I could feel my heart pounding, the constriction in my throat and the warmth of the blood in my face as my turn approached. The directions had been simple enough: Select an image (or several) to represent: 1) the reason you are here; 2) what you are most concerned about or afraid of in reference to being here; and 3) what you are most hopeful of getting out of this. There were nine other men in the room, and I had struggled to focus on their description of the relevance of the photos they had selected due to my anxiety over sharing my own. I had purposefully waited to go last because I knew my thoughts would likely be jarring for the others, and I had no idea how I would be received after sharing them.
* * *
For many of us, just the thought of participating in a therapy group is likely to generate a minor panic attack: the stigma, the risk of being vulnerable in front of others – especially in the face of intense emotion. Add to this the anticipation of a dramatic role-play component, as well as the “fear” factor, and participating in group therapy can be quite strong.
Despite these challenges, Dr. Bergman has been running psychodrama groups successfully for more than two decades. “There are so many important benefits to this approach,” he says. “Many people have had traumatic experiences, and we cannot help but be limited by the internal personal perspective we had of these events whenever they took place. Activating these memories through dramatic expression not only provides an opportunity to see them from new perspectives and have our experience validated by a trusted group of others, it also provides a whole host of new tangible and kinesthetic experiences, which coalesce into new neuronal connections as well. The result of participating in this type of therapy is that when the old trauma is triggered, it is now interconnected with these new perceptions and healing experiences as well, leading to a broad range of new possibilities in terms of how to process and respond to emotional triggers and the friends and loved ones who are usually the ones doing the triggering.”
In the words of one recent group participant, “Having to show and direct others how to act it out was like showing them a video; it makes it harder to put a ‘gloss’ on the experience. And exploring alternative options in the script and dramatization helped break ‘stuck’ patterns of thought and behavior related to past events.”
“Seeing others open up made it easier for me to open up as well,” another participant recalled, “especially in regard to tears.”
“I got so much closure,” one of the men in Dr. Bergman’s most recent group recalled. “This situation has always been emotionally overwhelming for me; getting to relive it and say/do the things I wanted to was so freeing and healing for me.”
While most participants acknowledge having felt somewhat uncomfortable acting out some roles, they also emphasize that serving in these characters helps illuminate important aspects of the self and how we engage with others that we would otherwise be unlikely to explore. “It was especially hard feeling like I was always being chosen for the same kind of role,” one participant said. “My internal adult critic would never allow me to get in touch with the whiny little child inside, but having to play this role helped me see that all this part really needs is a bit of care and attention.”
Psychodramatic scenes may involve replaying the deaths of caretakers, close friends, or relatives. Others may re-enact war experiences or childhood abuse or play out roles of violence or passive aggression. Group members share the tremendous relief and validation of discovering they are not the only one. They share grief and sadness over each traumatic experience and the gratifying awareness that at least the rest of the group didn’t have to endure “that.” There are scenes acknowledging murderous internal rage resulting from long established patterns of invalidation and emotional isolation; internal struggles of crippling insecurity, uncertainty, and loss; and awareness of ways that our own pain and injuries get channeled and recreated in present life experiences, careers, and relationships.
One consistent theme Dr. Bergman recounts in groups like this throughout his decades of practice is how, over the weeks, the initial fear of rejection, misunderstanding, or judgment is replaced with deep empathy and acceptance. “Even the delivery and receiving of hard truths and the pressure for authenticity is understood to be born out of an unbreakable trust and the clear awareness that fellow group members are fully engaged in their own challenging growth process,” he says. “As terrified and vulnerable as participants may feel each time it is their turn to work or be put on the spot, more and more they find themselves competing for these opportunities as they see and appreciate the connection, healing, growth, and increased self-awareness that naturally results from the process. Ultimately, this is why I have chosen to do the work that I do. It is an invaluable gift, which can only truly be appreciated by sharing the experience.”
In addition to his private practice here in Baltimore, Dr. Bergman provides professional development and training in trauma therapy for clinicians through the Ferentz Institute and the Chana and the Shofar Coalition of Baltimore. He started the first “Playback Theatre” troop in Tel Aviv (now a very popular therapeutic modality throughout Israel) and initiated and directed the Expressive Therapy training program at Michlala Yerushalayim. He is also the creator of “Tikkun Trauma Therapy,” a three-stage treatment approach utilizing Expressive Therapy modalities to facilitate the healing process for trauma survivors. To interview for the upcoming psychodrama group for men, please text or call 443-739-1599.
