For many people, self-expression can be very difficult. Vocalising difficult experiences, fears, and damages can feel impossible for some people.

When you are living with an addiction, you are going through a very difficult and isolating time. You may find it hard to open up to even those you are closest to about your addiction as it is a hard thing to explain.

Addiction is a very complicated condition that can affect each person differently. Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple way to explain what you are going through to someone that hasn’t experienced what you have.

Because of this, it can seem daunting to take the much-needed step to deal with your addiction and improve your mental health. But working with a therapist is a key treatment that you need to do in order to live a better and healthier life.

But at Ocean Recovery, we understand that there is no universal type of therapy that will help everyone, especially if you struggle with communication.

That is why you have the option of non-traditional therapy in the form of drama therapy.

What Is Drama Therapy?

Drama therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on the freedom of movement and how it can allow for self-expression. It has been found to be very helpful for those who are unable to express their inner thoughts and feelings due to dementia, autism and cases of severe trauma.

Drama therapy allows a person to explore different mediums of self-expression, such as:

  • Drama and acting
  • Storytelling
  • Art
  • Music
  • Dance

These different methods can be used by a drama therapist to help you to examine and express your experiences. They can even be used in extreme cases such as with mental illness or someone dealing with the effects of domestic abuse, assault, sexual abuse or sexual assault. It can make you feel comfortable and more able to talk about experiences you may have otherwise locked away from your conscious mind.

Drama therapy can be very helpful for those struggling with addiction.

Addiction isn’t just something that happens. It is a complicated condition with many different contributing factors that can cause it to develop. The leading cause, however, tends to be mental health problems.

Our experts at Ocean Recovery know that factors such as mental illness or trauma can lead to the development of an addiction as many suffering from mental health problems attempt to self-medicate. Unfortunately, it is also very easy to become dependent on drugs or alcohol when your brain is used to the effects they can have on mental illness.

For example, suppose you are suffering from anxiety. In that case, you may find yourself more easily addicted to alcohol or cannabis as they have calming effects.

With drama therapy, the hope is that you will be able to get to the root cause of your addiction in a low stakes and mindful way.

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Are you suffering from Alcohol Addiction and need help? If so, Ocean Recovery is a leading UK based expert in Private Drug and Alcohol Rehab. Find out how we can help by getting in touch with our friendly team today. You can either call our confidential helpline or request a call-back by clicking on the below form.

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What Happens In Drama Therapy?

The exact sessions you will receive will depend on what your drama therapist decides. This is because an individual programme will be created for you in order to aid in your treatment.

To put it simply, during your drama therapy sessions, you will use the dramatic arts to help you reflect on and confront various emotions and past experiences. This can be done in a number of ways. The most widely known way is roleplay.

Roleplay Therapy

Roleplay is a very effective tool as it allows you to play around and not to have to be yourself for once. Many people can find this very freeing as it allows them to gain an outside perspective on their situation and experiences.

As well as using roleplay in order to analyse the past, it can also be used as a technique in order to help you in the future.

For example, you may be afraid of going out and interacting with people when you have completed your treatments. You may be afraid to open up to others in order to build relationships with nontoxic people. But your alter ego could be a bubbly extrovert that can help you take charge of a situation and make real progress when interacting with others.

Roleplay can give you different personas to help you manage your day-to-day life and act as a tool to combat stress which may have once triggered your cravings for drugs or alcohol.

Puppet Therapy

Another widely known drama therapy technique is puppets.

Puppets can give you a focus that allows you to express yourself without having to be too vulnerable. They can act as a shield between the discussion and your innermost thoughts and feelings.

While puppets are often connected with children, many adults also are able to see the benefits to them. They are a conduit for their thoughts and can even tie in quite well with roleplaying.

Naturally, humans want to play around and be a bit silly. Drama therapy just takes this need and desire and uses it to help you to better understand yourself.

Drama Therapy Sessions

You may also do some acting in your drama therapy sessions.

This can often involve you working with the drama therapist to practise different social situations such as interviewing for a job or meeting someone for coffee.

It is there so that you can get comfortable with interacting with people after you have finished your treatments for your addictions. It can also be a very helpful tool for those with anxiety as it helps them to feel more prepared for new and potentially scary situations.

The acting could also be used by the drama therapist to see how you choose to perform certain scenes they give you. Again, they can use this to get a read on how you react to different situations and subject matters.

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With drama therapy, you will be able to learn more about what causes your behaviour and the impact it can have on others. In addition, you will learn more about yourself and be given a creative outlet that can help you prepare for the future.

For more information on drama therapy, please give us a call at 01253 847 553 or email us at info@oceanrecoverycentre.com.

We have staff members standing by to answer any questions you may have about drama therapy and drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatments in general.

John Gillen - Author - Last updated: December 22, 2023

John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.

Dr Robert Lutaaya - Clinical Reviewer - Last reviewed: December 21, 2023

MBChB, MSc Psych

Dr Robert Lutaaya qualified in 1995 from Worclaw Medical University as MBChB, and obtained a MSc Psych from the University of Manchester in 2014. Dr Lutaaya has previously worked for the CGL Substance Misuse Service and as an on-call doctor substance misuse Doctor for 17 years before joining Ocean Recovery. Dr Robert Lutaaya is committed to helping those struggling with alcohol and drug addictions.