Therapy for chronic conditions can vary greatly depending on the condition. At Think Joy Drama Therapy the focus will be on helping you to work through feelings of vulnerability, coping, identity and role transitions, and exploring the narratives associated with your particular condition.
Types of Chronic Conditions
Chronic conditions take on a variety of titles and may be influenced by a range of factors including your environment, genetics, cultural influences and norms, and/or psychological factors. You may be considering seeking therapy to explore the ways in which you are adjusting to or have had to adjust to a chronic condition such as a diagnosis of a chronic illness, disability, or disorder, change of life circumstance or personal habit. You may be struggling to regulate your mood or emotions, feel disconnected from others or previous interests, be more self-critical, or fear rejection. You may be experiencing changes in your mood, appetite, sleep, or physical ability.
Ways to explore chronic conditions at Think Joy Drama Therapy
Individual Therapy Options:
In an individual talk-based psychotherapy session one can work on expression through verbal processing and focusing on key aspects of the challenges that come up in relation to the experience of having a chronic condition. This may be a more focused way to process your experiences and concerns directly. You may also be interested in Integrated Psychotherapy sessions which incorporate some Drama Therapy exercises and resourcing into talk-based sessions.
In an individual Drama Play session the non-verbal complexity of having a chronic condition may be worked through using creativity in a less focused way. Themes may shift in a drama play session to encompass the range of emotional, psychological and physical experiences that you may encounter in having a chronic condition. A drama play session allows this flexibility in processing the mind-body connection and subconscious material with fluidity. Drama play sessions usually involve a balanced flow of activity and reflection, whether verbal, written or creatively expressed.
Individual poetry therapy sessions allow you to explore the experiences of others which may align with yours (using published poetry, text, lyrics) or to dig deeper into your own writings with the support of a therapist. Reflecting on concepts, values, and the stories embedded in these narrative structures can help you to understand your own values. This type of session uses the addition of creative spontaneous writing and/or response to inspire reflective conversations in the therapy space.
Group Therapy Options:
This may be a good option if your condition allows you to read and write without too much difficulty. The theme of the group series may vary from session to session but generally allows for processing of identity, grief, authenticity, self-care and so on.
If you are apprehensive or have a limited capacity for reading and/or writing, the Poetry Therapy and Dramatic Resonances series is a therapy group which combines poetry therapy with dramatic engagement through ‘response art’ (movement, visual art, sound and/or text). This can be a gentle way to work through grief expression in the way you feel is needed in the moment.
Limited Series: Hero’s Journey
This can be a good option for those who aren’t inclined to openly discuss their experiences in a group but would like to process private experiences in a supportive environment. Through creative engagement and journaling, participants can focus on individual concerns through creative engagement with a guide ‘character’, getting to the heart of deeper issues that may otherwise increase feelings of negativity and lack of control in the case of complex experiences such as chronic conditions.
