Autobiographical Therapeutic Performance as a Means of Improving Executive Functioning in Traumatized Adults.

Paula Ray,Susana Pendzik

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.599914

Abstract

This article describes the pilot project Shadows & Light Within: Untold Stories—a two-phase, multi-partner community-based project that explores the hypothesis that Autobiographical Therapeutic Performance can help traumatized individuals to improve executive functioning. A group of 10 individuals ranging in age from 32 to 69, with lived experiences at the intersection of trauma, mental health, and the court system, were paired with theater mentor-coaches for a 10-month creative group process, in which they shaped their stories into autobiographical performance pieces, through movement, improvisation, story-telling, and self-discovery. In the second phase of the project, their stories were merged into a theater production, weaving movement, song, and voice, and performed by an ensemble of experienced actors from the community. Pre- and post-interviews and self-report standardized measures of executive functioning were used to assist in establishing criteria and direction for future research. The results suggest that the individuals involved in this pilot may have improved executive functioning and acquired more ability to engage in human service programs designed to increase job readiness and enhance adaptive living skills.

Highlights

Shadows & Light Within: Untold Stories explores if and how the process of developing, performing, and witnessing autobiographical narratives using drama therapy interventions can lead to improved executive functioning for individuals with trauma history, in an attempt to facilitate their engagement in human service programs designed to increase job readiness
The present study explores the idea that through the embodied performance of one’s personal narrative, as done in Autobiographical Therapeutic Performances, a dynamic point of neural integration can be strengthened (Yaniv, 2014), leading to improved executive functioning (EF), which in turn could get people better prepared to engage in human services designed to facilitate their social integration and job readiness
Participants were asked 6 questions, concerning their experience of sharing their Autobiographical Therapeutic Performance (ATP) in a small group, viewing a performance developed from their source material, as well as their reflections on the assigned coaches, and other comments they had on the experience

Summary

Introduction

Shadows & Light Within: Untold Stories explores if and how the process of developing, performing, and witnessing autobiographical narratives using drama therapy interventions can lead to improved executive functioning for individuals with trauma history, in an attempt to facilitate their engagement in human service programs designed to increase job readiness. The project was conceived as a model community partnership between a nonprofit organization providing advocacy and support for families, and a nonprofit theater company committed to community engagement and improving the quality of life through artistic means. A group of 10 individuals, aged 32–69, were invited to develop an Autobiographical Therapeutic Performance (ATP) based on their lived experiences. Their ATPs were merged into a staged production presented by community theater performers, incorporating movement and music, with the original participants as members of the larger and preselected audience.

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Conclusion