ABL® Trauma-Responsive Psychodrama

ABL® Trauma-Responsive Psychodrama, a model of psychodrama developed by Adena Bank Lees, blends the neurobiology and psychology of traumatic stress, addiction, attachment theory, and mindfulness practice.

Psychodrama is based on an action and strength approach where we use storytelling to help you connect with yourself and others in an interactive, fun, and engaging manner. As a trauma-responsive model that was developed based on the neurobiology and psychology of trauma and addiction, this approach provides the required safety and containment to help you create the life you desire.

Psychodrama can be defined as “the stories of the soul in action.” The experience of sharing our unique stories within the safe confines of a like-minded group is how we build lasting change in our lives. When we allow ourselves to go beyond our comfort zones and practice vulnerability and new behaviors, we learn more about ourselves and how we can effectively build and maintain healthy relationships.

Putting new behaviors into action is the cornerstone of psychodrama and requires that we both think and feel at the same time. The act of getting out of our head and into our bodies by integrating physical action, emotion, and rational thought engages all levels of our brain because we are doing something rather than simply talking about doing something. This helps our brains lock in what we are learning so that we can apply it immediately in real-life situations. We make things like emotions, personal strengths, and parts of ourselves tangible through the use of props (e.g., scarves) or a group member playing a role, but this is not theater acting.  Group members offer support to each other while having fun and learning something important for ourselves.

Whether your story involves pain over grief/loss, anger about the past, or struggle and conflict in the present, or it involves your hopes and dreams for the future, psychodrama provides both structure and spontaneity to help you create meaningful transformation and promising beginnings.

ABL® Trauma-Responsive Psychodrama Consulting and Training

Adena Bank Lees offers training sessions and consultations for other professionals who want to expand their practice or techniques. Please click here to contact Adena regarding ABL® Trauma-Responsive Psychodrama consulting and training.

The benefits of psychodrama include:

  • Creating new endings to our stories.
  • Understanding that the past, present, and future all play a role in our stories.
  • Learning how to improve the interaction you have with yourself and others.

By showing rather than telling, psychodrama allows for:

  • More doing and less talking
  • Greater movement and action
  • The use of objects to aid in communication