SOCIODRAMA in the Theatre of Spontaneity '08

The Moreno Psychodrama Society presents the first Theatre of Spontaneity for 2008. Using sociodrama, psychodrama and a host of creative applications of the method, these monthly events provide an opportunity for people to meet and connect with other likeminded people interested in exploring world, environment, community or cultural events, relationships and values. Sue Daniel and Peter Kellermann are co-leading a Sociodrama session in January. We invite you to come along and see what can be explored using this creative method.

Sue Daniel is the Director of the Psychodrama Institute of Melbourne. She is a psychodramatist, trainer, educator and practitioner, psychologist and psychotherapist who lives and works in Melbourne and travels in many countries teaching and practicing the psychodrama method. She is the author of Psychodrama, Role Theory and the Cultural Atom, a chapter in “Psychodrama: Advances in Theory and Practice (2007) as well as of numerous articles in the field of psychodrama, sociometry, sociodrama, role theory and related issues.

Peter Felix Kellermann was born in Stockholm, Sweden, but lives in Jerusalem, Israel with his family since 1980. He is a clinical psychologist and an international trainer of psychodrama and sociodrama. He was the chief clinical psychologist of AMCHA – a treatment center for Holocaust survivors and their families in Israel between 1996-2000 and its executive director between 2001-2004. He is the author of Let’s Face It: Mirroring in Psychodrama, a chapter in “Psychodrama: Advances in Theory and Practice (2007), “Focus on Psychodrama” (1992) and a co-editor of “Psychodrama with Trauma Survivors” (2000).

Date: Friday, 25th of January 2008 from 7.30 - 10.30 p.m
RSVP: (03) 9416 3779 after 16/1/08
Fee: $20.00/$15.00 MPS Members (payable at the door)
Venue: Psychodrama Institute of Melbourne, 155 Langridge St, Collingwood

The Class of 2001 Celebrates

The Writers' Pool

It started off with a trickle in 2001, when PIM began, but now the PIM library with its 70 plus articles and theses and projects has developed into a substantial resource. PIM trainees, practitioners and trainers and MPS members may and do, dip into this well, finding what they need; knowledge, creative ideas and the stories of their colleagues - stories filled with rich imagery - truly psychodramatic writing, illustrating the many and varied applications of psychodrama, sociometry, sociodrama and role theory in their life and work. These creative expressions are touching, thought provoking, they show how psychodrama can be applied, in action or through use of the role theory framework - in many fields and cultures, in groups, in the one to one milieu. They show above all, the significance of relationship - with self, with other and with the world - being and doing - connection not isolation. In addition there are many other articles and books in the library written by psychodramatists in other cultures. These may be dipped into as well. We aren't working and living alone, we have friendly colleagues who are also writing and expressing their ideas, thousands of them. Such is the network of psychodramatists in the world, such is the proliferation of psychodrama since Jacob Levy Moreno brought it into the world, first in Vienna, expanding it in America with Zerka and many others, and then taking it further afield. Thank you writers all, we are all enriched.

The latest writings in the library include:

Bronwyn McNaughton - newly a psychodramatist, 29 November 2007; 3 articles -

'I Just Want To Be Like You: The use of psychodrama with a person with an Intellectual Disability', 'Working Psychodramatically with Young Women at Risk – Conference Presentation Paper and DVD', and, ' The Holy Spirit is my Double'.

Danielle Forer - 'Group Work with Refugees Utilising Psychodrama: Rebuilding hope, facilitating recovery'.

Tam Dinh - 'Steps Toward an Encounter: Learning to Get On Board with the Other'.

Kath Kelly - 'Psychodrama at the Grove Wholistic Spirituality Centre for Women: The Living Crucible of Acceptance'.

Dianne Kearney - 'The Lady of the Dance'.

Sue Daniel - Psychodrama, role theory and the cultural atom: new developments in role theory in "Psychodrama - Advances in Theory and Practice", Eds. Clark Baim, Jorge Burmeister & Manuela Maciel, Routledge, UK 2007

Take a Chance

Reaching out is often hard, when
The road is long and lonely, but
Take a chance to see.

Yet, if I reach out
And risk the touch,
Feelings can grow, just
Take a chance to feel.

In unexpected places, and
At unexpected times, I
Take a chance to flow.

Life is too short
To waste on fanning fears, so
Take a chance to love and
Take a chance to know.

Phil Smalley
PIM Training and Review Night
30th November 2007

A World Without Mirrors

To the contributors to our blog, with love and appreciation.

Suppose one day,
Zeus decided to free Narcissus
from vain obsession with his own beauty
and thereby removed all the mirrors from the world.
What would become of us?

A big silent black hole!
The first thing to go
Is the songs of birds
On and on they chirp,
On and on they sing,
Unreceived, unheard: vain sounds.
Then we will realize,
We have lost our sense of hearing.

A dark black hole!
The second thing to go
Is the beauty of trees and plants
On and on they grow,
On and on they bloom,
Unnoticed, unseen: vain visibility.
Then we will realize,
We have lost our sense of vision.

An indifferent black hole!
The last thing to go
Is the meaning of human existence
On and on they create,
On and on they build,
Unappreciated, unacknowledged: vain creativity
Then we will have lost our inner mirrors
We have gone past our last realization.
We have become indifferent.

In a world without mirrors
We would be absorbed into nothingness
But we would no longer care
Because we no longer mattered.

In a world without mirrors
Matters become non-matters.
Surely, a sign of the end of the world.

Tam Dinh
29.09.2007

A Book is Born…Out of Relationships

A couple years ago, during a training session, after having explained to my colleagues how I identify and name roles in psychodrama, one colleague suggested that I write a paper about it. Afterwards, I reflected on her suggestion a lot and came to the conclusion that she was ‘write’!, that was what I needed to do. Although, that paper is still evolving, what I have come to realize deeply since then is that paper was born out of my relationships with my colleagues. And so it was with the theme that I picked up from the launch of Psychodrama – Advances in Theory and Practice this evening.

The launch took place in the bookshop at Melbourne University. When Danielle Forer and I arrived at the bookshop, located in the Bailieu Library Building, a stone’s throw from the entrance to the library. It was just after 6.30pm and the sign at the front said it was closed for a private function. However, we knew the function was our function as we could see familiar faces standing not far from the glass doors. There were over a dozen of familiar psychodrama colleagues enjoying each other’s company and their pre-launch drinks and food. The spirit of the place was pleasant and light.

Neil Hucker, Sue’s psychodrama colleague of 30 years, introduced her and reminisced about his first contact with psychodrama nearly 35 years ago and how their passion for psychodrama brought them into contact with each other. I found it remarkable that their passion for psychodrama remains strong and fresh after all these years.


Sue looked strikingly soft as if she was a gentlest feeling. She started off by describing how the idea of the launch came about. It was born out of her relationships with Margaret Cunningham and Sue Benham both of whom rightly suggested a proper celebration for her contribution to the book. Among other things (which I did not register as I was busily deleting some photos from my camera’s full memory card to take photos of the occasion), Sue talked about her development of a new category of ‘freezing’ to expand the existing three – going away, going toward, and going against – in the description of coping or survival roles which is written about in her chapter. Sue also talked about how her involvement with the book came about. Again, it was in her relationships with the editors of the book with whom she have known and worked with for many years and the other authors. Ah, and she let everyone in on a secret that another book is underway!

Then in true psychodrama style, Neil got Margaret Shanahan to be the champagne that got popped, spreading across the stage toward Sue who was holding the book.

And so the book was launched and as Sue said, ‘It came from the world…it is now out in the world’. When I left the bookshop, I immediately opened and browsed through the book. As I walked through the trees on campus, something gently fell on my head and then landed on the open pages of the book. It was a tiny but beautiful young twig, half orange half red. The colours were striking and fresh. Then it suddenly dawned on me: ‘Oh yes, of course! The book has gone out into the world, and here is something from the world going into the book’. I studied the twig, fully intrigued, and decided that the twig would stay there between the pages.

22 November 2007
Tam Dinh
Psychodramatist in the world

Images from the Book Launch

Book Launch (Click on the image to enlarge)

Waikanae Beach Movie

Waikanae News Flash - 1

Well we have finished two bottles of Moet, had dinner at Mussel Boys and Sue, Ted, Lethe and I have decided to write some things for the blog. Outside there is an awesome display of fireworks happening. Have made a decision we will go and buy some of these fireworks tomorrow and have our own display Monday night!

Katrina