What is it about?
Survivors of father–daughter incest (FDI) often suffer from complex trauma and sensory insensitivity, making it difficult to decipher the sensations in the body and experience body ownership, self-location and agency. The case study illustrates how a specific drama therapy approach, sensory-focused Trauma-Centred Developmental Transformations (TC-DvT), can help restore or develop a bodily self, desensitize fear-based schemas, revise deeply buried beliefs and extend repertoire.
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Why is it important?
The case study indicates that sensory-focused TC-DvT could be a promising approach for survivors of FDI. Interesting is how the treatment naturally adapts to the unique profile of a survivor of father-daughter incest, will develop or restore a bodily self, desensitize fear-based schema’s, revise (deeply buried) beliefs and extend repertoire, leading to greater flexibility and differentiation in a person’s response to the environment and view of reality. Because of the exuberant nature of this kind of drama therapy it might enhance adherence and lower attrition rate. Research related to outpatient drama therapy treatment of this specific kind of abuse is limited and only few drama therapists receive specific training related to it.
Perspectives
In order to respect and reconfirm the client’s autonomy, value the client’s perspective on therapy process and effectiveness and (re-)establish mutual intelligibility or intersubjectivity, the client of this case study was invited to read and comment on different versions of it. She was asked in particular if she recognized the described process and different illustrations drawn from sessions, and to reflect on her development in her own words. I am very thankful for her contributions. It gave me as a practitioner and researcher tremendous valuable insights.
Marc Willemsen
HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Reclaiming the body and restoring a bodily self in drama therapy: A case study of sensory-focused Trauma-Centred Developmental Transformations for survivors of father–daughter incest, Drama Therapy Review, October 2020, Intellect,
DOI: 10.1386/dtr_00028_1.
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