About working with psychodrama to deal with changes in life'
Karlstad 13-15/10 2023
Life is constantly changing. Often changes happen without us really noticing them and it is only when we look back that we realize that things have changed. But sometimes the changes happen due to external events, are more dramatic and have a greater effect on our lives. Even seemingly simple changes such as changing jobs or tasks or retiring can be transformative and require us to find new approaches and incorporate new roles into our role repertoire. Sometimes the desire for change comes from within ourselves because we are no longer comfortable with the situation we are in but want to break patterns and find new approaches. Even that requires us to change our roles or incorporate new ones.
Psychodrama, sociometry and change work
JL Moreno, who created psychodrama, strongly believed in human creativity and spontaneity. In his terminology, spontaneity gives creativity a direction and makes it meaningful. By training our spontaneity, we increase our ability to handle new situations adequately and old situations in a new way. Moreno also believed that each person acquires a set of roles throughout life. He believed that the self, or personality, consists of all the roles that we play in our lives. In order to meet new conditions, it is consequently required that we can change our roles, create new ones that are missing and completely reject the roles that are no longer functional. Psychodrama as a method is about developing the role repertoire, and training our spontaneity by seeing things from new perspectives. Everything happens in action. He also meant that we come into being and create our roles in relation to others. It is not enough to understand yourself. We must understand ourselves in relation to others.
This is how we will work
We will work on the psychodrama scene and explore the issues you carry with you and those that arise over the weekend. We work psychodramatically and we will also use the sociometric cycle which is a tool that Anne Hale created to visualize and explore roles and role development. The psychodrama scene is our laboratory where we examine reality in safe ways.
About psychodrama
Psychodrama is used as a method in personal development, guidance and for therapeutic purposes. Psychodrama has cognitive and behavioral elements – you can e.g. practicing in different situations and both by participating in one’s own and other people’s dramas one can develop new sides, increase one’s “role repertoire”. The focus is on developing resources and thereby increasing one’s competence to handle different situations.
Psychodrama is usually used in groups and is a form of group therapy but has much in common with artistic therapies. At the same time, psychodrama is unlike anything else. Dr JL Moreno (1889 – 1974) was the founder of psychodrama. He emphasized the genuine equal meeting. His philosophy of creativity and spontaneity and role theory underlies the psychodramatic method.
Psychodrama has its roots in the theatre, and mainly improvisational theatre. On the psychodrama stage, the main character’s (protagonist’s) questions are staged with the help of the leader (director) and other participants (auxiliary self). Together, a drama is created without ready-made lines and where the plot develops in the moment.
The dramas can be about realistic situations, dreams or fantasies. Because psychodrama involves activity, the body, emotions and all the senses are engaged so that the experience together with cognitive anchoring becomes a powerful learning moment. Everything happens “here and now”, which means that the logic of the self dissolves so that one does not distinguish between the past, the present and the future. Role reversal is a fundamental instrument in psychodrama, and looking at oneself through other people’s eyes and experiencing situations from perspectives other than one’s own is something that increases understanding both for oneself and for others. Psychodrama takes a stand for humanistic values, for the need to consider existential questions and last but not least the healing power of humor.
Who we turn to
This is both an independent seminar and an introductory seminar to the Undergraduate programme. We address both those who have previous experience in psychodrama and those who have no experience at all.
Leaders
Urban Norlander
Psychodrama director TEP (Trainer, Educator, Practitioner through NBBE), Certified coach (ICF), Trained supervisor in psychosocial work at Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University and trained actor, director and theater educator.
Urban has worked with children and youth groups and teacher training in primary schools. As well as with supervision and work group development in personnel training in companies. Conducts basic training in psychodrama at the Swedish Moreno Institute, has evening groups with a focus on personal development and coaching, and completed several trainings on psychodrama at Karlstad University.
Laina Stolt
Psychodrama director CP (Certified practitioner through the Nordic and Baltic Board of Examiners, NBBE). Laina is a candidate of philosophy with many years of experience as a social secretary and director of the treatment home Ellen. A home for abusive and abused women in Norrköping
Practical info
Location:
We will be at Gjuteriet Verkstadsgatan 1 in Karlstad.
Cost
- Employer (2200 SEK + VAT)
- Paying as a private person (SEK 1,800 incl. VAT)
- Unemployed/student/retired (1200 SEK incl. VAT)
Time schedule :
Friday: 18.30 – 20.30 Coffee is served from 18:00
Saturday: 10:00 – 20:00. Coffee is served when it suits in relation to the work and in the middle of the day we take a longer break so that we have time to go out and eat at our own expense
Sunday: 10:00 – 16:00 Coffee is served when it suits in relation to the work and in the price also includes a soup lunch
Registration
Latest registration date
We want your registration by September 18 at the latest
The seminar is a collaboration between Swedish Moreno institute and Studiefrämjandet Örebro/Värmland
