This work explores the use of drama and theatre in the challenging area of working with people who hear voices, focusing especially on survivors of abuse and those diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia.

Art, Psychotherapy and Psychosis reveals the unique role of art therapy in the treatment of psychosis. Illustrating their contributions with clinical material and artwork created by clients, experienced practitioners describe their work in a variety of settings. Writing from different theoretical standpoints they reflect the current creative diversity within the profession and its links with psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, analytical psychology and psychiatry. In part I specific issues involved in working with psychosis are explored. These include discussion of the therapeutic relationship, the process of symbolisation, the nature and meaning of art made by psychotic patients and the interplay between words and pictures. Part II recounts the history of art therapy and psychosis, tracing its origins in art, to its present-day role as a respected treatment in psychiatric, community and therapeutic settings. Art, Psychotherapy and Psychosis extends the existing theory, develops analytical approaches in art psychotherapy and offers innovative perspectives for students and practitioners on the treatment of borderline states as well as psychosis.

Drama as Therapydescribes and defines dramatherapy, providing in one volume a definition of the core processes at work in dramatherapy, a clear description of how to structure sessions, a thorough review of techniques and a wide range of examples from clinical practice. At the heart of the book is a definition of the nine core processes which define how and why dramatherapy can offer the opportunity for change. Also included are step-by-step breakdowns of the ways of working with a broad range of clients. Dramatherapy's approach to role, play, mask, ritual, performance and script are all described. The book includes extensive historical material from the 1920s to the present day, covering work in the US, the UK, Russia and the Netherlands. It challenges previous accounts of dramatherapy's history with details of Evreinov's Theatrotherapy, Iljine's work in Russia and interviews with innovators in the field, including Peter Slade, Sue Jennings and Marion Lindquvist.

Therapeutic Communities for Psychosis offers a uniquely global insight into the renewed interest in the use of therapeutic communities for the treatment of psychosis, as complementary to pharmacological treatment. Within this edited volume contributors from around the world look at the range of treatment programmes on offer in therapeutic communities for those suffering from psychosis. Divided into three parts, the book covers: the historical and philosophical background of therapeutic communities and the treatment of psychosis in this context treatment settings and clinical models alternative therapies and extended applications. This book will be essential reading for all mental health professionals, targeting readers from a number of disciplines including psychiatry, psychology, social work, psychotherapy and group analysis.

Written by the directors of the world's major training programmes in dramatherapy, this book presents their approach to and theory of brief dramatherapy, which is offered in treatment settings for acute or chronic in-patient populations and out-patient or community health settings with a maintenance, rehabilitation or personal development purpose.

Art Therapy for Psychosis presents innovative theoretical and clinical approaches to psychosis that have developed in the work of expert clinicians from around the world. It draws on insights that have emerged from decades of clinical practice to explain why and how specialised forms of art therapy constitute a particularly appropriate psychotherapeutic approach to psychosis. The contributors present a diverse range of current theoretical perspectives on the subject, derived from the fields of neuroscience, phenomenology and cognitive analytic theory, as well as from different schools of psychoanalysis. Collectively, they offer insights into the specific potentials of art therapy as a psychotherapeutic approach to psychosis, and describe some of the specialised approaches developed with individuals and with groups over the past 20 years. Throughout the book, the meaning and relevance of art-making as a medium for holding and containing unbearable, unthinkable and unspeakable experiences within the psychotherapeutic setting becomes apparent. Several of the chapters present detailed illustrated case studies which show how making visual images with an appropriately trained art psychotherapist can be a first step on the path into meaningful relatedness. This book offers fresh insights into the nature of psychosis, the challenges encountered by clinicians attempting to work psychotherapeutically with people in psychotic states in different settings, and the potentials of art therapy as an effective treatment approach. It will be essential reading for mental health professionals who work with psychosis, including psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and arts therapists, and those in training. Full colour versions of the illustrations can be viewed at http://isps.org/index.php/publications/book-series/publication-photos Please see p. ix of the book for details of how to access them.

This new edition of Drama as Therapy presents a coherent review of the practice and theory of Dramatherapy. With a unique combination of practical guidance, clinical examples and research vignettes this fully revised second edition considers developments in the field over the last decade and researches the impact of the 'core processes' on clinical practice. The book shows how Dramatherapy can be used with a wide range of clients and applied to their individual needs. Therapists working in different parts of the world contribute examples of their practice, alongside their research interviews demonstrating the effectiveness of Dramatherapy. The book draws on studies ranging from child survivors of the tsunami in Sri Lanka to teenagers living with HIV in South Africa, from elderly clients dealing with psychosis in the UK to women in a refuge in Malaysia. Divided into four distinct sections it provides: definitions of core processes at work in Dramatherapy research into how Dramatherapists understand what they offer clients clear descriptions of the structure and content of Dramatherapy a wide range of clinical research vignettes from all over the world. Drama as Therapy offers insights into how experienced Dramatherapists understand their work with clients. It will be of great interest to Dramatherapy students internationally, as well as professionals working with Dramatherapy.

The open access book explains the practical approach in psychodrama with the help of multidisciplinary theories of self-development, mentalization, play, and psychosomatic resonance. These theories help to structure the therapeutic experiences of Moreno and other psychodramatists and to compare them with experiences and theories of other psychotherapy methods. Against this background, the author develops models of a disorder-specific psychodrama therapy for people with personality disorders, borderline organization, trauma disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression, grief reactions, suicidal crises, masochism, psychoses, addiction disorders, eating disorders, and behavioral addictions. The therapy models convey a deep understanding of these disorders and sometimes open up new ways of treatment. They can be used both in individual and in group therapy. The methods are explained with the help of more than 120 case examples. The theoretical explanation makes the psychodramatic action methods accessible and applicable to therapists from other schools of therapy as well as in counseling and coaching. This makes the practical work therapeutically more effective and creative. This is an open access book.

“The landmark book that argued that psychiatry consistently expands its definition of mental illness to impose its authority over moral and cultural conflict.” — New York Times The 50th anniversary edition of the most influential critique of psychiatry every written, with a new preface on the age of Prozac and Ritalin and the rise of designer drugs, plus two bonus essays. Thomas Szasz's classic book revolutionized thinking about the nature of the psychiatric profession and the moral implications of its practices. By diagnosing unwanted behavior as mental illness, psychiatrists, Szasz argues, absolve individuals of responsibility for their actions and instead blame their alleged illness. He also critiques Freudian psychology as a pseudoscience and warns against the dangerous overreach of psychiatry into all aspects of modern life.

This new edition of Drama as Therapy presents a coherent review of the practice and theory of Dramatherapy. With a unique combination of practical guidance, clinical examples and research vignettes this fully revised second edition considers developments in the field over the last decade and researches the impact of the 'core processes' on clinical practice. The book shows how Dramatherapy can be used with a wide range of clients and applied to their individual needs. Therapists working in different parts of the world contribute examples of their practice, alongside their research interviews demonstrating the effectiveness of Dramatherapy. The book draws on studies ranging from child survivors of the tsunami in Sri Lanka to teenagers living with HIV in South Africa, from elderly clients dealing with psychosis in the UK to women in a refuge in Malaysia. Divided into four distinct sections it provides: definitions of core processes at work in Dramatherapy research into how Dramatherapists understand what they offer clients clear descriptions of the structure and content of Dramatherapy a wide range of clinical research vignettes from all over the world. Drama as Therapy offers insights into how experienced Dramatherapists understand their work with clients. It will be of great interest to Dramatherapy students internationally, as well as professionals working with Dramatherapy.