• Home
  • /
  • Topic
  • /
  • Arts
  • /
  • Drama
  • /
  • Drama Therapy and Yoga Meditation As Tools for Mindfulness Research Paper
Verified Document

Drama Therapy And Yoga Meditation As Tools For Mindfulness Research Paper

Healing Trauma via Drama & Body Movement

Introduction

Mindfulness is an important concept in health and wellbeing. It refers to the concept of being present in ones experience and aware of the self. Mindfulness is an ancient and traditional practice used both in the east and in the west, with characteristics found in meditation and contemplation across cultures and eras (Scott, 2014). Being mindful and living in the moment promotes a sense of active engagement in life, a sense of purpose, and a sense of congruence. To promote mindfulness, new therapeutic approaches have been introduced in the field of psychology, such as drama therapy and yoga therapy. Dance and yoga have been found to improve ones cognitive quality and positive state of mind (Megranahan & Lynskey, 2018). For individuals who have experienced trauma, drama and body movement exercises are ways to promote resilience and healing. This paper will explain the specific psychological and mindfulness health benefits of drama therapy and body movement; provide an historical understanding of the evolution of psychological and mindfulness healing through drama and body movement; and discuss the role and impact of self-discovery in personal healing through drama therapy and dance.

Psychological and Mindfulness Health Benefits of Drama Therapy and Body Movement

Dance and yoga have the ability to center the individual, bring the person to a place of calm focus and attention, while giving the body the exercise it needs to maintain its resilience (Shim, Goodill & Bradt, 2019). Individuals who find themselves distracted or discouraged by traumatic events or experiences in the world or in their own lives can find comfort, rejuvenation, and refuge in drama therapy and body movement such as dance or yoga. Both drama therapy and dance therapy provide psychological and mindfulness benefits in different ways, however.

Drama therapy allows one to enter into a process of catharsis by leaving the self behind and acting out in the persona of a different character. Just as the audience is capable of being cleansed through engagement with dramatic performance, dramatic performance experience a similar emotional and psychological cleanse by performing as a new character (Sajnani et al., 2019). Stress and anxiety can be reduced, bringing equilibrium to ones psychological state, and one can be better positioned as a result to be aware of ones own center. By purging negative emotions and thoughts through the experience of partaking in drama, one finds oneself able to overcome distracting thoughts that might have derailed one prior.

Dance and yoga therapy operate towards the same end but by way of a different path. Rather than exercising the emotions and the mind by way of active performance or immersion into a new character, dance and yoga focus the attention on the body and the need to pay attention to the body to understand and control it more effectively. Dance and yoga both depend upon one centering oneself in oneself, of working to maintain a physical balance, a sense of rhythm, and a presence of mind that both allows one to be in the here and now and to transcend the stress and anxiety that can afflict one in the everyday experience of life (Smith, Esat &...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

…of his body and his emotions in order to present the character to the audience. Self-control is integral to the process of self-discovery, for one cannot discover the self without first controlling the self so that it can be seen without disturbance from factors in ones internal and external environment. As trauma inflicts disturbance on the internal self and can use external factors to heighten that disturbance, self-control through drama or yoga or dance therapy assists the individual in knowing how to possess oneself and to manage disturbances. An actor, for instance, must be able to block out all factors that might make one feel self-conscious on the stage. In doing so, he sees that he is able to overcome challenges, assert himself and discover the confidence needed within oneself to succeed. Individuals attempting to heal from trauma can thus benefit from drama therapy or body movement, which also requires that the individual engage in self-control and self-mastery. Through self-control comes self-awareness and self-discovery. Individuals who lacked confidence or belief in themselves prior to these therapies find that they are able to apply themselves to their recovery with a sense of conviction and peace (Shim et al., 2019).

Conclusion

Healing through mindfulness and self-discovery allows individuals who have experienced trauma to overcome that trauma and gain confidence in themselves. Drama therapy, dance therapy and yoga therapy are examples of ways in which individuals can achieve mindfulness as part of their overall therapeutic process. Acting, body movement and meditation are all ancient practices that all the human being to process emotions and gain control of…

Sources used in this document:

References

Megranahan, K., & Lynskey, M. T. (2018). Do creative arts therapies reduce substancemisuse? A systematic review. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 57, 50-58.

Sajnani, N., Mayor, C., Burch, D., Feldman, D., Davis, C., Kelly, J., Landis, H., &Mcadam, L. (2019). Collaborative discourse analysis on the use of drama therapy to treat trauma in schools. Drama Therapy Review, 1, 27.

Scott R. Bishop. (2004). Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Definition. ClinicalPsychology: Science & Practice, 11(3), 230–241. https://doi-org.proxy.library.ucsb.edu:9443/10.1093/clipsy.bph077

Shim, M., Goodill, S., & Bradt, J. (2019). Mechanisms of dance/movement therapy forbuilding resilience in people experiencing chronic pain. American Journal of Dance Therapy, 41(1), 87-112.

Smith, B. H., Esat, G., & Kanojia, A. (2020). School-based yoga for managing stress andanxiety. In C. Maykel & M. A. Bray (Eds.), Promoting mind–body health in schools: Interventions for mental health professionals. (pp. 201–216). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Drama Poetry How Is the More Direct
Words: 664 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Drama Poetry How is the more direct performative aspect of drama and/or poetry reflected in these forms? (Consider for example, each genre's uses of literary structure, language, technique, and style.) In Rupert Goold's Macbeth, the language and literary structure are following the same lines from the Shakespearian play. Yet, the way the characters are speaking and performing their roles helps the individual to understand the setting and background of what is occurring.

Drama Therapy for Children Children's
Words: 1026 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

However, behavioral skills training that incorporated active learning approaches, such as role playing, were found to result in children that were significantly more likely to demonstrate the proper safety skills in role playing and in situ assessments than children who did not receive this behavior skills training. Furthermore, in situ, role playing training was found to enhance the safety skill development of both the educational and behavior skills training

Drama Scripts Farewell to Alex
Words: 732 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

He left her in her pain. I wanted to be there for her. She wouldn't let me. (Sits down next to SILENT GIRL) SILENT GIRL (Smiles, shakes her head, sighs a little, looks at MARK) MARK (Smiling amidst the tears): I remember the trip. I was glad she came; I finally found the courage to tell her. (Turns to SILENT GIRL) I took her for a walk near the field of

Drama and Reading Under Development
Words: 797 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

According to Flynn (2004), rehearsals and performances of CBRT scripts can help increase students' abilities to read the text fluently. "Fluent readers read aloud smoothly and with expression. They recognize words and understand them at the same time. Reading educators emphasize the importance of fluency -- the ability to read a text accurately and with the appropriate speed. Because there is a close relationship between fluency and comprehension, fluent readers

Drama the Family Drama All
Words: 385 Length: 1 Document Type: Term Paper

Still, the thwarted desires of Emily have more of a sense of inevitability, and thus seem less tragic than the willed and possibly preventable actions of the heroines of the "Doll's House" and "Trifles." However, perhaps the least functional and most distorted family is the family without a father at the helm at all, that of "The Glass Menagerie," where Tom functions as the breadwinner and quasi-husband to this mother

Drama Death of a Salesman -- Comparison
Words: 740 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Drama Death of a Salesman -- comparison between the play and a 1985 TV rendering of the play, starring Dustin Hoffman The tragedy of Willie Loman in the play by Arthur Miller seems like a man who wants to be great, yet falls to a tragic and small end. However, the televised version of the play makes Willie seem like a little or 'low' man throughout. Thus, although the Arthur Miller 1950's

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now