Psychodrama is an action method, often used as a
psychotherapy, in which clients use spontaneous
dramatization,
role playing and dramatic
self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives. Developed by
Jacob L. Moreno, M.D. (1889–1974) psychodrama includes elements of
theater, often conducted on a
stage, or a space that serves as a stage area, where
props can be used. A psychodrama therapy group, under the direction of a licensed psychodramatist, reenacts real-life, past situations (or inner mental processes), acting them out in present time. Participants then have the opportunity to evaluate their behavior, reflect on how the past incident is getting played out in the present and more deeply understand particular situations in their lives. Psychodrama offers a creative way for an individual or group to explore and solve personal problems. It may be used in a variety of
clinical and community-based settings, and is most often utilized in a group scenario, in which each person in the group can become therapeutic agents for one another's scenes. Psychodrama is not, however, a form of
group therapy, and is instead an individual psychotherapy that is executed from within a group. There are "side-benefits" that the other group members may experience, as they make relevant connections and insights to their own lives from the psychodrama of another. A psychodrama is best conducted and produced by a person trained in the method, called a psychodrama director.