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By: Abolfazl Rezania

The Power of Chair Work: A Journey into Psychodrama and Chair Work-Based Psychotherapy.

“Spontaneous theater (which later evolved into improvisational theater in New York) consisted of regular sessions in which actors acted out stories from the audience or newspapers to promote new perspectives or ideas. [Dr. Moreno] declared psychodrama’s birthday April 1, 1921, when he facilitated a session in Vienna using an empty chair to represent the future leader of the New World Order in Europe.”

Professor Wellman J. Warner described the gathering at Dr. Moreno’s memorial service as follows:

“It was a psychodrama encounter. In a large tent filled with people from all over who knew Moreno, Zerka (Dr. Moreno’s wife) had placed a chair in front—an empty chair. …. One after another, scores of people came forward, usually reaching out to touch the empty chair—and to talk to it and thank it for what it had done with their lives, to recall events and create an atmosphere of celebration and joy without tears or sorrow. It was a memorial service that was truly memorable. (Warner, personal communication, June 25, 1978)

So not only was the birth of psychodrama marked by the use of chair work, but in the end, Dr. Moreno’s life was celebrated with psychodrama anchored in chair work.

News publication date:
1403/3/23

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