Posts by Carol Nelson5

Starting a Psychodrama group for PERSONAL GROWTH

Psychodrama is for everyone—doesn't matter how old you are, what your gender is, what you do for a living, or how many degrees you have hanging on your wall.

The group is open to anyone who actually wants to dig deep, look inward, and fix up their relationship with themselves and the people around them.

We’re looking at a group size of somewhere between 5 and 15 people.
We’ll meet once a week for 2 hours, or once every two weeks for 4 hours. Basically, 8 hours a month. We kick things off on April 24, 2010, and run through July 7, 2010.

Psychodrama helps you learn how to actually stand up for yourself, handle life's mess, express what you really want and feel to others, ditch those feelings that keep you stuck, and finally act a little more spontaneous and creative.

It isn't your typical group therapy where you just sit around talking about your feelings, fears, or dreams. Instead, you act them out on an improvised stage with the help of the facilitator and the rest of the group.

Members don't just sit there and vent about their problems or emotions; they play them out. They show them through action—either reliving something or playing it out for the first time. Moreno believed that physical movement and the actual, live connection between people on stage—how close or far apart they stand—says way more about human struggles than just talking ever could.

During a session, the inner world of whoever steps up to work on a specific issue is played out on stage like a real drama. At the same time, a movie plays in the minds of the other members, showing them their own blind spots and ways out.

The leader is called the "director," and the person working on their issue on the improvised "stage" is the "protagonist." The rest of the group sits opposite the stage like an audience, but unlike a regular theater crowd, they aren't just passive observers. They jump in. The protagonist can pick anyone at any moment to step into a role as an "auxiliary ego"—which could be someone important from their life, a fictional character, or even an object that meant something to them.

The core technique used here—which plenty of other therapies have since borrowed—is role reversal. You have to step into someone else's shoes to actually see yourself. By seeing yourself through someone else's eyes, you reach a real level of understanding and finally start resolving those painful or blocked-up conflicts.

Every session follows three steps: First, there's the "warm-up," a series of exercises or games to get the group ready and pick a protagonist. Then comes the main drama, which lasts about an hour and a half. Finally, we have "sharing." Everyone sits in a circle and shares the experiences or emotions triggered by the protagonist's work. No analyzing, no criticizing, no judging—just sharing a piece of yourself. Honestly, I won't even waste words trying to explain how healing a real, authentic human connection can be.

Interested? Give us a call at 555-0199.

The group will be led by Marko škopac, a Psychodrama therapist.

SPOTS STILL OPEN!!!

Introductory Psychodrama workshop

happening this Saturday, March 27th, from 10 AM to 2 PM over on Tomašević Street in Chicago

The whole thing is FREE.

To grab a spot, you gotta call this number: 099 / 696 34 01.

(check the previous post if you need more info)

SPOTS LEFT !!!

Open Psychodrama Workshop

happening this Saturday March 27, 2010, from 10 AM to 2 PM on Tomašević Street in Chicago

The workshop is FREE.

Anyone over 18 looking to level up their life and unlock their potential can join in.

No acting chops or therapy background needed—seriously. It’s all about being spontaneous.

Psychodrama helps you feel better, stand up for yourself, tackle life's mess, and actually express what you want and feel to others. Plus, it's great for ditching those feelings that hold you back so you can finally be more creative and spontaneous.

Think of Psychodrama as action-based psychotherapy. You act out real-life situations on a "stage" with the help of a therapist and the group. We use dramatic techniques and group dynamics to make it happen. The big thing here is the "here and now"—we aren't just sitting around talking about stuff that happened "back then." We play it out right here, right now, to actually live through it again.

Acting things out lets the person at the center of it all finish what they couldn't do, didn't know how to do, or maybe weren't allowed to do in real life. It's about seeing your own limits and learning how to let your thoughts and feelings flow through your actions.

Led by Psychodrama therapists Marko škopac and Ines Cokarić

To sign up, call only: 099 / 696 34 01.

Open-access Psychodrama Workshop

Happening Saturday, March 27, 2010, from 10 AM to 2 PM
over on Tomašević Street in Chicago

The workshop is FREE.

Any adult looking to level up their life and unlock some potential can jump in.

No prior experience needed—Psychodrama is all about just being spontaneous.

It helps you learn how to actually stand up for yourself, tackle life's mess, express what you really want and feel to others, ditch those feelings holding you back, and finally get a bit more creative and spontaneous.

Think of Psychodrama as action-based psychotherapy where you act out real-life situations on a "stage" with a therapist and a group. We use drama techniques and group dynamics to make it happen. The whole thing focuses on the "here and now"—we aren't just sitting around talking about what happened "back then"; we act it out in the present so you can actually live through it again.

Acting it out lets the protagonist play out or finish things they couldn't, didn't know how to, or weren't allowed to do in real life. It’s about spotting your own limits and learning how to let your thoughts and feelings flow through your actions.

The workshop is led by Psychodrama therapists Ines Cokarić and Marko škopac.

Sign up via phone only: 099 / 696 34 01.

SPOTS LEFT:

Starting up a new Psychodrama group in Chicago, kicking off April 1st, 2010.

The whole point? Boosting spontaneity and creativity.

Anyone can join—doesn't matter how old you are, your gender, what you do for a living, or if you have a degree or not.

Groups stay small, between 5 and 15 people, and they’re semi-open. That means if someone drops out, a new person steps in. We meet once a week or every other week for about 2 to 3 hours per session.

Forget sitting around talking about your feelings, fears, or dreams. In Psychodrama, we actually act them out on an improvised stage with help from the group and the leader.

It’s open to anyone who wants to dig deep and improve how they deal with themselves and others. If you join, you're committing to showing up regularly, keeping things private, and being good to one another.

We don't just sit there venting about emotions or problems; we live them out through action, replaying moments or playing them out for the first time. Morena believed that physical movement and the actual space between people on stage says way more about human struggles than just talking ever could.

During a session, a person’s inner world gets staged like a real drama. While that’s happening, everyone else in the room is basically watching a movie of that person's life—seeing their dead ends and their exits play out in real-time.

The leader is called the "director," and the person working on their stuff is the "protagonist." The rest of us sit opposite the stage like an audience, but we aren't just passive observers. You can be picked at any second to step in as an "auxiliary ego"—which might mean playing a significant person from the protagonist's life, a fictional character, or even an object that matters to them.

The core technique—which a lot of other therapies have since swiped—is role reversal. You have to step into someone else's shoes to actually see yourself. Seeing yourself through someone else's eyes is how you get to that real understanding and finally move past those painful, stuck conflicts.

Every session follows a pattern: first, there's the "warm-up"—games and exercises to get the group ready and pick our protagonist. Then comes the heavy lifting, the drama itself, lasting about an hour and a half. Finally, we do the "sharing." We sit in a circle and everyone shares what came up for them during the session. No analyzing, no judging, no critiques. You just share a piece of yourself. Honestly, I won't even waste words trying to explain how healing a real, raw human connection can be.

Interested? You'll need to do an initial interview with the leader before joining. Sign up by calling 555-012-3456.
Marko škopac will be leading the group.

New experiential-educational Psychodrama group forming!

Psychodrama groups are great for basically everyone—doesn't matter your age, gender, job, or what degree you hold.

We keep things tight: 5 to 15 members per group. It’s a semi-open setup, meaning if someone moves on, a new member can step in. We meet once a week or every two weeks for about 2 to 3 hours per session.

What even is Psychodrama? It’s a type of group therapy where we don't just sit around talking about our feelings, fears, or dreams. Instead, we actually act them out on an improvised stage with the help of the group and the leader.

The group is open to anyone looking to dig deep, understand themselves better, and fix their relationships with others. If you join, you’re committing to showing up regularly, keeping things private, and being good to one another.

Again, forget just sitting there venting about your life or your problems. You play them out. You show them through action, recreating moments or living them for the first time. Moreno believed that physical movement and the actual space between people on stage tell us way more about human struggles than just words ever could.

During a session, whatever is happening inside a person's head—their "inner world"—gets played out on stage like a real drama. While the person is acting, the rest of the group gets a front-row seat to a mental movie of their blind spots and potential exits from those dead ends.

The leader is called the "director," and the person working through their issue on the "stage" is the "protagonist." The rest of the group sits opposite the stage like an audience, but they aren't passive observers. They’re part of the show. The protagonist can pick anyone at any moment to step into a role—what we call an "auxiliary ego." This could be a major figure from their life, a fictional character, or even an object that holds meaning for them.

The core technique—which plenty of other therapies have since borrowed—is role reversal. You have to step into someone else's shoes to truly see yourself. Seeing yourself through someone else's eyes is how you reach that real understanding needed to tackle painful conflicts or mental blocks.

Every session follows a three-part flow: First, the "warm-up," which is a series of exercises or games to get the group ready and pick a protagonist. Then comes the main drama, lasting about an hour and a half. Finally, we have "sharing." We sit in a circle, and everyone shares the emotions or experiences triggered by the protagonist's work. No analyzing, no criticizing, no judging—just sharing a piece of yourself. Honestly, you don't need to explain how healing a real, raw human connection can be.

Interested? Before joining, you'll have an initial interview with the leader. To sign up, call 555-0199.

The group will be led by Marko škopac, a Psychodrama therapist.

So, let me break down why psychodrama actually beats out all those other schools and approaches.

Most therapy styles are just people sitting across from each other, talking. You know the drill—just endless verbal back-and-forth. Psychodrama? It’s way more high-energy and alive. We focus heavily on non-verbal stuff. Sure, you can talk your way toward some insights, but psychodrama speeds up that whole "finding the root of the problem" thing because it’s action-based. A protagonist might not be able to put their inner chaos into words, but their body is totally tuned into those preconscious or even unconscious vibes.
Compared to one-on-one sessions, psychodrama is a group method, which makes things way richer since there are more people involved. The mix of personalities and the sheer variety of issues being brought up gives you a much more realistic look at real life. Plus, it's way less boring. There's also this "normalization effect"—everyone gets to realize they aren't alone, which is huge. You learn a ton from others, and honestly, it feels great knowing you helped someone out just by showing empathy and jumping into their scene.
And compared to other group therapies? Psychodrama is unique because the whole group is hands-on the entire time. When someone is working through something, the rest of us aren't just sitting there like bored spectators watching someone else's drama unfold. We’re fully in it, stepping into roles as important figures from the protagonist's life, and at the end, everyone gets a chance to give feedback.

A psychodrama session breaks down into three parts:

First, we have the warm-up phase.
Then comes the actual psychodramatic action, and third, the sharing phase.
The golden rule here is simple: Don't just tell me about it, show me!
During the action, the protagonist reenacts a specific moment from their life. They aren't just recounting a story; they are living it exactly how it happened. This pulls everything—the raw experiences, thoughts, feelings, and reactions—right out into the open so we can actually work on them. We get to the absolute core of the conflict. You'll often hear a trainer shout, "This is psychodrama, anything is possible!" And it's true. Thanks to the "as-if" technique, you can pick whoever you want to work with, grab something you never had, or live out a dream or fantasy as if it's happening right here, right now.
All of this serves one big goal: getting that deep, actionable insight. It’s about understanding your own needs and feelings better, figuring out your relationships, fixing emotional patterns, and boosting your spontaneity so you can actually take charge of your life. It helps you finally live in sync with yourself and the world.

I'm still taking sign-ups for the group via Direct Messages
.

IMPORTANT!!!

You can still sign up for the new experiential psychodrama training group.

If you're interested, there’s an initial interview with the facilitator before joining,
and you can grab my number via private messages.

Open psychodrama workshop titled "How good...",
going down Saturday, June 20, 2009, at the small hall center for young fishpond, fishpond 1, Chicago

Starts at 9:00 AM, wrapping up around 3:00 PM (breaks included).

Who can join? Anyone 18+ looking to level up their potential and work on themselves—doesn't matter your age, gender, job, or what degree you're holding.

Need more details? Just hit me up via private message

Applications are still open for the new experiential psychodrama training group

Thinking about joining? You'll need to do an initial interview with the facilitator first.
If you want my cell number, just hit me up via private message.

New experiential-educational psychodrama group forming

Anyone can join—doesn't matter your age, gender, job, or what degree you're holding.

We’re looking at groups of 5 to 15 people. It’s a semi-open setup: if someone moves on, a new member steps in. We meet once a week or every two weeks for about 2 to 3 hours per session.

Forget just sitting around talking about your feelings, fears, or dreams. That's not this. In psychodrama, we actually act them out on an improvised stage with the help of the group and the leader.

It's for anyone wanting to dig deep, explore themselves, and fix their relationships with others. Just know that joining means committing to showing up, keeping things confidential, and being decent to one another.

Seriously, we don't just sit there venting about our problems or emotions. We play them out. We show them through action, reliving them or seeing them for the first time. Moreno believed that physical movement and the actual space between people on stage tells you way more about human struggle than just talking ever could.

During a psychodramatic session, whatever is going on inside a person's head gets played out on stage like a real drama. While that's happening, the rest of the group is basically watching a movie of that person's internal dead ends and breakthroughs playing out right in front of them.

The leader is called the "director," and the person working through their stuff on the improvised "stage" is the "protagonist." The rest of the group sits facing the stage like an audience, but unlike a theater crowd, they aren't passive. They jump in whenever the protagonist picks them to play an "auxiliary ego"—which could be someone important from their life, a fictional character, or even an object that matters to them.

The core technique—which even Gestalt and integrative therapists borrowed—is role reversal. You step into someone else's shoes to actually see yourself. Seeing yourself through someone else's eyes is how you get to that real understanding and finally deal with those painful, stuck processes.

Every session follows a pattern: first, there's "warm-up"—exercises and games to get everyone ready and pick the protagonist. Then comes the heavy lifting, the drama itself, lasting about an hour and a half. Finally, we have "sharing." Everyone sits in a circle and shares what they felt or experienced during the protagonist's work. No analyzing, no judging, no critiques allowed. You just share a piece of yourself.
And honestly? I won't waste words on how healing a real, raw human connection can be.

Interested? Before you dive in, you'll need to do an initial interview with the leader.
Signups are handled via private message.
You can also hit me up via private message if you need any other info.

Think you guys might find this interesting

Psychodrama Basics

Psychodrama is a psychotherapy method that hit the scene back in the 1920s. The guy who founded both psychodrama and sociometry—basically the godfather of group therapy—was
Jacob Levy Moreno.

Here’s how psychodrama is defined:

"A psychotherapeutic method where clients are encouraged to carry out and complete their actions through dramatization, role-playing, and dramatic self-presentation. It uses both verbal and nonverbal communication. Various scenes are played out—describing, say, memories of past events, unfinished business, internal dramas, fantasies, dreams, or even rehearsing for future high-stakes situations. These scenes happen right here, right now, and they’re either close to real-life situations or an externalization of internal mental processes. If needed, other group members can step into roles or even inanimate objects can be used. A bunch of techniques come into play, like role reversal, doubling, mirroring, concretization, amplification, and monologue. Usually, you'll see these stages: warm-up, action, (working through, closing), and sharing (feedback)."

Elements and Session Flow

The psychodramatic process happens within a group. The group is huge because it provides that supportive vibe members need to actually open up and work on their stuff. Plus, the group acts as a field where different interpersonal relationships play out, letting people identify and understand how they relate to others in real life. It's also a space to build new, high-quality, authentic connections.
The ground rules for working with a group are pretty simple: discretion, confidentiality, and being well-intentioned toward yourself and everyone else in the process.

Phases of Psychodrama

A psychodramatic session breaks down into three phases.
First is the warm-up. Second is the psychodramatic action itself. Third is the sharing phase, aka the "sharing."
The golden rule in psychodrama? Don't just talk about it—show me!
During the psychodramatic action, the protagonist reenacts a specific scene from their life. They aren't just retelling a story; they are actually stepping back into the moment as if it were happening in real-time. This lets the protagonist make their full, authentic experiences, thoughts, feelings, and reactions available for real work. You get raw material that hits the core of the conflict, which is incredibly valuable for working through and resolving things.

So, what makes psychodrama better than other schools or approaches?

Most psychotherapeutic schools rely solely on verbal interaction between the client and the therapist. They just sit across from each other and talk. Psychodrama is way more dynamic and alive; it puts a massive emphasis on nonverbal behavior. Sure, talking can lead to significant insights, but the process of getting to the heart of the problem is much faster in psychodrama because it’s built on action. A protagonist might not be able to put their inner world into words, but their body is in direct contact with those preconscious or even unconscious psychological processes.
Compared to individual therapy, psychodrama enriches the therapeutic process since more people are involved. The mix of personalities and the variety of issues brought up gives a much more realistic picture of actual life, making the whole thing more interesting and high-energy. There's also this "normalization effect"—every member gets a chance to feel that sense of relief. You can learn a ton from the other group members, and honestly, it feels great knowing you helped someone out just by being empathetic and participating in their psychodrama.

SO, WHAT'S THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PSYCHODRAMA AND THE THEATER?

Psychodrama is basically this type of psychotherapy where you use stage elements to work through stuff with clients. A ton of the terminology used in psychodrama actually comes straight from the theater world. But look, you’ve gotta draw a hard line between psychodrama and actual theater. Even if a psychodramatic session looks like a play, it’s nothing like one. Just because someone takes on a role on the psychodrama stage doesn't mean they're acting. It isn't a performance. It's just raw, personal work being done by one group member who decided to step up as the protagonist that day.

Want the lowdown on the psychodrama workshop?
Just hit me up via private message
Thanks.

Open psychodrama workshop titled Psychodrama meeting is happening this Saturday, May 9th, at the Youth Center from 9 AM to 2 PM. Come through and learn how to actually express yourself in a crowd!

So, what is psychodrama? It’s basically action-based psychotherapy where you act out real-life situations on a "stage" with help from a therapist and the rest of the group. Instead of just sitting there talking, we use stage expression, drama techniques, group dynamics, and sociometry to get things moving.

The whole vibe is based on the "here and now." We aren't interested in just rehashing old stories or talking about stuff that happened "back then" somewhere else. We play it out right here, right now, to actually relive those moments, refresh the experience, and face those heavy feelings from the past situations that actually mattered.

Acting things out lets the protagonist perform—or finally finish—what they couldn't, didn't know how to, or maybe weren't allowed to do in real life. It’s a way to see your own limits and figure out how to stop bottling things up and start acting on your thoughts and feelings. And don't worry, you don't need to be an actor or have some fancy degree to join; the whole thing is built on being spontaneous.

Psychodrama helps you beef up your personal capacity, fix up your relationships, level up your communication, and finally learn how to say what you want and feel when you're around others.

It helps us learn how to stand up for ourselves, handle life's messiness better, ditch the feelings that hold us back, and just... be more spontaneous and creative.

This workshop is open to any adult who wants to work on themselves and unlock their potential, regardless of age, gender, job, or how much schooling you have.