Dramatherapy - Volume 35, Issue 2, 2013

The phenomenon of therapeutic presence is notoriously difficult to articulate and may benefit from dialogue with the discipline of performance studies. This paper discusses how qualities of therapeutic presence can be contextualised as performative in nature. Qualities of presence in both the therapist and the performer are discussed, with specific reference to Eugenio Barba and the cultivation of presence in training both the actor and the therapist. The author then reflects on the piece ‘The Artist is Present’ by Marina Abramovic for its capacity to explore presence and intimacy within a performance piece.

This article explores a new synthesis between Playback Theatre and Michael White’s narrative therapy. Through an exploration of the two methods the article elaborates how such integration can be achieved and how it can contribute to the process of narrative re-authoring. The discussion also includes the limitations and possible drawbacks of such integration, for both playback theatre and narrative therapy. Finally, a structured therapeutic model integrating White’s approach to narrative change with Playback Theatre techniques is detailed.

Children are often the vehicle for psychological material that does not belong to them, ghost traumas or ways of being that are not theirs, but are projected into their lives by parents and past generations. This ‘research in action’ summarises some work on a case of a 10-year-old girl where the creativity and playful aspect of the therapist were essential tools for finding the true potential of the patient in treatment.

In this particular case Winnicott’s squiggle game was used and the concept furthered with various techniques of enactments, story building, and poetry. The aim was to open up the potential self of the patient by regressing to an earlier stage of play.

Although some hesitate to use their own associations for fear of trampling on the image enactments and stories of the patient, the spontaneity and playful self of the therapist is, nevertheless, often the key to unlocking the true potential. This way of working may be helpful for children or adults that appear cut off from a deeper connection with life.