Drama Therapy and Body Movement for Trauma Healing

Introduction

Mindfulness is an important concept in health and wellbeing. It refers to the state of being present in one's experience and aware of the self. Mindfulness is an ancient and traditional practice used in both the East and the West, with characteristics found in meditation and contemplation across cultures and eras (Scott, 2014). Being mindful and living in the moment promotes a sense of active engagement in life, a sense of purpose, and a sense of congruence. To promote mindfulness, new therapeutic approaches have been introduced in the field of psychology, such as drama therapy and yoga therapy. Dance and yoga have been found to improve cognitive quality and positive states of mind (Megranahan & Lynskey, 2018). For individuals who have experienced trauma, drama and body movement exercises are ways to promote resilience and healing. This paper explains the specific psychological and mindfulness health benefits of drama therapy and body movement, provides a historical understanding of the evolution of psychological and mindfulness healing through drama and body movement, and discusses the role and impact of self-discovery in personal healing through drama therapy and dance.

Dance and yoga have the ability to center the individual, bringing a person to a place of calm focus and attention while giving the body the exercise it needs to maintain its resilience (Shim, Goodill & Bradt, 2019). Individuals who find themselves distracted or discouraged by traumatic events or experiences — in the world or in their own lives — can find comfort, rejuvenation, and refuge in drama therapy and body movement such as dance or yoga. Both drama therapy and dance therapy provide psychological and mindfulness benefits, though they do so in different ways.

Psychological and Mindfulness Benefits of Drama Therapy and Body Movement

Drama therapy allows one to enter into a process of catharsis by temporarily setting aside the self and acting in the persona of a different character. Just as an audience can be cleansed through engagement with dramatic performance, performers experience a similar emotional and psychological release by embodying a new character (Sajnani et al., 2019). Stress and anxiety can be reduced, restoring equilibrium to one's psychological state, and one is better positioned as a result to become aware of one's own center. By purging negative emotions and thoughts through the experience of drama, one finds oneself more able to overcome distracting thoughts that might have previously caused setbacks.

Dance and yoga therapy work toward the same ends but by way of a different path. Rather than exercising the emotions and the mind through active performance or immersion in a new character, dance and yoga focus attention on the body and the importance of listening to the body to understand and control it more effectively. Both practices depend upon one centering oneself, working to maintain physical balance, a sense of rhythm, and a presence of mind that allows one to be fully in the here and now — and to transcend the stress and anxiety that can afflict a person in everyday life (Smith, Esat & Kanojia, 2020).

Drama and dance are as old as human history and have appeared in every culture throughout time, in both the East and the West. Drama was celebrated especially in the classical Greek world, which formalized the dramatic method. Dance and body movement have existed in the East for just as long, with yogic meditations being passed down through the ancient Hindu culture and practice of India. Drama's psychological and mindfulness benefits were apparent to the ancient philosopher Aristotle, who wrote on the utility of drama in his Poetics. Body movement has likewise been understood in the East to have psychological and mindfulness benefits, as noted by the ancient teacher Confucius.

Historical Evolution of Healing Through Drama and Body Movement

Confucianism and Aristotelianism both focused on the concept of virtue ethics — an ethic rooted in right behavior. A virtue was understood to be a good habit that produced harmony, peace, and joy in one's life. A vice, by contrast, was understood as a bad habit that produced instability, disharmony, and angst. By promoting experiences and practices that could foster harmony and self-awareness, ancient philosophers in both the East and the West ensured that drama, dance, and meditation would be passed down from one generation to the next. This has remained the case for thousands of years. People all over the world still enjoy the benefits of drama, dance, and yogic exercise.

In the modern era, the field of psychology has developed in different directions, with psychoanalysis, humanism, and cognitive behavioral therapy all taking their place in the canon of psychological interventions. Drama, dance, and yoga therapy, however, have gained increasing attention in recent years as naturalistic therapies have received more favorable evaluations. These approaches serve as adjunct therapies to other interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy. A patient may engage in cognitive behavioral therapy while also partaking in drama therapy or dance therapy to support cognitive and emotional goals. By remaining in tune with the body and emotions through drama or yoga, an individual becomes more mindful of their feelings and better positioned to process stress and anxiety, or to address negative emotions that might otherwise lead to setbacks.

Individuals attempting to overcome past trauma, or traumatic repercussions stemming from seriously negative habits such as drug addiction, can use adjunct therapies like yoga therapy to center themselves, develop the positive habit of mindfulness, and prevent negative thoughts from controlling their lives. The literature on the effectiveness of drama, dance, and yoga therapy has grown considerably in recent years, and these approaches are now viewed positively as adjunct therapies capable of supporting positive change in treating a range of issues — from trauma and pain to substance abuse (Megranahan & Lynskey, 2018; Sajnani et al., 2019; Shim et al., 2019).

Conclusion

Healing through mindfulness and self-discovery allows individuals who have experienced trauma to overcome that trauma and gain confidence in themselves. Drama therapy, dance therapy, and yoga therapy are examples of ways in which individuals can achieve mindfulness as part of their overall therapeutic process. Acting, body movement, and meditation are all ancient practices that allow human beings to process emotions and gain control of the self, which in turn facilitates psychological well-being and mindfulness.