Papers by Richard Hougham
Symbolic Attitude
Dramatherapy, 2017
Dramatherapy, 2013
The phenomenon of therapeutic presence is notoriously difficult to articulate and may benefit fro... more The phenomenon of therapeutic presence is notoriously difficult to articulate and may benefit from dialogue with the discipline of performance studies. This paper discusses how qualities of therapeutic presence can be contextualised as performative in nature. Qualities of presence in both the therapist and the performer are discussed, with specific reference to Eugenio Barba and the cultivation of presence in training both the actor and the therapist. The author then reflects on the piece ‘The Artist is Present’ by Marina Abramovic for its capacity to explore presence and intimacy within a performance piece.
Track the Deer, Catch It and Then Let It Go
Dramatherapy, 2005
The following paper is based on research into a dramatic model of group supervision that was also... more The following paper is based on research into a dramatic model of group supervision that was also informed by ideas from Jungian psychology. Postgraduate dramatherapy students were given the opportunity to reflect, embody and dramatise what they considered to be ‘significant moments’ from their placement practice over a period of ten weeks. A semi-structured interview was then carried out with each of the nine participants. Analysis of their responses identified two emerging themes −1) a diversity of perspectives on the same session, where students who participated in the same work had different experiences and 2) working with the drama and the body in supervision offered the chance to reconnect with and investigate body-based experiences from practice. Through continuing to use the art form of drama in supervision (in particular role-playing the client), it seemed that qualities and nuances of the session and the therapeutic relationship could be explored. In particular, some of th...
The Arts in Psychotherapy, 2012
There is a paucity of published work on how group process informs the teaching and practice of dr... more There is a paucity of published work on how group process informs the teaching and practice of dramatherapy. This article investigates ideas on groups and group therapy from the fields of analytical psychology and group analysis, and goes on to develop these in the context and practice of dramatherapy. First, the phenomenon of regression in groups from Foulkesian and Jungian perspectives is addressed, highlighting contrasting theories on the potential and pitfalls of group experience. The idea of the 'matrix' as a multi-layered intersubjective field in the group (Foulkes) and/or the entirety of the unconscious (Jung) is explored, offering a background for discussion on the nature of interpersonal and intrapsychic connections. Sesame drama and movement therapy is referred to as an approach which introduces cultural symbols through fairy tale and myth, and offers the chance to explore these through dramatherapy methods. The moment when a group creates a 'montage' from images from a story offers an example of a 'constellation' of the group matrix, which can lead to different modes of expression. The article finishes by returning to broader questions of group therapy as set out by Jung, and examining these in light of the ritual enactment of myth.
Numinosity, Symbol and Ritual in the Sesame Approach
Dramatherapy, 2006
... is a term used in different African countries to refer to the Spirits of the dead, some of ..... more ... is a term used in different African countries to refer to the Spirits of the dead, some of ... Perhaps we tend to avoid this rather unspecific, twilight zone, where something 'other' might have a ... For Jung, symbol was at the very heart of his approach to psychotherapy, as the language of ...
Dramatherapy and Materiality
Imagining Windmills
Through the Looking Glass: Dimensions of Reflection in the Art Therapies
Arts Therapies and the Intelligence of Feeling reflects the theme of the September 2011 ECArTE co... more Arts Therapies and the Intelligence of Feeling reflects the theme of the September 2011 ECArTE conference held in Luca, Italy. 'Intelligence' has come a long was since Binet: the brain's autonomous capacity for adaptation is now seen not as a single but as a multi-dimensional capability (Howard Gardner, 1983), and is understood to include emotions as well as mental reasoning (Daniel Goleman, 1995). If the arts therapies can claim to work with the intelligence of feeling the the prospect of an intelligible Method might be within reach. The present volumes include contributions from therapy professionals from seven different countries.
Dramatherapy: The Nature of Interruption
A Practice-Based Enquiry into Therapeutic Presence
The research inquiry of this PaR project is concerned with the cultivation of therapeutic presenc... more The research inquiry of this PaR project is concerned with the cultivation of therapeutic presence in dramatherapy training. The work was born out of the question of the nature of therapeutic presence, what it is and how it is conceived. As dramatherapists, the researchers were interested to explore resonances between the languages and understandings of presence in theatre and psychotherapy and how these interrelate. A guiding thesis was the many layers of communication in human relationships, which include the kinaesthetic and the unconscious and that this is relevant to the conception of presence.
Not Form, But the Marrow of Forms: Reflections on Lorca’s ‘Duende’ in the Arts Therapies
What lies in potentia in the client is given the chance for expression through the arts therapies... more What lies in potentia in the client is given the chance for expression through the arts therapies, tapping into a creative stream which is both personal and collective at the same time. The spontaneous creative moment is difficult to understand rationally and impossible to predict. Yet there are certain characteristics in these moments, which may help develop languages with which to reflect on psyche and the creation of meaning. In this chapter, I turn to Lorca’s idea of duende as a way of reflecting on this spontaneous and creative force, when a fullness of being is experienced partly through the letting go of form, allowing for the presence of the unknown. I refer to Lorca’s essay ‘The Theory and Play of Duende’ (Lorca, 1991) where he provokes thinking about duende not through the perpetuation of form, but from mining what he calls ‘the marrow of forms’ (46). The work of the artists Nick Cave, Jez Butterworth and Mark Rylance is then briefly discussed in relation to duende, drawin...
Cultural Landscapes in the Arts Therapies
The Stone Soup: Towards a Mythological Intelligence
The chapter introduces basic tenets of the Sesame approach to drama and movement therapy, with a ... more The chapter introduces basic tenets of the Sesame approach to drama and movement therapy, with a particular focus on working with symbolic image and the idea of mythological intelligence. The symbolic image is central to many of the arts therapies but is introduced, worked with and reflected on in a variety of ways. The theoretical scope in this area is broad, which brings about a diversity of educational and clinical practice. This chapter explores the in the ways in which we relate to and reflect on the symbolic material which arises from practice and how we might contextualize it within a mythological frame. ECArTE has established itself as the leading producer of publications on European arts therapy developments. Building on its previous three-volume publication: Arts - Therapies - Communication, and its more recent publication European Arts Therapy, Grouping the Vision - to advance therapy and practice, this book is intended for academics, practitioners, educationalists, healt...
The matrix, group processes and psychotherapy
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Papers by Richard Hougham