Silence Please: Dramatic Healing Rehearsals In Progress

“All the world’s a stage, and all men and women are merely players.” — William Shakespeare While Shakespeare saw the stage theatre as a metaphor for life, experts believe that his epic lines are the best way to describe drama therapy. “It makes life easy for health care professionals, educators, and performing artists as it can effectively be used as a means and tool for communication and complete transformation of the patient’s mental health conditions and mindsets as the process addresses the issues in a play way method and does not put any kind of pressure on the patient’s mental health, be it their anxiety issues, emotional status, or behavioural patterns,” says Dr Ram, adding, “But it is not an easy one until and unless one thoroughly understands the nuances of drama as therapy.” A Cathartic Experience Acting promotes healing by offering a unique and powerful avenue for emotional expression, exploration, and catharsis. “A theatre practitioner with clinical experience uses different movements, storytelling, puppets, different voices, and other theatre techniques and exercises to treat the patients with the support of a team of mental health doctors,” explains Dr. Ram, adding, “A psychodrama is a beautiful version wherein a roleplay is enacted or recreated and the traumatic experience is visualised or relieved by the patients so that they face the problem and find the solution or come out of the situation with a supportive solution created by the therapist, making way for stress relief and rehabilitation in different types and formats. Roleplay involves creating an imaginative setting to examine life experiences Using items and materials: Using objects as a cypher to deal with difficult emotions or experiences Masks and costumes represent the self and self-image Using play, storytelling, and fables: Looks for problems within events or issues Creating a “ritual” to acknowledge life milestones Acting in stages, discovering new methods to connect with oneself and others The Act of Healing Drama therapy is beneficial for those with autism and substance abuse Jacob L. Moreno founded the notion in the early 20th century, and by the mid-century, it had evolved into a separate therapeutic strategy that included psychology, expressiv5e arts, and theatre Through role play, people struggling with low self-esteem and social isolation can build confidence. In clinical psychology, drama therapy offers different avenues to process trauma, manage stress, and enhance self-awareness — Devika Das, author, theatre artist, and actor It provides a platform for emotional expression, allowing actors to channel and release their own emotions through the characters they portray.” — Sooraj Sharma, a theatre actor While other art forms make you realise, drama or theatre makes you relive the situation.