THE SIMPLICITY of choice is wonderful and releases feelings of importance, knowing that your opinion is respected and really matters.

Dramatherapy gave Grace a choice.

GRACE WAS ANGRY and tired when we first met her, as she was not settling at her care home. When she explained this in the dramatherapy sessions she was surprised that she wasn’t alone. The other group members were also relatively new to the home and they were struggling as well.

GRACE WAS VERY reluctant to come to the dramatherapy sessions as she was finding it difficult with the change of being helped and not the helper. She asked the other group members, who had dementia, very relevant and sometimes hard hitting questions.

IN THE DRAMATHERAPY sessions, we built on the sense of connection she was starting to develop with other group members. One of the ways we did this was by relating it to other situations in their lives, where they had experienced similar feelings, and the group began to feel a greater sense of cohesion. We worked with songs that everyone knew, and before long the group was singing “catch a falling star” and firmly putting it in their pockets, as the actions to the song took off. The beneficial effect of everyone joining in, physically and emotionally, was felt by all the group members.

ALL FEELINGS ARE welcome in dramatherapy, however challenging for the rest of the group. Dramatherapy was a chance for Grace to be a part of a group that would listen to her and give her the opportunity for her to listen to others, if she wanted.

* All names have been changed to protect the identity of our clients.

Photo by Anelale Nájera on Unsplash