Act it Out

A therapist and former actress presents a variety of self-directed expressive exercises to help adult survivors of child abuse uncover buried feelings, overcome the effects of traumatic experiences, and start to form healthy and trusting relationships with others. In her therapy practice, Stefanie Solinsky found herself frustrated by the limited ability of traditional techniques to help adult survivors of childhood abuse uncover deeper emotional patterns. A former actress, she recalled the kinds of acting exercises that she had learned in drama classes. By drawing on techniques that actors use to unblock their emotions in order to play dramatic roles, she discovered that she was able to encourage her adult clients to uncover buried feelings, remember painful experiences, and begin to deal more directly with the symptoms of earlier traumas. In Act It Out, these exercises are presented in the form of a series of safe, simple, and creative exercises.

Although similar to more familiar psychodrama techniques, where scenes are controlled by a therapist or group leader, Solinsky's exercises are unique in that they allow readers to open up slowly, at their own pace, and so retain control over exactly how much they want to remember, without becoming overwhelmed or frightened. Because the survival is in charge, these exercises can safely be done alone or in a group setting and with or without a therapist's assistance.