Symvoldrama

Definition

Symbol drama (Greek symbolon — “sign”, drama — “action”) is one of the areas of analytically oriented psychotherapy. The method is based on free fantasy. The client draws in his mind a picture on a given topic (motive) and mentally moves into it, telling the psychotherapist about his feelings and sensations. The psychotherapist accompanies him on this journey. He asks clarifying questions or asks to perform certain actions, which helps to identify psychological defense mechanisms, resolve unconscious conflicts.

Operating principle

Symbol drama refers to those structures of the psyche that operate with images, emotions and symbols. A meadow, a flower, a tree, a house, a stream, a mountain… The standard images that are used in symbol drama today were developed by Hanscarl Leiner and his followers in the course of a long experimental work. Of the most frequently occurring motives, they most accurately reflect our inner psychodynamic state and at the same time have a therapeutic effect. In addition, the metaphorical nature of the expression of internal conflicts significantly softens the internal resistance, which, as a rule, appears during psychotherapeutic work.

• Therapy: a way of self-knowledge

Progress

The client sits comfortably in a chair or on a couch, closes his eyes and relaxes. The psychotherapist invites him to present a certain image (motive). Fantasizing, the client talks about what he sees. And the psychotherapist, if necessary, directs his imagination in accordance with the treatment strategy. Symbol drama can be done individually, in a group, or in the form of family therapy. In this case, the same image is simultaneously represented by all members of the family. At the end of the session, the client and therapist discuss what they have seen. In some cases, the specialist asks after the end of the meeting to draw an image to help the client better comprehend it, and at the next session he conducts psychodiagnostics based on the drawing.