Ms. Enas Jouda

Psychodrama in Gaza

Note:

We have finished the first step of training process on mechanisms in psychodrama, which has started from 2002 – 2008, Wright now we have started the second step which is professional supervision that belong to psychodrama by professional psychologists Ursula Hiss and Dr. Maya, there fore practicing and application are exclusive on training team that belong to G.C.M.H.P Medical Relief.

My name is Ali, I'm 30 years old, I have thought before I joined therapy psychodrama group that the most important problem in my life now is my bad relation with my boss and how much he authatarian and he always intend to implemented the work rules hard which make me angry, and I wonder about if I capable to face him and express my feelings or even say my opinion, I have tried and failed, in stead of that I wasn't committed to work also I ignore him, I have present this problem in psychodrama session and I can't imagine even for a moment that my real problem is not only with my boss, but with my parents who have separated and left me away and many others interfere in my raising now I have started to understand what was happening to me as I have seen and recognized it for first time.

What is the psychodrama and why call like that?

Ali said:

During my training I know that psychodrama concept is consist of two parts, the first is psycho and the other is drama means acting.

And the psychologist in the course adds the acting here is about events affecting psychological on the person and he needs to resolve it or find right way to deal with it.

Psychodrama is one of group psychological methods using more than one psychological method therapy like cognitive therapy, behavioral and family therapy, the psychologist give us summary about ??? of psychodrama.

How psychodrama has established?

The psychodrama has been found by the famous psychologist scientist Jacobe Morino who born in 1889 in Bucharest, Romania, he joined in philosophy university and discovered the children are more activity when they have been encouraged for acting stories about their familys conflict after that he joined to medicine college between ( 1912 – 1917 ) and after his direct work with people he became more convinced about the creation idea from the spontaneous expression, this was the beginning to establish the first theatre to make the idea more realistic for people and significant.

Three decates after the first establisher of psychodrama has been died morino and it is spread all over the world, and it doesn't depend on one psychodrama theory to resolve the problems but it depends on many others theories and various of psychological therapy kinds, and the first responsible on the using theories is the scientist Jacob Morino because he used the physical expression by acting the event in stead of talking about it.

The scientist Jacob Morino in 1949 established the American association for group therapy and psychodrama.

Which way ????

In the first session for me with psychodrama group, at the beginning the psychologist introduce me to others which gave us a chance to know and expressing our selves by new way , the main points for the course.

The golden rules for psychodrama:

person respect for the group.
respect privacy and confidentially in the sessions.
no interruption for the sessions by phone calls, or not commitment for the exact time of the sessions.
respect other feelings and don't underestimate them.
accept and respect the other opinion.

After that we apply the first step in psychodrama which is warming up exercises which are activation exercising like yoga, relaxation and many other exercises which aim to:

prepare the group to work in psychodrama.
breaking ice between group individuals.
reduce the internal resistance for the individual by expression about his feelings freely between the group.
strengthen the relations between them.

How I have been chose as protagonist?

After the first step has been finished the group was ready for the second step which is the mechanism to choose the protagonist who will talk about his problem to the group.

The choice was voulantary and giving the chance for more one person to talk about their problems, and by coincidence I have been chosen as protagonist and I don't know why?

I hesitate at the beginning and I became afraid but I don't object as usual in life.

I don't imagine myself crying in front of others!!!!

In the third step which is action .

Here the step of action started and choice process for assistant actors which is happened spontaneously and depends on ( T.E.T.E ) between me as protagonist and the group members such as I chose person to act my father role because he looks like him when I act the events dramatically such as my problem with my parent I cried deeply as I live my painful experience again with deference to realize my problem.

Here the psychologist go to the fourth and last step which is participation with group to give them full chance to express about their feelings, thoughts and their private experiences, at that moment I felt I'm not alone but surrounding by supporting group I can call them when I need.

And the session was finished, them we asked the psychologist about items ??? psychodrama.

Is it right the psychodrama is dealing only with children?

This is common idea about psychodrama it is refer to Morino by his first observation for children playing.

But it is activating process with another such as:

the employees and their relation with work pressure or with bosses.
universities students
teenagers and their various problems.
old people and they loneliness they are suffering of.
mental patients
patients who are suffering of chronic diseases pressure.
children.
for any body who asking therapy by psychodrama.
the persons who are facing trauma.

I have another question: what's the deference between psychodrama and acting that we used to and the social drama?

Psychodrama:

therapy process as one of the kinds of mental therapy.
Dealing with individual issues which resolve by the group of participations in psychodrama.
We can implement some of exercises which help in application of psychodrama process.
Psychodrama is spontaneous process doesn’t need to righting text.
Psychodrama depends on ( T.E.L.E ) between the group which means choosing the auxiliary egos spontaneously by the protagonist

The therapy process.

Drama:

Caring to present problems which is important to the society aims to show by many pointivews.

Social drama:

Dealing with issue of society and social problems.
Apply to big groups sharing the same problems.
Usable as a part of psychodrama and not the contrast.

A question make me confused: what is the secret of taking care of psychodrama in Gaza nowadays?

Psychodrama in Gaza is new direction and not traditional in psychotherapy despite of it's not new in the west world, so ?? ordinary as experience to know how much the society accept it specially our society was and still suffering stigma of mental diseases besides increase the psychological pressure which the Palestinian people are facing even internal or external.

Many ??? to various in the Palestinian people by psychodrama team in G.C.M.H.P, we notice the importance the idea and how much they are cooperating.

The team of research department applying resarable tests to know how much it is work psychodrama improve some of personal issues, and others not responding, by taking consideration the change in the therapy process in psychodrama happen by time as well as the experience in psychodrama is new and the team as we mentioned under the professional supervision.

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