Drama Therapy and Yoga Meditation As Tools for Mindfulness Research Paper

Healing Trauma via Drama & Body MovementIntroductionMindfulness is an important concept in health and wellbeing. It refers to the concept of being present in ones experience and aware of the self. Mindfulness is an ancient and traditional practice used both in the east and in the west, with characteristics found in meditation and contemplation across cultures and eras (Scott, 2014). Being mindful and living in the moment promotes a sense of active engagement in life, a sense of purpose, and a sense of congruence. To promote mindfulness, new therapeutic approaches have been introduced in the field of psychology, such as drama therapy and yoga therapy. Dance and yoga have been found to improve ones cognitive quality and positive state of mind (Megranahan & Lynskey, 2018). For individuals who have experienced trauma, drama and body movement exercises are ways to promote resilience and healing. This paper will explain the specific psychological and mindfulness health benefits of drama therapy and body movement; provide an historical understanding of the evolution of psychological and mindfulness healing through drama and body movement; and discuss the role and impact of self-discovery in personal healing through drama therapy and dance.Psychological and Mindfulness Health Benefits of Drama Therapy and Body MovementDance and yoga have the ability to center the individual, bring the person to a place of calm focus and attention, while giving the body the exercise it needs to maintain its resilience (Shim, Goodill & Bradt, 2019). Individuals who find themselves distracted or discouraged by traumatic events or experiences in the world or in their own lives can find comfort, rejuvenation, and refuge in drama therapy and body movement such as dance or yoga. Both drama therapy and dance therapy provide psychological and mindfulness benefits in different ways, however.Drama therapy allows one to enter into a process of catharsis by leaving the self behind and acting out in the persona of a different character. Just as the audience is capable of being cleansed through engagement with dramatic performance, dramatic performance experience a similar emotional and psychological cleanse by performing as a new character (Sajnani et al., 2019). Stress and anxiety can be reduced, bringing equilibrium to ones psychological state, and one can be better positioned as a result to be aware of ones own center. By purging negative emotions and thoughts through the experience of partaking in drama, one finds oneself able to overcome distracting thoughts that might have derailed one prior.Dance and yoga therapy operate towards the same end but by way of a different path. Rather than exercising the emotions and the mind by way of active performance or immersion into a new character, dance and yoga focus the attention on the body and the need to pay attention to the body to understand and control it more effectively. Dance and yoga both depend upon one centering oneself in oneself, of working to maintain a physical balance, a sense of rhythm, and a presence of mind that both allows one to be in the here and now and to transcend the stress and anxiety that can afflict one in the everyday experience of life (Smith, Esat &…

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…of his body and his emotions in order to present the character to the audience. Self-control is integral to the process of self-discovery, for one cannot discover the self without first controlling the self so that it can be seen without disturbance from factors in ones internal and external environment. As trauma inflicts disturbance on the internal self and can use external factors to heighten that disturbance, self-control through drama or yoga or dance therapy assists the individual in knowing how to possess oneself and to manage disturbances. An actor, for instance, must be able to block out all factors that might make one feel self-conscious on the stage. In doing so, he sees that he is able to overcome challenges, assert himself and discover the confidence needed within oneself to succeed. Individuals attempting to heal from trauma can thus benefit from drama therapy or body movement, which also requires that the individual engage in self-control and self-mastery. Through self-control comes self-awareness and self-discovery. Individuals who lacked confidence or belief in themselves prior to these therapies find that they are able to apply themselves to their recovery with a sense of conviction and peace (Shim et al., 2019).ConclusionHealing through mindfulness and self-discovery allows individuals who have experienced trauma to overcome that trauma and gain confidence in themselves. Drama therapy, dance therapy and yoga therapy are examples of ways in which individuals can achieve mindfulness as part of their overall therapeutic process. Acting, body movement and meditation are all ancient practices that all the human being to process emotions and gain control of…