Thoughts about the Imago dialogues. It is mostly intended for people who have some experience of this couple therapy.
Constellation Work
I have just been given some info about “Systemic Constellation work”
I want to follow up, two links that might be useful.
THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE FOR PSYCHODRAMA
OF SYSTEMIC CONSTELLATION WORK
By Ronald Anderson and Karen Carnabucci
And this one, an Alert
Systemic Constellations Wikipedia.
Family Constellations More specifically about Hellinger. Interesting discussions on Wikipedia.
Moreno, Buber, Hendrix
In a recent post I quote the story of how the idea of Encounter found its way from Moreno to Martin Buber. A passage follows by Harville Hendrix where he describes the roots of his idea of Validation in the dialogue process… Martin Buber.
It is no wonder then that with this sort of whakapapa, having trained in both Imago & Psychodrama that I see such connection in the approaches.
A passage from Harville Hendrix “The Evolution of Imago Relationship Therapy” in Imago Relationship Therapy: Perspectives on Theory Follows, showing how he connected with the work of Buber.
The Dance
I’ve been overdoing my exploration about the “relational paradigm”. I’ve been reading, writing, integrating & putting into practice Imago & Psychodrama ideas about systems and the locus of therapy.
So I thought I’d give myself a break and read a thriller.
Blinded by Stephen White, who I have read before & enjoyed.
I am only a few minutes into it and there are passages that stimulate me right back into my work passion, no rest!
I will quote them here and share my reflections.
The Locus of Therapy – Moreno
When I was a social worker in the early ’80s and a person was waiting in the waiting room to see me, the receptionist would ring me and jokingly say your client system is here to see you.
Social Work has had a strong sense for a long time that the individual is always part of a system. This same systems theory was taught to me as being central to Psychodrama, specifically through an article by Lynette Clayton.
Recently I have read some good material in Imago Relationship Therapy : Perspectives on Theory, particularly by Randall C. Mason, Ph.D. who talks about the Relational Paradigm, and sees it as distinct from systems thinking.
I have been wanting to tie all this together, and Moreno’s contribution is significant. I love the way he sees the origin of our thinking of individual psyche ties in with the body as being the locus of treatment in medicine. What a fallacy it has been to continue to think like that in psychotherapy!
The opening of the Chapter on Sociometry in Psychodrama Volume one follows.
I’ve also added more notes on Sunday, 29 November 2015
Anne Hale answers a question about conflict
Anne Hales site is worth a visit.
Practitioner question
There is someone in your training group whom you fear and dislike. You don’t like conflict very much and have not spoken about this. How might you prepare yourself to address this conflict? An answer suggested by Ann E. Hale, M.A., TEP
An excerpt from her response follows:
Continue reading “Anne Hale answers a question about conflict”
PSYCHODRAMA: What is it?
Here is a statement from the ASGPP, collecting these to help with the wording of a brochure I am writing for Supervision Training. The training will use Psychodrama as a training method.
PSYCHODRAMA:
Conceived and developed by Jacob L. Moreno, MD, psychodrama employs guided dramatic action to examine problems or issues raised by an individual (psychodrama) or a group (sociodrama). Using experiential methods, sociometry, role theory, and group dynamics, psychodrama facilitates insight, personal growth, and integration on cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels. It clarifies issues, increases physical and emotional well being, enhances learning and develops new skills.
Begegnung
THe Australian and New Zealand Psychodrama Association Inc. title page …
Begegnung conveys the notion that two or more persons meet not only to face one an other, but to live and experience one another as actors, each in his own right. It is not only an emotional rapport, like the professional meeting of a physician or therapist and patient; or an intellectual rapport, like a teacher and student; or a scientific rapport, like a participant observer with his subject. It is a meeting on the most intensive level of communication. The participants are not put there by any external authority; they are there because they want to be, representing the supreme authority of the self-chosen path.
(J L Moreno Encounter)
Where is this quote from? The idea behind it is great. It seems to suffer, like the Motto, from translation.
Here is the wikipedia page with quotes in German.
This page was automatically translated from German. – translate.google.co.nz
Moreno’s Influence on Martin Buber
From the Winter 07 issue of the ASGPP Newsletter (download pdf)
Message to the Membership from Zerka Moreno
Moreno’s Influence on Martin Buber
Item follows.
Encounter, Buber & Moreno
From:
Marineau, R. F. (1989). Jacob Levy Moreno, 1889-1974: Father of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and group psychotherapy. United Kingdom: Routledge.
The third idea is the notion of ‘meeting’. of ‘encounter’. Moreno has argued that Martin Buber, who wrote an article in the magazine Der Neue Daimon (see page 56) in 1919. was influenced by his own concept of ‘Begegnung’ (encounter) of 1914. It would be very interesting to establish the exact nature of the relationship between the two authors and clarify the extent of their mutual influence. There seems to be no historical basis for putting too much emphasis on direct influences. Buber’s thinking developed gradually, but can be traced back to his own childhood. His contribution to the journal Daimon was minimal. But Moreno and Buber did have common friends and relations in the persons of Max Brod and Franz Werfel.
The two men also had a lot of other things in common. Both read Socrates, Dante, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. Both acknowledged the primacy of the original ‘encounter’: Moreno says that at the beginning was action and the group. while Buber says that at the beginning was the relationship. Both stress the necessity to alter the form taken by culture to arrive at a more ‘fruitful chaos’. Both also stress the importance of ‘experiencing’ reality as a means of change rather than just talking about it. Both were highly emotional people, giving prime importance to the body: Buber, still smarting from the loss of his friend and companion Landauer forty-five years after his murder, told Carl Rogers: ‘Now once more. I was compelled to imagine this killing, not only visually, but with my body.’ Moreno, equally sensitive to bodily experience, developed the concept of tele.
See also the post that confirms that Buber was influenced by Moreno.