Psychodrama, Surplus Reality And The Art Of Healing

By (author) Moreno Zerka T.; By (author) Blomkvist Leif Dag; By (author) Rutzel Thomas
Short description/annotation:
In a book that is both intelligent and enriching, the authors show how surplus reality can change lives. Psychodramatists and mental health professionals who wish to take therapy beyond the ''verbal'' will find the book valuable reading.
Description:
The practice of psychodrama allows participants to create a world for themselves, free of usual rules and constraints. This freedom from all ordinary conventions is what Moreno called ''Surplus Reality'', and is one of the most vital, curative and mysterious elements of psychodrama. In this book, Leif Dag Blomkvist and Zerka Moreno explore the depths of this long-neglected concept. In addition, each chapter is prefaced by Leif Dag Blomkvist''s explanations and illuminations of the forces and energies - from early religious rituals and festivals to the art of Surrealism - which have influenced psychodrama. Psychodramatists and mental health professionals who wish to take therapy beyond the ''verbal'' will find the book valuable reading.
Table of contents:
Preface. Acknowledgements. An Early History of Psychodrama. Introduction. Time and Death. The Moment of Surprise. Ecstasy and Role Reversal. Surplus Reality. Clinical Applications: The Use of Humour and Magic Objects. The Surreal Experience. Psychodrama and the Deliberately Distorted Mirror Technique. Psychodrama as Healing Theatre. Psychodrama as Tragedy. Diagnosis in Psychodrama. Sharing in Psychodrama. The Creation of the Double. Projection and the Participation Mystique in Psychodrama. Group Psychotherapy and the Individual. The Protagonist. Sociometry. The Tragic Self. Epilogue. Notes. Bibliography. Index.
Biographical note:
Zerka T. Moreno has practiced psychodrama (of which she is co-creator) for almost 60 years. She has written numerous professional articles and is in demand all over the globe as a conference presenter and teacher. Leif Dag Blomkvist is Director of the Swedish Moreno Institute and executive director of the Nordic Board of Examiner in Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy. Thomas Rutzel works in private practice as a psychotherapist in Germany.