Drama, Psychotherapy and Psychosis

John Casson, psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice, and senior trainer in the Northern School of Psychodrama.

“In all my years exploring and teaching psychodrama, sociometry and other action methods, John Casson’s book, Drama, Psychotherapy and Psychosis is the single most provocative and inspiring of any I have encountered. I have rarely, if ever, been so moved by the level of creativity, rigor and commitment to this highly under-served, misunderstood, and often degraded population. It is a book full of exquisite detail and inventiveness. For those of you who have not been exposed to John’s work, Have You Got a Treasure and an inspirational, possibly life changing, experience in store.” - Barnett J. Weiss, M.A, L.C.S.W. Former Director of the Moreno Psychodrama Theater in New York City.John Casson's book is stimulating, challenging and incredibly motivating ... John explains through case studies approaches he has used and this is where the book becomes a powerful resource ... this book has been thought provoking and made me ask questions of my practice and perceptions. - Sally Glossop in Play Therapy, June 2004 No: 38Even without prior knowledge of the use of psychodrama in working with mental health service users, this book can be read comfortably from cover to cover ... It is engaging, thought-provoking and, equally importantly, accessible. The Paragraphs are short and the language straightforward; in fact, the whole package makes it a real page turner ... This book is a concise, informative and enjoyable read. - Sybil Ah-mane in Mental Health Today, October 2004I have recently purchased your book "Drama, Psychotherapy and Psychosis: Dramatherapy and Psychodrama with People Who Hear Voices" and have found it to be an invaluable resource. I am a student in Dramatherapy at NYU and have an internship working with clients who have Schizophrenia. - Dramatherapy Student, NYUIn this impressive book, the author has more than realised the promise hinted in the title, that is a very thorough consideration of the particular challenges that are implicit in dramatherapy and psychodrama psychotherapy research... this volume is certainly a significant and valuable contribution to the field. If you want to read a well-edited account of how to conduct a research project that is ethically constructed and philosophically sound, then read this book. It should be on every dramatherapy and psychodrama psychotherapy students' desk and all training programmes' core reading booklist. I thoroughly recommend it. - Michael Barham, Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, March 2005

• Zerka Moreno, Foreword. Introduction. Psychosis and Hearing Voices 1: A Historical Perspective. Psychosis and Hearing Voices 2: Making Sense of Voices. Psychosis and Hearing Voices 3: Models of Madness. Theatre, Madness and Healing. The Twentieth Century: Theatrotherapy, Psychodrama and Dramatherapy. Dramatherapy with Individuals: Finding a Voice and Telling Stories. The Wave and the Whelm: Distance and Empowerment. Individual Dramatherapy: Cheryll. The Theatre Model of the Self. Group Dramatherapy. Individual Psychodrama: Harry. Group Psychodrama. What is Helpful and Not Helpful in Dramatherapy and Psychodrama. Guidelines for Good Practice. Jennings, Afterword.