Clown therapy: A drama therapy approach to addiction and beyond

Publication date: Available online 11 December 2017 Source:The Arts in Psychotherapy Author(s): Jeff Gordon, Yoram Shenar, Susana Pendzik This paper presents an innovative drama therapy approach to working with addiction using “Clown therapy” −a process through which the clients are led to discover their inner Clown. Using drama therapy techniques, each client’s key/dominant and oppositional personality roles are recognized and brought together through embodiment, leading to the emergence of the Clown. The paper presents the theoretical and practical foundation of the approach, linking it to drama therapy literature, to the Jungian concept of the transcendent function, and to Winnicott’s transitional phenomena. The paper articulates the stages involved in the process, illustrating it with examples of techniques and short case studies. Viewed as the archetypal embodiment of paradox, it is suggested that the Clown serves as a container of ambivalence and as a strategy for normalizing paradox in the process of recovery and rehabilitation. Symbolizing the bridge between antagonistic sides of the self, the encounter with the inner Clown allows individuals to tolerate and live with paradox, instead of being stuck in a state of inner and outer conflict.
Source: Arts in Psychotherapy - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research