techniques Used in Psychodrama

Role reversal

The protagonist takes the place of an important person in the scene and speaks as they would. This technique helps the protagonist experience the other person's point of view from the inside and build empathy. At the same time, the protagonist shows the auxiliary ego how that person behaves.

Mirroring

The protagonist steps out of the scene and watches from outside as another group member plays them. Seeing your own behaviour in someone else's body can make unnoticed patterns visible: "Do I really speak this quietly?"

Doubling

An auxiliary ego stands behind the protagonist and voices the inner voice the protagonist cannot express. While the protagonist says, "It's fine, I understand," the double might say, "But I'm really hurt." If the protagonist finds the sentence true, they repeat it; if not, they correct it.

Future scenes and role rehearsal

A situation that has not yet happened but causes anxiety, such as a job interview, a break-up conversation or an important family gathering, is rehearsed on stage. This technique helps a person build confidence before trying a new behaviour in real life.

Concretisation

An abstract feeling or thought is made concrete on stage through a person or an object. For example, the feeling a protagonist describes as "a weight on me" might be enacted by a group member placing a hand on their shoulder. How heavy the weight is, who it comes from and what it feels like to put it down are thus experienced through the body.

Inner voice and soliloquy

While walking on stage or reliving a memory, the protagonist says aloud whatever is going through their mind at that moment. In this way the thoughts they carry but do not voice become visible in front of the group.

What Is Psychodrama as Therapy, and How Is It Different From Theatre?

The first question that comes to the mind of people researching "what is psychodrama" is often whether it is a kind of acting. Psychodrama uses the language of theatre but is not theatre; no one on stage rehearses a role, memorises lines or waits for applause. The differences are these:

• There is no script: The scene comes from the protagonist's real life and develops spontaneously during the session.
• There are witnesses, not spectators: Group members do not judge a performance; they accompany the protagonist's experience.
• The aim is healing: A successful scene is not one that was well acted but one in which the protagonist noticed something new about themselves.
• Confidentiality is essential: What is shared in the group does not leave the group.

Drama workshops, creative drama activities or role-play for personal development can also offer valuable experiences; but they are not psychotherapy. Psychodrama is led by professionals who have a foundation in mental health and have then completed specialist psychodrama training lasting several years.

Who Might Psychodrama Help, and What Should You Watch For?

Psychodrama can be a meaningful experience in the following situations:

• People who find it hard to express their feelings by talking but can convey them more easily by living them
• Long-standing, unresolved relationship problems with parents, spouses or siblings
• Goodbyes that were never said and unfinished grief
• People who need to try out a new role or behaviour, for example those who want to learn to say no, set boundaries or express themselves
• People who feel lonely and want to experience connecting with others again

There are, however, points to be careful about:

• Intense emotions: Enactment can bring unexpectedly strong feelings to the surface. For this reason the director's experience and the safety of the group are decisive.
• Trauma: For people who have experienced severe trauma, enacting traumatic scenes should only be done very carefully, gradually and with a professional competent in trauma.
• Social anxiety: For someone intensely afraid of speaking in front of others, a group setting may be challenging at first. Sometimes it is better to start with individual work; on the other hand, an experience in a supportive group at the right time can also be a powerful step in coping with social anxiety. Our article on social phobia may also give you some ideas.
• Acute crisis: During periods of intense crisis, severe depression or a weakened connection with reality, a psychodrama group may not be the first choice.

Before joining a psychodrama group

If you are thinking of joining a psychodrama group, the following steps will make things easier:

1. Have a preliminary meeting: Well-structured groups hold an individual meeting with participants beforehand. In this meeting you can talk about your expectations, your health and whether you are ready.
2. Ask about the director's training: Find out their core profession in mental health, where and over how long they completed their psychodrama training, and whether they receive supervision.
3. Find out about the group's structure: Is it a closed group, or an open workshop with different people at each session? How many people are there, how long will it last, and is it weekly or intensive weekend work?
4. Clarify the confidentiality rules: Ask how the group's confidentiality agreement is made. Especially in small cities, if there is a chance of being in the same group as someone you know, discuss this in advance.
5. Know your own limits: You will not be pressured into being the protagonist. Taking part as a witness or an auxiliary ego in the first sessions is also a valuable experience.

It is normal to feel tired, emotional or reflective for a few days after a session; the feelings opened up on stage may stay with you for a while. During this time it can help to set aside some quiet time for yourself, to write or to go for a walk. But if your distress is steadily increasing and disrupting your daily tasks, it is important to share this with the group leader.

When Should You Seek Professional Support?

Although a psychodrama group is one option, in the following situations it is important to have an individual assessment first:

• You have been experiencing low mood, anxiety or sleep problems for weeks that are affecting your daily life
• After a loss, a disaster or a traumatic event, memories come into your mind unbidden
• Problems in your relationships are leading to intense outbursts of anger, ruptures or isolation
• You have thoughts of harming yourself

If the last point applies to you, contact a mental health professional without delay; in an emergency, call 112 (emergency services).

How Are Role Work and Group Experience Approached in Therapy?

Psychodrama is a group method run by psychodramatists with additional training in this field. Clinical Psychologist Eda Erkan Alapala does not run psychodrama groups; she is a clinical psychologist who has completed four years of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training to EABCT standards with the Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (KDTD). Even so, role-play is also a commonly used tool in cognitive behavioural therapy: rehearsing an anxiety-provoking conversation in session, trying out a boundary-setting sentence in different ways, or the client rethinking a situation from the point of view of a person they find difficult. In schema-focused work, chair work and imagery are used as experiential methods related to psychodrama.

In individual therapy, this kind of work is planned together according to the client's readiness and needs. If it seems that a group experience would be more helpful for you, this too is discussed openly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need acting talent to take part in psychodrama?

No. In psychodrama what matters is not acting well but being sincere. Many participants are shy and hesitant at first; warm-up exercises and the group's support help people relax quickly.

What do I gain from taking a role in someone else's story?

Playing someone else's mother or boss as an auxiliary ego often brings unexpected insights about your own life. You can pass on these experiences to the group in the sharing stage.

Can psychodrama be done individually?

Psychodrama is essentially a group method. However, some of its techniques, such as role reversal or the empty chair, can be adapted to individual sessions. These adaptations are sometimes called "monodrama".

How long does a psychodrama group last?

Groups are organised in different ways: weekly closed groups lasting a few months, intensive weekend workshops, or longer-term training and therapy groups. It is advisable to clarify the length and structure with the group leader before joining.

• #psychodrama
• #group therapy
• #role reversal
• #Moreno

Yazar

Eda Erkan Alapala

Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.

Eğitimler