THEATRE PERFORMANCE AS A PANACEA FOR TRAUMA HEALING

Abstract

Trauma is an emotional damage caused by bodily injury, sexual violence and other threat to the life of the subject, such as direct and indirect exposure to extremely distressing situations or circumstances that can produce an involuntary and possibly overwhelming physiological stress response. Trauma can reshape its victims lives, both cognitively and physically impeding their sense of self, ability to trust, engage and many other seemingly ordinary aspects of day to day life that those unaffected by trauma take for granted. This study x-rayed the manageability of individual who have experienced or are experiencing trauma through the therapeutic potentials of theatre and performance in the society. The paper further explores the role of performance theatre function as powerful medium for trauma healing, drawing from psychodrama and expressive therapies in the contexts of embodiment and creative narration. The paper concludes that trauma is a psychological response to an experience in the face of the life threatening circumstance and so performance based interventions can foster emotional resilience and social reconnection for fast recovery for traumatic victims through theatre and performance therapy. This descriptive study essentially analysed relevant texts and document relating to the subject matter and therefore recommended among others; that the society should know that the assumption that theatre is only for entertainment is utterly wrong, but it shall be seen as a discipline that is all encompassing.