What is Psychodramatic Bodywork®?
Created by Susan Aaron, Psychodramatic Bodywork® combines two forms of psychotherapy: psychodrama and bodywork. In psychodrama, blocked spontaneity from earlier traumas is freed and reintegrated through dramatic action methods. Bodywork involves “safe” touch to help individuals connect with the messages that are held in the body as pain, numbness and/or illness.
Psychodrama is . . .
. . . a form of psychotherapy in which blocked spontaneity from earlier traumas is unblocked and
reintegrated through dramatic action
methods.
Bodywork is . . .
. . . a form of healing that involves touching numb, tense or painful areas in a safe manner. This process often directs us to unexpressed emotions that can be expressed, resulting in a freeing of body energy flow.
In these workshops, Jean works with a team of skilled assistants who perform skits to explain the theory, as well as provide support for all group members. The environment is relaxed and highly conducive to learning.
Introductory Level Workshop
The Introductory Level (3 full days) workshop focuses on . . .
- Understanding, witnessing and experiencing the emotional release of anger, sadness and fear.
- Providing facilitated opportunities to experience the release of each emotion safely.
- Witnessing the full range of anger, sadness and fear, from barely expressed to fully released.
- Learning where the body holds each of these emotions when they are “unexpressed.”
- Learning and practicing guidelines for Safe Touch.
- Increasing one’s comfort level in the use of Safe Touch.
- Experiencing the integration of emotional release and bodywork within the structure of a psychodrama.
- Learning and practicing the 6 aspects of closure theory.
Deep personal healing does occur because it’s an experiential workshop but it is not a therapy group. Members will need significant support at various times during and after the workshop to complete and integrate what was begun in the workshops.
Intermediate Level Workshop
The Intermediate Level (4 full days) workshop focuses on . . .
- The 3 styles of blocking anger, sadness and fear.
- Identifying the meridians in the body that relate to each blocking style.
- Relating the blocking styles to various life traumas and the healing process.
- Four basic headache patterns and how to work with them.
- Introducing basic psychodrama skills: role playing, interviewing in roles, role reversal, doubling.
Deep personal healing does occur because it’s an experiential workshop but it is not a therapy group. Members will need significant support at various times during and after the workshop to complete and integrate what was begun in the workshops.
Advanced Level Workshop
The Advanced Level Training focuses on . . .
The Advanced Level Training allows us to practice and integrate the methods and information learned in the two earlier training programs. By using our own personal issues and blocks, we will experientially learn to enhance our clinical work. This level consists of 4 units, each 5 days in duration, spread over two years, or more.
Trusting our intuition is the foundation of the Advanced Level training. Students are encouraged at all times to draw from this source. They develop a heightened awareness of their own intuitive abilities through this process. Ongoing therapy is a requirement at this level of training. Because the training is about entering fully into our bodies, and our bodies are where the traumas are stored, it is necessary to have the container of ongoing therapy to complete and support the deep transformational work that can take place.
Personal healing does occur because it is an experiential training, but it is not a personal therapy group. Each participant is responsible for the care of their own “wounded self” during and after the training.
In addition, we find that when students release their bodily pain, it is very common for grounded spirituality to emerge spontaneously. They will often find themselves connecting to the spiritual realm, which is encouraged and supported at this level of training.
