Embodied Psychoanalytical Psychodrama: Bridging Object Relations and Neuroscience
This intensive certification course offers a pioneering synthesis of Paul Holmes’ psychodynamic psychodrama and Vittorio Gallese’s
neurobiological theory of Embodied Simulation. Led by Arseniy Tarabanov, PhD, a specialist at the intersection of neuropsychoanalysis and clinical practice, the program provides therapists with a robust framework for externalizing the “inner world” of object relations onto the psychodramatic stage.
Participants will explore how the Mirror Neuron System and the “We-Centric Space” enable deep transformation of internal structures through action. By mastering techniques such as Doubling and Role Reversal from a neurobiological perspective, practitioners will learn to work effectively with trauma, pre-verbal states, and rigid personality defenses. This course is a bridge between the precision of psychoanalysis and the transformative power of action-based therapy.
This course is designed to meet international academic standards, making it suitable for submission to European accreditation bodies (like FEPTO or the EAP) or for marketing to a global audience of practitioners.
Training Course: Embodied Psychoanalytical Psychodrama (EPP)
Subtitle: Bridging Object Relations and Neuroscience in Action-Based Therapy
For whom this course: Psychoanalysts, Psychodramatists, Drama Therapists, and Clinical Psychologists.
Duration: 40 Hours (5 Modules of 8 hours each).
Module 1. From the Couch to the Stage: Spatializing the Psyche
* Theory: Paul Holmes’ concept of the “Inner World.” Moving from verbal free association to spatial projection.
* Neuroscience: Pre-reflective understanding. How the brain perceives the stage as a biological reality rather than a metaphor (Gallese).
* Clinical Practice: The “Spatial Genogram.” Mapping internal objects in the three-dimensional room.
* Core Competency: Identifying Projective Identification through the physical placement of participants.
Module 2. Mirror Systems and the Art of Doubling
* Theory: The “Shared Manifold” hypothesis. Empathy as a direct bodily resonance.
* Technique: Deep Doubling. The therapist as the “External Right Hemisphere” of the protagonist.
* Neuroscience: The Mirror Neuron System (MNS) and affective attunement.
* Clinical Practice: Somatic Attunement exercises. Synchronizing breath, posture, and micro-expressions to access repressed affect.
* Core Competency: Using the therapist’s body as a resonant instrument for unconscious diagnostics.
Module 3. Role Reversal as Neural Map Switching
* Theory: Splitting and Integration of internal objects. Breaking the cycle of “The Stagnant Object.”
* Neuroscience: Embodied Simulation (ES). How the brain “rewrites” the model of the “Other” through motor and vocal imitation.
* Clinical Practice: Working with the “Persecutory Object.” Safe entry and exit protocols for high-intensity roles.
* Core Competency: Facilitating deep role reversals that stimulate neural plasticity and cognitive flexibility.
Module 4. Trauma and the Body: Accessing the Unrepresentable
* Theory: Trauma as “Frozen Action.” Non-verbal objects and “Speechless Terror.”
* Neuroscience: Limbic System activation (Amygdala/Hippocampus). Why the “Talking Cure” often bypasses subcortical trauma.
* Clinical Practice: “Slow-Motion Action” and “Physical Sculpting.” Externalizing frozen motor patterns to achieve containment.
* Core Competency: Creating a “We-Centric Space” to facilitate memory reconsolidation of traumatic events.
Module 5. Group Resonance and Clinical Synthesis
* Theory: The Group as a “Distributed Neural Network.” Collective Embodied Simulation.
* Clinical Practice: Group Sharing as a restorative social signal. Moving from the “Inner World” (Holmes) to “Social Safety” (Gallese).
* Final Assessment: Practical demonstration of an EPP session fragment.
* Core Competency: Managing the “Resonance Field” of the group to catalyze individual healing.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
* Translate complex psychodynamic formulations (Object Relations) into actionable psychodramatic interventions.
* Explain the neurobiological mechanisms (Mirror Neurons/Embodied Simulation) that underpin why action-methods work.
* Apply “Bottom-Up” techniques to work with trauma, alexithymia, and personality disorders.
Recommended Reading for the Course
* Holmes, P. (1992). The Inner World Outside. Routledge.
* Gallese, V. (2001). The ‘Shared Manifold’ Hypothesis.
* Schore, A. (2012). The Science of the Art of Psychotherapy.
