Life-crossroads on stage: integrating life review and drama therapy for older adults

Abstract

Our findings confirm that the new therapeutic intervention, which integrates life-review with drama therapy, increases self-acceptance, relationships with others, sense of meaning in life, and sense of successful aging; in turn, it also decreases depressive symptoms among older adults. The contribution of this research is based on the development of a therapeutic intervention that combines narrative together with drama therapy tools, which can be used in focused and short-term group treatments with the elderly.

Playback theatre in adult day centers: A creative group intervention for community-dwelling older adults

“…In this way, it had the potential to enhance the individual's sense of integrity and acceptance of life [60,61,63]. The life-crossroads stories, as self-defining memories, capture roles from the past that are essential for self-definition and meaning [14,92]. The results suggest that reliving these roles on the group stage may help to preserve the individual's sense of continuity and identity.…”

“…The integrative intervention presented here is founded on the solid evidence-based principles of the life-review in late life that is suitable for the aging population [ 60 , 61 ]. The creative process focused on the exploration of life-crossroads stories [ 14 ], a short and original technique for conducting the life-review in a group setting. The uniqueness of this research also lies in the improvisational theatrical characteristic of playback theatre, which is based on a completely spontaneous co-creative playfulness and the engagement of others with the personal narrative [ 31 , 83 , 84 ].…”

“…The playback theatre groups examined here focused on working with significant life events as a means of succinctly crafting the life story in a time limited group process. The technique that is used is called life-crossroads, a specific life-review technique that uses three to five selected autobiographical memories, self-defining life events, or life periods in which an influential decision and/or a change occurred that had a meaningful effect on the individual's life course [14]. Life-crossroads emphasizes the idea that a life story is constructed by integrating influential decisions and meaningful changes that delineate one's life narrative.…”

“…Other studies that examined the integration of life-review using the concepts of life-crossroads with drama therapy [14] and playback theatre [16] indicated its value in terms of promoting meaning in life, self-acceptance, self-esteem, a sense of successful aging, positive relationships with others, and reduced depressive symptoms. These findings point to the healing potential of the integration of drama therapy, playback theatre and life-review.…”

“…These therapies employ an intentional and systematic utilization of arts to foster psychological growth. A growing body of research has established the positive impact of creative arts therapies in terms of improving various aspects of older adults' mental health [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Visual arts, music, dance-movement, drama and theater provide additional means of self-exploration and expression within a therapeutic relationship [17].…”