Book Chapter

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Beginning Body Dialog:

An Introduction to Physical Acting Techniques in Family Counseling^©

Kevin A. Harris

Paul W. Wilson II

Z. Vance Jackson

Book Chapter Published in

The Couple and Family Therapist's Notebook:

Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Use in Couple and Family Therapy^©

Type of Contribution: Activity

Objective:

Beginning Body Dialog is a useful introductory technique to many physical acting techniques that a counselor may choose to use in family counseling. The objective of this activity is to serve as a tool the counselor can use to familiarize the family with doing physical activities in counseling, such as family sculpting (Bitter & Corey, 2001). This activity provides a structured and practically tested exercise the counselor can use for this purpose.

Rationale for Use:

Dialog is the crux of counseling and the basis of the majority of counseling techniques. At times, though, dialog is insufficient to create therapeutic change. Family members may not communicate well, or they may use verbal techniques to manipulate or undermine the therapeutic process (either consciously or unconsciously). On the other hand, a family counselor may simply find that the therapeutic process is stagnating, and want something to get the process moving again. At times like these, physical activities such as family sculpting can be useful interventions to promote dialog and get the therapeutic process rolling again.

While family sculpting and related physical acting techniques are widely-used activities in family counseling, though, some clients may be initially uncomfortable with the extent of group physical activity. The activity in this chapter, then – Beginning Body Dialog – can help to develop a comfort level among the family members, and between the family members and the counseling professional. The activity can also help the family members to express their emotional states both inside and outside counseling sessions.

This activity is based on the Theatre of the Oppressed techniques of Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal (1979, 1995, 2002). Boal’s (1979, 1995, 2002) Theatre of the Oppressed is a form of revolutionary theatre that breaks down the boundaries between actors and spectators and uses audience participation to create a dialog between participants, for the purpose of liberating both actor and spectator from oppression – political oppression such as an oppressive dictatorship, interpersonal oppression such as family conflict, or personal oppression such as depression. Boal’s (1979, 1995, 2002) techniques have been widely tested and used in the world of theatre performance, and to a lesser degree have begun to find their way into counseling. They bear a striking resemblance to many of the Gestalt techniques of Fritz Perls (Corey, 2001), and they are useful to use in group and family counseling. Here, a sequence of Theatre of the Oppressed techniques has been adapted for use in family counseling.

Instructions:

These instructions are simple to carry out, but they require a fair degree of familiarity and comfort from the counselor. Before beginning, the counselor should become familiar with this activity, perhaps practicing individually before attempting the activity with the family present. Once the counselor has used this activity a few times, it can easily be done from memory, but if the counselor prefers, the transcript from the vignette below can also be used as a script.

This activity works best with at least three family members present, though it can be done with as few as two persons (in addition to the therapist). This activity also works best with slow, wordless music playing in the background. The therapist can bring in a tape or CD player, and start the music when indicated in the activity. The total time for this exercise is approximately 40 to 50 minutes, allowing five minutes for introduction and ten minutes for a follow-up discussion.

Before beginning the activity, the counselor should spend a few minutes explaining to the family the purpose of the activity and the procedures. Of course, the counselor should also get the family’s permission to proceed. Many clients are used to sitting for entire counseling sessions, and may find it strange, confusing, or uncomfortable to do a physical exercise in counseling that gets them up out of their seats. With an appropriate introduction, though, most people can overcome their initial discomfort and will find this activity to be both fun and useful.

The counselor should explain to the family members that they will all be asked to get up out of their chairs and move around the room. They will:

* Familiarize themselves with the room

* Familiarize themselves with their bodies

* Move things around in the room, and

* Physically interact with each other.

The counselor should explain that this activity is a little different from what they may be used to or expecting in counseling, but that it can be a lot of fun. The counselor should also explain that this activity will help the family learn to cooperate, interact, and communicate with each other in an honest and genuine way, and will be a learning experience that they can all talk about afterwards.

There are four steps to this activity: (1) familiarizing with the space, (2) familiarizing with the body, (3) manipulating the space, and (4) physical interaction with others. The counselor should do these steps along with the family, modeling for the family how they should be done.

(1) Step 1: Familiarizing with the Space

This is the first and perhaps the most essential step in ensuring the family’s comfort and success with this activity. Central to this step is that each member of the family unit feels they have permission to move in the therapeutic space.

First, start the music (if available). Have each individual stand at a comfortable distance from each other (as much as space permits), encouraging them to “find their own space in the room.” When they have done so, encourage them to walk around the room, at their own pace, exploring with their eyes every inch of the room. Have them pay attention to the music, with each person walking to the beat of the music until they feel comfortable walking at their own pace. Encourage the individuals to look at the room, noticing things to which they would not regularly pay attention. What are the qualities of the room, in terms of size, color, temperature, texture, etc.? Answers should not be given verbally, but instead noted silently.

Allow the family to spend at least five minutes on this step. You should do this activity along with the family, showing them how it is done. If the room is small, a family member may finish exploring the space quickly and indicate they are done. If this happens, simply ask them to continue exploring the room as you are doing, looking for details they may have missed. It is okay to tell them that you would like them to spend five minutes on this step. Most clients, though, will continue to explore for as long as you do.

(2) Step 2: Familiarizing with the Body

Next, ask the individuals to pay attention to and relax each part of their body. This exercise should be done standing, though if the counselor or family prefers this step can also be done sitting down. Start with the bottoms of the feet, rising from and touching the floor, then move upwards, through the ankles, lower legs, knees, upper legs, hips, stomach and chest, spine, and so on. Encourage them to feel the shoulders connected loosely to the spine, and the arms, hands, and fingers hanging relaxed from the shoulders. Move up the neck and into the head, feeling each part of the face relax. If any part of the body is tense, instruct them to tense it even more, and then relax it. You may also encourage them to “breathe into it” – to breathe in and imagine their breath filling up the tense body part, relaxing it.

Alternately, this exercise can be replaced by a progressive muscle relaxation or other relaxation activity, which may be done with the family seated.

Allow the family to spend at least five minutes on this step. Again, do this exercise along with the family.

(3) Step 3: Manipulating the Space

Now give the individuals permission to manipulate the therapeutic space in creative ways. Have them continue to walk, but in walking, allow them to move obstacles, and change and move objects so that they are no longer performing their traditional functions. For example, a chair may be gently turned upside-down, in a position where it would not usually be found or used. Let the individuals know of any limitations – for example, if windows or doors should not be opened. Also emphasize that an object can only be moved once. In that way, one person cannot “correct” another’s manipulation of the space.

Allow the family to spend at least five minutes on this step. Again, do this exercise along with the family.

(4) Step 4: Physical Interaction with Others (“The Mirror Image”)

This exercise is done in pairs. If there is an even number of family members present, then they should pair off, and the therapist will observe; if there is an odd number, then the therapist should pair off with one of the family members and participate. One person in each pair will be the “mirror.” Moving in slow motion, the “mirror” will imitate each movement the other person does. A few rules apply:

1.) The person being mirrored must move in slow motion.

2.) The person being mirrored should not try to trick the mirror or move unpredictably. The point is for the pair to cooperate – to be so synchronized that an onlooker could not distinguish between person and mirror.

3.) The pair should maintain eye contact with each other at all times.

The pairs will gradually develop a sense of “give and take” – how slow one must move to accommodate the imitation skills of the other, the mirror adjusting speed to match the person and vice versa. When the pairs are comfortable moving in this way, have the pairs switch roles so that the person becomes the mirror, while the mirror becomes the person.

Next, have each pair alternate roles, switching between mirror and person without communicating verbally. Give and take between person and mirror should flow smoothly, so that no “transfer of power” is noticeable to an observer. Remind the partners to keep their movements in slow motion, and that give and take is a skill for both partners to learn – each person is responsible for being both a follower and a leader.

Finally, assuming there is more than one pair, have the pairs switch members so that each person gets a chance to pair up with every other family member.

Allow the family to spend at least ten to fifteen minutes on this step, or until the therapist has noted a change in the dynamic of leadership, e.g., when the partners are comfortable taking on both leader and mirror roles.

After completing this activity, the therapist should then have the family spend a few minutes discussing the exercise. How did it feel? How comfortable was the exercise? What was difficult about the exercise? What was easiest? How challenging was it to mirror someone else? What was it like to develop a give and take within each pair? Were there any parallels between the family members’ interactions during the activity and their interactions at home?

The therapist should pay particular attention to the family’s comfort level with the exercise. If they found it initially uncomfortable and were subsequently never able to overcome their discomfort, then further physical acting techniques are not recommended for the family. Most families, though, will adjust well to the activity, and it can serve as a useful segue into other physical acting techniques the counselor wishes to use.

Brief Vignette:

The following vignette provides an example of how the exercise of Beginning Body Dialog can be useful in the counseling process, especially with families. The transcript that follows can also be used as a script which a therapist can use in session to explain the exercise to a family. This particular vignette is an actual excerpt from a one-time consultation conducted with a family which appeared to be “stuck” in counseling. Names have been changed and identifying information has been removed for the sake of confidentiality. The family was having difficulty in communicating with each other, and this exercise was implemented in an attempt to help them develop new ways of communicating.

The Grissom family (names have been changed for confidentiality) was comprised of a 38-year-old mother named Jean, an 18-year-old son named Billy, a 15-year-old daughter named Jill, and a 20-year-old daughter named Jane. The oldest daughter, Jane, was not able to attend the session. The family had come to therapy because they were concerned about communication problems that their family had been experiencing. Jean reported that she felt her family did not respect each other and that they frequently argued with one another. She stated that she was concerned about how her children interacted with each other and wanted them to respect one another more. The children also stated that they felt like they fought with each other too much. The family stated that they wanted to learn how to communicate with each other more effectively and learn to be a “better” family.

The family’s therapist, Toby (not his real name), thought that using Beginning Body Dialog in session might help make some of the family’s presenting concerns more salient to the family, so Toby allowed one of this chapter’s authors (Z. Vance Jackson) to come in to the family’s third session and use Beginning Body Dialog with the family. In the transcript that follows, the therapist refers to Jackson, who was a guest therapist for this one-time consultation. Toby was also present, but spent most of the session observing.

This exercise served as a tool to foster communication, cooperation, and family interaction. This exercise also served as a tool to introduce into the counseling process theatre techniques that were more abstract than the family was used to.

Therapist: I would like to try something a bit different today. It’s not exactly what you might expect counseling to be like, but I think it can be very helpful and fun as well. The reason why I think this exercise will be good is because it will help you all learn to cooperate, interact, and communicate with each other in a way that is honest and genuine. This exercise is broken up into four parts. In the first part, I am going to have you all become more familiar with your surroundings. In the second part I am going to have you all become more familiar with your own bodies. In the third part, I would like you all to change some things about the way the room looks. Finally, I would like for you all to interact with one another. Now I know this might feel a little strange at first and it might even make you laugh a little bit, but these exercises can be powerful tools to help us further explore the concerns that you all have with one another. What do you all think? Would you like to try it?

Jean: Yeah, sure.

Billy: Sounds weird, but I’ll try it.

Jill: I guess so.

Therapist: Okay, so it sounds like everybody is willing to give it a shot. That’s a start. Again, I know this may seem a little weird to you all at first, but give it a try and let’s see what happens. First off, what I would like for everybody to do is to stand up and stretch out a little bit. (Everybody stands up.) Okay, now what I want you all to do is to walk around the room and try to take notice of some things about the room that you normally wouldn’t notice. For instance, you might look at the color of the walls or carpet, the temperature of the room, things on the wall, or things around the room. Try to get a feel for your surroundings and really become familiar with the room. Pay attention to any detail that you can think of. Think about these things and keep the things that you notice to yourself. The most important thing for you all to remember during this part is that you all have permission to move around the room. So take about five minutes and walk around the room and get a feel for the room.

(All the clients walk around the room observing their surroundings.)

Therapist: Okay, you can sit down now. (The counselor chose to do this step with the family seated because of space limitations.) Now that you have become familiar with the room, what I would like for you all to do is familiarize yourselves with your bodies and relax your bodies. I would like for you to start at the bottoms of your feet, rising from and touching the floor. Then move upwards, through the ankles and your lower legs. Notice how your lower legs are connected to your knees. Now feel your upper legs, hips, stomach, chest, and spine. Try to feel how your shoulders are connected to the spine. Feel how your arms come down from your shoulders and how your hands are attached to your arms at your wrist. Now feel your fingers and wiggle them around a little bit. Now I would like for you to move up to the neck and into the head. Feel each part of your face and try to relax the muscles in your face. If there are any specific parts of your body that are tense, make them even tenser and then try to relax it. So let’s take about five minutes and try to relax your bodies.

(The family spends about five minutes sitting, becoming familiar and comfortable with their own bodies.)

Therapist: Okay, how did that feel?

Billy: My back feels a little better.

Jean: Yeah, my neck was killing me but now it’s a little better.

Therapist: That’s great! Well now that we have become familiar with our own space and bodies, let’s try to change some things about them. What I would like for you to do is to stand up and walk around the room again. This time, however, try to move any obstacles in the room, and change and move objects so that they are no longer performing their traditional functions. Take this chair for instance. You could turn it over or flip it on its side. You could take this book and put it under the desk. Try to change the objects around so that they are not performing the functions they usually would. There are also a few ground rules for this exercise. First, please leave the door closed. Second, each object can only be moved once. If someone changes an object, you can not move it again. This way hopefully you will begin to get a sense of respect for the rest of your family. Sound good?

Billy: Yeah sure.

Jean: Yep.

Jill: I’m not sure why we are doing this but okay.

Therapist: Alright, let’s try to take five minutes and do this activity.

(The clients walk around the room and move obstacles and objects around the room. While walking around the room, Jill was about to flip something over and Billy rushed in and flipped it over before Jill could.)

Jill: I was going to do that!

Billy: You were too slow.

Jill: I can’t believe you did that.

Therapist: Let’s keep walking around the room but when we talk about the exercises I would like to come back to this.

Jill: Fine. (Jill scowls at Billy.)

(The clients complete the exercise.)

Therapist: So now what I would like to do is to take all of the stuff that we have worked on so far and try to put it together. The goal of this exercise is to learn how to interact with one another and to communicate with each other without using your voices. This exercise is done in pairs, so Jean and Jill, why don’t you pair up, and Toby and Billy, you pair up. (Since there was an odd number of family members, the guest therapist paired Billy with the family’s regular therapist.) What we are going to do in this exercise is have one person be the person being mirrored and the other person will be the “mirror.” I would like for you all to move in slow motion and I would like for the “mirror” to imitate each movement that the other person does. There are, however, just a few rules to this exercise. First, the person being mirrored must move in slow motion. Second, the person who is being mirrored in this exercise should not try to trick the mirror or move in any unpredictable way. The point of this exercise is for the two of you to be synchronized and to cooperate. Finally, both people need to maintain eye contact throughout the entire exercise. I would like for you to work with your partner for three to four minutes and then switch roles. Then after you have both had a chance to be the mirror, I would like for you to try to switch back and forth between roles and try to communicate with each other with your bodies that you want to switch. Then we are going to change partners so everyone gets a chance to work together. Sound good? Alright, go for it.

(First, Jean and Jill work together while Billy and Toby work together. Then they switch, with Jean working with Billy and Jill working with Toby. Finally, they switch once more, with Jean working with Toby and Billy working with Jill. As the pairs are working together on this exercise, several patterns emerge. Both Billy and Jill appear to be comfortable working with Jean, but Billy and Jill do not seem to be working well together. Also, Jean and Jill appear to be enjoying the exercise and laughing a lot during the exercise. Jean and Billy, however, do not appear to be having fun and there is very little laughter. )

Therapist: Okay, so now that we have completed this exercise, I would like to know how you are all feeling right now and what you all noticed during the exercise.

Jean: Well I am feeling pretty good right now. That was kind of fun. I noticed that Jill and I were able to communicate with each other pretty well and we were having a pretty good time. That’s how it always is though. She and I get along pretty good most of the time. I noticed it was kind of hard to work with Billy. It felt kind of weird looking into his eyes and doing this. Sometimes we have trouble talking to each other.

Jill: Yeah, it was pretty easy to work with mom but it was hard working with Billy. It just felt really weird.

Therapist: What do you think about that, Billy? Do you think you were able to work with them?

Billy: Yeah it’s like they said. Just kind of weird. If Jane had been here, I might have been able to work with her a little better. We all seem to have a pretty good relationship with Jane.

Jill: Yeah, Jane and I pretty much laugh all the time. Well we fight, but it’s usually pretty good.

Therapist: I noticed you all were laughing a lot. Is that how your family deals with emotions?

Jean: Yeah, whenever something comes up we usually laugh. It’s better than crying, you know.

Therapist: It sounds like this exercise was able to help bring out some of the communication concerns that you all have been having. I would like for you all to try to do this exercise with Jane at some point during the week. Hopefully this exercise has opened some doors for you all and brought up some things that you can talk with Toby about next week.

Suggestions for Follow-up:

In the family therapy session following the Beginning Body Dialog exercise, the therapist can again have the family discuss their reactions to and impressions of the exercise. If the exercise brought up something particularly meaningful or significant to the family, some time should be spent processing this – particularly if there was not sufficient time to process it the previous week, immediately after the exercise. If, on the other hand, the activity did not bring up any significant issues but the family still seems receptive to using physical acting techniques in counseling, the therapist might then choose to introduce another physical acting technique at this point, such as family sculpting. This technique may simply be introduced as prescribed, or it may be prefaced by an element of Beginning Body Dialog if the therapist feels this is appropriate. For example, the therapist might choose to introduce family sculpting by first having the family manipulate the space around them prior to having them manipulate each other in family sculpting. At any time, though, if the therapist suspects that one or more of the family members are uncomfortable with any of these physical acting techniques, this discomfort should be addressed in session.

Contraindications for Use:

There may be some initial concern about using this activity with family members who have histrionic, narcissistic, or megalomaniacal personality traits or are otherwise overly attention-seeking, as they may try to use this activity to show off or monopolize therapy further. This activity, though, may actually be helpful for these clients. It is primarily introspective, but it also requires cooperation with another person, and can help to equalize power dynamics between family members. There may also be some concern about using this activity with those who have physical limitations, such as the physically disabled or the elderly. This activity can be appropriate for these clients, though, if it is done slowly and the amount of time spent standing is minimized. In fact, this activity could be done from a wheelchair, provided there is room to navigate a wheelchair around the room for the purposes of exploring the space.

There are some clients, however, whose physical limitations would cause them to become exhausted were they to move around the room, even with assistance. This activity is not recommended for their use. Also, some clients will never be comfortable with using physical techniques in counseling sessions. This activity is not recommended for their use, either.

Readings and Resources for the Professional:

Bitter, J. R. & Corey, G. (2001). Family systems therapy. In Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (6th ed., pp. 382-453).

Boal, A. (1979). Theatre of the Oppressed. (C. A. McBride & M.-O. L. McBride, Trans.). New York: Urizen.

Boal, A. (1995). The Rainbow of desire: The Boal method of theatre and therapy. (A. Jackson, Trans.). New York: Routledge.

Boal, A. (2002). Games for actors and non-actors (2nd ed.). (A. Jackson, Trans.). London: Routledge. (Original work published 1992).

Corey, G. (2001). Gestalt therapy. In Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (6th ed., pp. 192-227). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Bibliotherapy Sources for the Client:

Boal, A. (2002). Games for actors and non-actors (2nd ed.). (A. Jackson, Trans.). London: Routledge. (Original work published 1992).

Dayton, T. (1990). Drama games: Techniques for self-development. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc.

The authors wish to acknowledge Trent Barstad, M.Ed., Dr. Theresa Kruczek, Ph.D., and the Grissom family (not their real name) for their assistance with the Brief Vignette.

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Project Rainbow * About the Project * The Aitheros Project

Therapy * Theatre of the Oppressed * Theology of Liberation

Phase 1: Research * Phase 2: Instruction * Phase 3: Community Intervention

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