SESSION 6 – Dealing with emotional violence perpetrated by using patronizing and controlling attitudes towards a person with mental health issues

OBJECTIVE OF THE SESSION

The objective of this session is to help people with mental health illnesses who feel stressed and sad to identify their emotion, manage it and turn it into a positive emotion. The instructor tells the caretakers that s/he is going to provide them with improvisation skills in order to help patients with anxiety and sadness issues.

By the end of the session each member will be able to:

– apply theatre and self-improvement techniques through drama sessions

– use mask as a supportive art and tool to applied theatre techniques

– to make the patients feel confident and able to perform and create.

This is why we will use masks, whose use has a binary quality, on the one hand, masks allow people to “hide” behind them, rediscover their potentials, their bodies, their emotions and express them behind the comfort of the mask, and, on the other, as one has to construct a mask, there is a palpable outcome that can empower the patient’s self-confidence.

CASE SCENARIO

The protagonist is a young man with mental health illness who has been a user of a day care center for the past few months.

The social service professionals are working to improve the man’s autonomy and decisiveness, since he has problems of self-esteem and emotional dependence to his parents. The latter are highly controlling and possessive and they leave no space for his autonomy. By fearing that he might “get himself into troubles” or “get hurt”, they do not let the protagonist go out alone. When he has activities at the day care center, they take him there and they come to pick him up. During the day, they call the professionals at the center to make sure that the young man is still there. He is making progresses and he is achieving good results. Notwithstanding that, when his parents are present, he blocks up and he seems to lose his ability to express himself and to communicate his needs. He becomes suddenly more indecisive, unconfident and anxious. After a while, the mental health professionals working in the day care center decide to talk to the parents about the progress their son has made. However, they do not seem to care about the good news they are informed about and they continue using patronizing attitudes towards him. On the other side, the protagonist keeps on showing a sudden lack of autonomy only when his parents are around.

TRAINING SESSION

The trainer welcomes the participants and informs them of the case scenario (see above) either through power point presentation or via narration. After having informed the participants of the case scenario the trainer presents the goals of the session by pinpointing the type of aggression, the emotions and the coping strategies:

  • Aggression Type: Example of relational aggression – emotional violence.
  • Emotions: anxiety, sadness.
  • Coping: Stressors related to mental illness/social stigma.
  • Coping: Functional coping strategies.
  • Questions and answers:

1st Question

At what point in the scenario do you find that the protagonist was a victim of violence? To what kind of violence does the scenario refer to? 

1st Answer

The parents of the protagonist patronize and control him. They treat him as he is not able to be independent, even if he has proved the contrary. The violence is perpetrated by the parents during the whole period the story refers to.

2nd Question

Do you think that the thoughts, the actions, the feelings and the attitudes adopted by the protagonist of the scenario helped him/her to cope with this situation? Are there any alternative ideas?

2nd Answer

He feels powerless and not able to be independent. However, he is “indecisive, unconfident and anxious” only at the presence of his parents. He has improved his autonomy and self-esteem, but he is afraid of failing in front of his parents. He should always remind himself that he is able to take his own decisions and that the others have to respect them.

3rd Question

What other interventions and actions could further help the protagonist to deal with this incident and with any potential similar incidents in the future?

3rd Answer

The professionals should keep on validating the protagonist and leading him to the awareness that everyone can fail: there is no learning without making mistakes.

And also:

– What are the main problematics exposed in the case scenario?

– How are the issues presented in the above case scenario related to specific emotions?

– Which are those emotions?

Then there is a discussion and the participants express their ideas. By the end of this part the participants should have determined that the case scenario deals with relational aggression resulting in emotional violence and that the emotions this session will focus on are anxiety and sadness.

PREPARATION

This session is carried out between the trainer (improvisation professional) and the caretakers. They should all wear comfortable clothes and shoes.

  • Duration: 90 minutes.
  • Number of participants: 6-20.
  • Place: A room where there is space to move.
  • Materials and tools: 20-30 white masks, one bird mask, cardboard construction paper, colour pencils, pens and pencils.

PROCEDURE

Introduction

  • Duration: 10 minutes.
  • Description: Introducing the case scenario, the questions and the emotion.

Introduction Exercises – Improvisational training

Warm up: If the trainers want to include relaxation exercises (i.e. stretching, body warm up, imagination relaxation etc.) they can take 5 minutes before each session to do them. It is important to note that participants with mobility problems can execute all the exercises sitting on a chair and using the parts of their body which are mobile and/or their imagination.

Note: All exercises which include physical contact and/or movement can be substituted by a) the trainer performing the exercises and explaining, b) the trainer performing the exercises and the group instructing her/him and c) the group can be sitting in their chairs and they can narrate, imagine and/or share their physicality or mobility.

The trainer can help the participants by reminding them the movements or words in order to facilitate their participation in exercises.

Exercise 1: Walking and touching

  • Purpose: Getting to know each other, participating in a group, body awareness, communication, creativity.
  • Duration: 5 minutes.
  • Description: The participants are scattered in the room. The trainer asks them to start walking around the space. They have to try to cover the entire space and keep in mind that they have to move towards where there is an opening. After having walked for about 30 seconds and without stopping to walk, the trainer asks the participants to start seeing each other. At first, they just look at each other and move on. When the trainer feels that the participants have exhausted this part (after about a minute), the trainer asks them to touch each other with their hands when they meet, as if greeting them, and then move on. This could continue for a while. Now when the participants meet each other there is an emotion governing their interaction. This time the meeting will last longer. The trainer says: “When you meet you will be happy to see each other”, “When you meet you will be reserved”, “When you meet you will be sad” and so on, trying to express as many emotions as the trainer sees fit. However, you should always keep in mind to finish with a positive emotion. The trainer keeps this up for as long as s/he sees fit.

Exercise 2: Adding movements

  • Purpose: Participating in a group, body (and voice) awareness, memory, precision, communication, creativity, fun, letting go.
  • Duration: 5 minutes.
  • Description: The participants form a circle. One member of the group performs a simple movement, for example, raising her/his arm. The participant on the right executes the same movement, adding one movement of her/his own. The next participants executes the first two movements, adding one movement of her/his own and so on, until someone forgets the sequence. Then you start again. The exercise can be repeated for a few times, aiming to the concentration and bonding of the group. 
  • Variation: A variation can be played with sounds and/or a combination of both sounds and movement. It is advised that all three versions are played.

Exercise 3: Guessing a noise

  • Purpose: Getting to know each other, engaging, participating in couples, body and voice awareness, communication, creativity, imagination.
  • Duration: 4 minutes.
  • Description: The participants remain in the circle and they sit down. The trainer divides the participants into couples. In turn, all the couples stand in the middle of the circle back to back so that they cannot see what they are doing. One participant starts by making a noise such as a clap with her/his hands or a stomp with her/his foot/feet and so on. The other participant, without seeing, has to describe the movement. When one couple perform 4-6 different noises, it can sit back on the circle and another couple takes a turn.

Exercise 4: Reacting to a noise

  • Purpose: Getting to know each other, engaging, participating in couples, body and voice awareness, communication, creativity, imagination.
  • Duration: 4 minutes.
  • Description: The participants are still sitting in the circle, the trainer can keep the same couples or s/he can change them. This is recommended, so that more participants interact. However, this is up to the trainer, who will manage the group and detect the dynamics. In turn, all the couples stand in the middle of the circle back to back so that they cannot see what they are doing. One participant starts by making a noise such as a clap with her/his hands or a stomp with her/his foot/feet and so on. The other participant has to react to that stimuli. S/he can shout, whisper, bend her/his body and so on. When one couple perform 4-6 different noises, it can sit back on the circle and another couple takes a turn.
  • Alternative: The exercise can be performed in groups. For example, the person executing the noises of the movement can be hidden from the rest of the group and the group could guess collectively.

Exercise 5: Describing

  • Purpose: Memory, paying attention to detail, observation, communication, creativity, precision and mental sequence, power to express oneself and to talk about others, empathy.
  • Duration: 3 minutes.
  • Description: The participants sit down in the circle. The trainer asks one of the participants to turn her/his back to the circle and to start describing another participant. The person who describes should start from external features. When the first participant completes the description of the external features, s/he should turn her/his face back to the circle, add the details s/he missed and say something nice about the person described. The same process should be carried out by all the participants.
  • Variation 1: The person described can hide from the circle, allow her/his fellow participants describe her/his, and then present her/himself when all participants believe they have completed her/his description. Then the participant describe can stand at the centre of the circle and each participant can say one nice thing about him/her.
  • Variation 2: The person described can stand at the centre of the circle and her/his fellow participants can look at him/her, describe them in detail and then say something nice about them.
  • Variation 3: The trainer can show an object to the participants, hide it and then ask the participants to describe it.

Exercise 6: Unique person

  • Purpose: Participating in a group, empathy, communication, creativity, imagination, power to express oneself and to talk about others.
  • Duration: 7 minutes.
  • Description: The participants stand around in the circle. The trainer tells them that the phrase they are going to use in this game is the following: “I am the most unique person in the entire world because…” and then they will have to say something unique, extraordinary, funny or nice about themselves, such as a favourite colour, a meal, a place they would like to go to, an activity they would like to perform Each participant will say only one thing at a time. Then the next participant will repeat the phrase saying something unique about her/himself. The participants will continue and each participant should say at least three or four unique characteristics about him/herself. Then movement should be added to the words. As soon as the participant completes the phrase and the movement. The trainer and the rest of the group should respond that: “This is what makes you unique and special and this is why we love it that you are part of our group” (an alternative phrase, such as “You are unique and me love you” can be used). The process ends when each participant has said at least 2 or 3 things about her/his and her/his uniqueness.

Exercise 7: Drawing a mask

  • Purpose: Engaging, empathy, communication, creativity, imagination, power to express oneself.
  • Duration: 10 minutes.
  • Description: At this point the trainer hands out to the participants 1 white mask each and colour pencils and asks them to draw a face that each one likes and thinks that it is unique. The participants take their time and draw on the mask the face of the person that they want.

Exercise 8: Giving body to he mask

  • Purpose: Engaging, participating in a group, empathy, communication, creativity, imagination, power to express oneself.
  • Duration: 5 minutes
  • Description: The participant go back to the circle each having her/his own mask. The first participant while still in the circle talks about her/his mask. The feelings that this mask has, why s/he thought to create that certain mask and so on. When s/he complete the presentation of the mask, s/he gets up and start to try out the kind of movement that this mask will have, using ideas from exercise 6. Every participant does the same.

Exercise 9: Creative dance with the mask

Lorrena McKennit Marrakesh Night Market

  • Description: The trainer leads participants to a creative dance. S/he tells them to attend to the rhythm and the thematic melody, whereas, at other points, activates them to freely express themselves through dance and music. Then, s/he matches participants in pairs and they continue dancing together, and finally s/he reorganizes them into small groups. The trainer guides this dance ritual by giving inspiring instructions (related to free and semi-guided body expression, accordingly to the team’s reactions).

Exercise 10: Interaction with The Birds

  • Purpose: Fantasy, decision-making, opportunity to dream, recognition of my potential.
  • Duration: 12 minutes.
  • Useful Links: Summary of the plot The Birds by Aristophanes
  • https://www.gradesaver.com/the-birds/study-guide/summary
  • The Birds
  • http://classics.mit.edu/Aristophanes/birds.html
  • Description: While participants are still dancing, the trainer enters the circle by wearing a mask of a bird. S/he narrates the summary of The Birds by telling participants that two weird characters from the man’s land have visited the Birds’ Land and s/he continues to narrate, in the role of the bird:

            They arrive at a door where a bird which strikes fear in them answers, he is Tereus’ servant. Tereus then comes out to them and they see that he hardly has any feathers upon his body, as he says is due to molting. Peisetaerus has the idea that the birds should stop flying around aimlessly in the sky and instead build a giant city in-between the men of earth and the gods of the heavens in order that the birds can catch all of the sacrifices of man and thus have the power over the gods as they will begin to starve without the sacrifices. Tereus the Hoopoe summons the birds with a song. Upon the birds arrival they appear to want to attack the men, but are talked out of it. Peisetaerus tells the birds of a plan that will allow them to be the gods to reign over man instead of Zeus and his children. The plan for the great city is set out before them and the birds agree that it is an excellent idea. [https://www.gradesaver.com/the-birds/study-guide/summary]

The trainer expresses great enthusiasm towards the above idea, of creating their great city, and s/he calls participant to sit in the circle (without masks) and describe how they imagine this great city. The trainer leads the discussion by adding facilitation questions (who create this city, how do you imagine the space, the rules, people who live in this city etc.).

Alternative: The trainer can provide a simpler explanation/narration for people with severe mental illness or cognitive problems. Or a combination of exercise 10 with exercise 11 (see below).

REFLECTION-RESPONDING TO THE WHOLE SESSION

Exercise 11: Drawing & Creative Writing for “My great city”

  • Purpose: opportunity to dream, recognition of my potential, creative transformations of dreams, wills and hidden.
  • Duration: 10 minutes.
  • Useful Links: Summary of the plot The Birds by Aristophanes
  • https://www.gradesaver.com/the-birds/study-guide/summary
  • The Birds
  • http://classics.mit.edu/Aristophanes/birds.html
  • Description: The trainer asks participants to visualize their own “Great City”, the city which expresses their dreams, ideas and goals. Then, each group member draws her/his own great city and can also add verses, lyrics, slogans or words to the final synthesis. At the end, they share their creations with the whole group, by supporting their “Great Cities”.

CONCLUSION

  • Duration: 5 minutes.
  • Description: At the end of the session the trainer will ask questions that stimulate reflection, namely “How do you think the above session links to the emotion we are dealing with?”, “What did you find helpful?” and so on. Then s/he will invite participants to pinpoint what stroke their attention, what they gained and want they want to keep as a reference point from all the above procedure as well as to ask any questions related to the above exercises. Exercise 12 can provide a useful tool to the conclusion of this particular session.

Exercise 12: Responding to the whole session

  • Purpose: group-reflection, repetition, assimilation of ideas and feelings, group interaction.
  • Duration: 5 minutes.
  • Description: In a circle, each group member is asked to express what s/he keeps from all the above session for her/his own life (The trainer also refers to their Great Cities and activates the reflection by adding questions, if that is needed).

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