Psychodrama gets (+) mention in Psychotherapy Networker

 

The current issue of Psychotherapy Networker mentions psychodrama  for the good. In the current issue -- which celebrates the 30th year of the fabulous magazine -- a reprised article from 2007 looks at  "The Most Discredited Therapies."

The article contrasts therapies that have been considered discredited -- like prefrontal lobotomies, reparative therapies for homosexuality and others -- with therapies that are  deemed credible, like EMDR, humor therapy for depression, etc.

 

And about psychodrama: "Several older methods, including J.L.Moreno's psychodrama and Wilfred Bion's psychoanalytically oriented group analysis, also noted respectable ratings."  

In the article, psychologist John Norcross stresses that a discredited ranking of any treatment should primarily be construed as a call for more research, not as a condemnation, that experts "can and have been wrong," and that therapists shouldn't be afraid to be innovative and trust their intuition. Nevertheless, he says, the study has generated considerable controversy, including protests from many psychotherapists who pointed out that they themselves have successfully used some of the most "discredited" treatments like the Luscher Color Test for personality assessment.

Here's the article.

Psychodrama bibliography is available to all

Are you writing a research paper about psychodrama, group psychotherapy, sociometry or other action methods?

Good for you. Our field needs research, documentation and exchange about these methods which are growing worldwide. An invaluable resource is the free online International Bibliography of Psychodrama, which contains more than 6,000 entries including books, journals, papers and the like.

Started by James M. Sacks, it is the fruit of an attempt to compile an exhaustive list of citations of scientific works on psychodrama since its creation by J.L. Moreno. Errors, exclusions and incomplete information that should be corrected should be brought to the attention of Michael Wieser at  michael.wieser@uni-klu.ac.at. You may send copies to Michael Wieser, Department of Psychology, Universitaetsstr 65, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria, Europe. When submitting references, please use current standard American Psychological Association (2009) format if possible.

Cleveland Institute bringing psychodrama to help Chardon

Jeanne Burger, Ed.D., LPC, LMFT, TEP, a psychodramatist based in Norfolk, Va., will donate her time for a workshop on June 16 sponsored the Cleveland Institute of Psychodrama entitled "To Dream Again," using dream dramas.

Jeanne was trained by Zerka Moreno and her presentation will have a special mention of Zerka Moreno's new memoirs by the same name.

The proceeds will go to Chardon Heals, supporting the Ohio community devastated by the recent shootings at Charon High School that claimed three young lives and left another severely injured.

Subscribe to institute's newsletter to keep apprised of place and other info.

Here is a video that tells more about the tragedy at Chardon High:

Group psychotherapy association seeks proposals for 2013

The American Group Psychotherapy Association is seeking proposals for its annual conference in 2013 in New Orleans. Submissions are due by April 16, 2012; look for the easy online submission form here. 

The2013 conference is scheduled at the New Orleans Marriott from Feb. 25-March 2 with the theme of "Overcoming Obstacles: The Power of the Group."

Proposals may be submitted for specific institute sections, workshops and open sessions relevant to the theme. They may come from a research perspective related to a specific theoretical approach, focus on specific populations or an approach used to help them or demonstrate models of therapy that clinicians use to help clients find a way to thrive.

Imagery pioneer Jeanne Achterberg dies

One of my personal healing heroines is Jeanne Achterberg – guided imagery pioneer, alternative health advocate and author – who died earlier this month on March 7.

Everyone, including psychodramatists and creative arts therapists, uses guided imagery now. Years ago, however, guided imagery was considered on the side of woo-woo and weird.

Through the years, Jeanne advocated for the holistic approach with appreciation for the healing skills of the ancient shamans. Her book Imagery in Healing is acclaimed as a classic in mind-body studies. 

Another book, Woman as Healer, broke ground in surveying the healing activities of women from prehistoric times to the present. Rituals of Healing:  Using Imagery for Health and Wellness (with Barbara Dossey and Leslie Kolkmeier) is a primer on the use of creative therapies for health and medicine. Her most recent book, Lightning at the Gate, told the story of her personal journey, was published in 2001. 

Achterberg's core belief is that we are healed not by medicine but by the bonds we create with each other: care, love, trust, hope, belief, and all the other invisible facets that seem to have lost favor in modern health care:

"My mission has always been to bring humanity into health care, and I have done everything within my grasp that would allow for this to happen. I do believe in modern medicine, but also in traditional and integrative healing. Most of all, I believe in the power of the human spirit and in the web we weave with one another and with everything else on the planet."

Here's an early clip of Jeanne from an interview on Jeffery Mishlolve's Thinking Allowed program: