Imagination, Identification and Catharsis in Theatre and Therapy

Author: Mary Duggan and Roger Grainger

This study examines the underlying theatrical underpinning of dramatherapy, which is firmly based on an understanding of processes which are fundamentally theatrical. It approaches the subject systematically, arguing that the hidden psychological mechanisms which make theatre work are the same as those which operate in dramatherapy.

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A study examining the underlying theatrical underpinning of dramatherapy, which is firmly based on an understanding of processes which are fundamentally theatrical: imagination, identification and catharsis. The text approaches the subject systematically, arguing that the hidden psychological mechanisms which make theatre work are the same as those that operate in dramatherapy. The authors assert that it is the theatricality of dramatherapy which makes it healing.

Critic Reviews

“'...it certainly will be useful and challenging reading for students and other searchers who will appreciate the vast expanse of experience and wisdom that is shared with the reader and which encourages wider reading through helpful references and exploration of other works.'- Dramatherapy'...this is a celebration of the power of theatre to move and heal us and to present to us the world of archetypal imagery in ways that enable us to both identify and distance ourselves. In this thesis, therapy is a special case of ritual, the whole project being one of achieving and managing transitions between worlds. A valuable addition to the literature.'- Self & Society”

...it certainly will be useful and challenging reading for students and other searchers who will appreciate the vast expanse of experience and wisdom that is shared with the reader and which encourages wider reading through helpful references and exploration of other works. -- Dramatherapy
...this is a celebration of the power of theatre to move and heal us and to present to us the world of archetypal imagery in ways that enable us to both identify and distance ourselves. In this thesis, therapy is a special case of ritual, the whole project being one of achieving and managing transitions between worlds. A valuable addition to the literature. -- Self & Society

About the Author

Roger Grainger was a freelance Dramatherapist, Chartered Psychologist and occasional TV actor. He published widely in this area, including The Glass of Heaven for Jessica Kingsley. Mary Duggan is Senior Clinical Practitioner (Occupational Therapy) at Wakefield and Pontefract Community NHS Trust.