What is psychodrama?
Psychodrama is an embodied group process that uses spontaneity games, guided role playing, and creative methods to investigate and gain insight into one’s life.
It allows individuals to safely externalize and express inner conflicts, past trauma, or future anxieties in the present time. It is not about performance, it is about showing up exactly as you are in the moment. It is the unique opportunity where all that is required is to be yourself.
Psychodrama means soul in action and was developed by JL Moreno as a method that synthesizes science and religion in service to the evolution of humanity. It is the extraverted equivalent to Jung’s introverted active imagination which I like to refer to as action imagination. Through enactment and its “show don’t tell” philosophy, psychodrama helps make the invisible visible, the unconscious conscious, and the Self known.
Examples of techniques:
Always remember — These techniques are used in structured, trauma-informed ways. They're never about re-traumatization — they're about finding a safe path through pain, toward strength and resolution.
The Empty ChairSpeak to someone you need closure with — saying what has gone unsaid, and expressing the feelings that have stayed locked inside.
Role ReversalStep into the perspective of another person to see a situation through their eyes. Builds empathy and often leads to powerful emotional shifts.
SoliloquySpeak your internal thoughts aloud while acting out a scene — revealing feelings and fears you didn't realize were still present.
DoublingAnother group member stands beside you and voices what they imagine you're feeling. You respond, correct, or clarify — and often discover something new about yourself.
MirroringWatch someone else act out your story as you told it. Observing your experience from the outside can unlock clarity that's hard to find from within.