The Lexicon of Pain: Highlighting the Advantages of Applied Theater in Pediatrics through the Lens of Psychodynamic Therapy

Article Information

Creative Arts Educ Ther (2024) 10(1):126–140 DOI: 10.15212/CAET/2024/10/5

The Lexicon of Pain: Highlighting the Advantages of Applied Theater in Pediatrics through the Lens of Psychodynamic Therapy

Abstract

Applied theater for health and well-being suggests itself as an effective tool for social and emotional interaction and communication of emotions, developing creativity, imagination, and regulation of emotions during hospitalization. This paper aims to explore the value of communicating emotions through applied theater and storytelling in pediatrics and its potential in clinical practice in a discussion through the lens of psychodynamic therapy. We will explore the intersections, synergies, and possible collaborations between the theatrical form as a condition for openness and verbalizing pain and therapy as a method of processing and dealing with emotions. We discuss fictional stories told by children during applied theater and storytelling research interventions in hospitals as case studies through the lens of psychodynamic therapy with children. We explore these stories by using interdisciplinary, synthetic, and dialectic analysis between the researcher-artist and the psychodynamic therapist. We ask if the stories that hospitalized children create within theatrical interventions can help adults and clinical staff understand better the children’s lexicon of pain, leading to sensitive healthcare. The rich narrative discussion of the case studies indicates that applied theater in hospitals enhanced well-being support in children and as gateways for improved care. The core themes that emerged include empowerment, synergies and exchanges of emotions, emotional reassurance, and imagination. This analysis of hospitalized children’s stories from a psychodynamic therapist’s point of view has scope for informing alternative, nonmedical activities with children in the hospital and those who would benefit from clinical therapy and the performing arts.

Keywords: applied theater, psychodynamic therapy, pediatrics, storytelling, healthcare

摘要

用于健康和福祉的应用戏剧表明它是住院期间社交和情感互动和情感交流、发展创造力、想象和情绪调节的有效工具。在本文中，我们将其定义为一种治疗性的复杂艺术实践。本文旨在通过心理动力学治疗的视角进行讨论，探讨通过应用戏剧和叙事在儿科中交流情感的治疗价值及其在临床实践中的潜力。我们将探索戏剧形式之间的交叉、协同作用和可能的合作。戏剧形式是开放和表达痛苦的条件，而治疗是处理和处理情绪的方法。我们通过儿童心理动力学治疗的视角，讨论医院应用戏剧和叙事干预期间儿童讲述的虚构故事，并将之作为案例研究。我们通过研究艺术家和心理动力学治疗师之间的跨学科、综合和辩证分析来探索这些故事。我们询问住院儿童在戏剧介入中创造的故事是否可以帮助成人和临床工作人员更好地理解儿童的疼痛词汇，从而带来敏感的医疗保健。案例研究的丰富叙述性讨论表明，医院中的应用戏剧增强对儿童的福祉支持，并为改善护理提供了途径。出现的核心主题包括赋权、情感协同和交流、情感安慰，以及想象。从心理动力学治疗师的角度对住院儿童的故事进行分析，可以为住院儿童以及将从临床治疗和表演艺术中受益的人提供替代性非医疗活动的信息。

关键词： 应用戏剧, 心理动力治疗, 儿科, 叙事, 保健