Frequently Asked Questions

What is dramatherapy?

Dramatherapy is the facilitation of the creative arts with the explicit intent of achieving psychological change, healing and development. It is a flexible and creative psychological therapy and medium for personal development. It is rooted in theatre art and informed by the disciplines of anthropology and psychodynamic psychotherapy.

What does dramatherapy offer?

• Embodied Exploration

  Through embodiment techniques, participants explore how physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts manifest in the body, deepening their awareness of inner experiences.

• Character Exploration

  Engaging with characters, stories and roles allows individuals to embody different aspects of themselves, fostering empathy, insight, and self-reflection.

• Psychodramatic Techniques

  Psychodrama techniques, such as role-playing, mirroring, and doubling, provide a safe and dynamic space for exploring personal narratives, relationships, and inner conflicts.

• Archetypal Imagery

  Drawing from Jungian psychology, sessions may incorporate archetypal imagery and symbolism to access deeper layers of the unconscious and promote psychological integration.

• Creative Expression

  Acting serves as a creative outlet for expressing complex emotions, connecting with experiences and narratives whilst fostering self-expression and empowerment.

What makes dramatherapy unique and effective?

Dramatherapy introduces change at a level independent of cognitive processing. It creates access to and offers safe exploration of what is not possible to examine at a verbal level. Dramatherapy uses symbol, embodiment and action to safely access deeper, non-verbal parts of mental function. It applies neuroscience’s understanding of what van der Kolk in the treatment of trauma calls ‘somatic memory’ and facilitates direct communication with the limbic system in our brains, where our emotional life is housed and where our memories are formed.

Dramatherapy also offers a holistic approach to wellbeing and encompasses body, mind and soul.

Why is ritual important in dramatherapy?

Rituals have been used for centuries as a means of marking transitions, processing emotions and fostering connection. Dramatherapy uses the therapeutic potential of ritual to create sacred space and honour individual experiences. Sessions draw from the following healing aspects of ritual:

• Symbolic Expression

  Rituals offer a symbolic language through which clients can express emotions, thoughts and experiences that may be difficult to articulate verbally.

• Cathartic Release

  Engaging in ritual can provide a cathartic release of pent-up emotions, allowing for emotional healing and catharsis.

• Meaning-making

  Rituals help individuals make meaning out of their experiences, fostering a sense of coherence and understanding in the face of adversity.

• Integration and Transformation

  Through ritual, clients can integrate new insights and experiences into their sense of self, leading to profound personal transformation.

Who can call themselves a ‘dramatherapist’ and what training is involved?

‘Dramatherapist’ is a protected title by law. Dramatherapists are both artists and clinicians and trained to Masters level. They undergo their own extensive personal therapy and ongoing clinical supervision. It is a legal requirement to practise in the UK for dramatherapists to register with the Health and Care Professions Council and they work under a strict code of ethics.

Is there any kind of professional body in the UK?

Yes. The British Association of Dramatherapists, known as BADth, was established in 1977 as the professional body for dramatherapists in the UK to protect and support dramatherapists. BADth publishes a peer reviewed dramatherapy journal three times a year that covers all aspects of theory, practice and evidence-based research in the field.

Why is dramatherapy important for actors?

Actors benefit significantly from having a dramatherapist in the rehearsal room to support their wellbeing. They assist actors in separating themselves from their characters ensuring that the lines between their personal identity and their roles do not blur. Actors are prevented from experiencing emotional fatigue, leading to more powerful and authentic performances. Film, television production and theatre companies have a duty of care to look after the mental health of their actors who may be taking on intense emotions and engaging with themes that provoke trauma triggers. Dramatherapists offer techniques for emotional regulation and character development. They help actors manage stress and anxiety, fostering a more focused and creative environment.

Why might dramatherapy be effective at developing strong, effective and authentic leaders in business?

Good leadership must be developed from the inside out. It cannot be acquired by learning a set of techniques which don’t stand up to high pressure situations. This requires developing high levels of emotional intelligence, which is born in the part of the brain that governs feelings, impulses and drives – the limbic system. Decisions are made in the limbic system, and not in the neocortex, which governs analytical and technical ability. To enhance emotional intelligence, professional development programmes and training need to work with the limbic system. Dramatherapy is an evidence-based practice that enables this work to take place safely.

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