Moreno's sociometry: a wake up call

[Ivo Banaco]

Thank you Ann. Quite a stimulus for everyone interested in this way of
approaching Life...
Ivo

On Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 3:42 PM, Edward Schreiber <
edwschreiber at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Thank you Ann for this presentation.  I am fully engaged in bringing the
> method to the world in a new way.  Being a pioneer, in this way, feels at
> times risky, but must less risky than doing nothing.  Jonathan Fox is a
> great example, Zerka and JL are of course great models for breaking ground.Thank you Ann for all this.
>
> Ed
>
>
> On Jun 24, 2009, at 9:21 AM, Ann Hale wrote:
>
>  On June 20, 2009 the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton,
> reported the U.S. is committed to helping the world's *34 million refugees
> * (my italics) build safe and fulfilling lives, calling their struggle a
> "humanitarian emergency."  (Associated Press, June 20, 2009, 09:19am EDT)
> What Clinton is describing is the need for a qualitative and a quantitative
> response. What is needed are methods with deeply humanitarian belief systems
> capable of examining and resolving a crisis of this magnitude, and capable
> of assisting one person at a time find "Where do I fit on this planet? and
> "Will I be able to practice my religion, support my family, feel safe and
> connected when I arrive?"  (If you will remember Moreno got his start
> resettling refugees in Mitterndorf in 1915-1917. It is here he discovered
> the connection between preference and lessening of conflict.)
>
> At a time when psychodramatists in the US are complaining about decreasing
> interest, enrollment and membership, etc. the need for our methods is
> escalating.  For years it has been documented that the sociometry section of
> the American Board exams has the highest borderline and failing grades.
> Students don't seem to know more than how to do "step into the circle if you
> like pizza"  or "put you hand on someone who appears to be similar to you in
> some way".  There is a huge methodology awaiting our membership and
> trainees, and a huge need.  Learning to use sociometric methods is not a
> comfortable learning. You have to face your personal deficits, your value
> system, your needs, and what rejection feels like, when receiving it, or
> giving it.  The payoff is the restoration of hope and the managability of
> complex, intersecting lives.
>
> No, psychodrama, is disappearing from texts and journals. Whole books such
> as the popular "Social Intelligence (Goleman) can appear without one
> reference to Moreno.  It is past time that we examine ourselves for choosing
> to retreat to the safety of private practice and align ourselves with mental
> health when we could have been preparing large numbers of students to
> intervene and strategize and resolve some of the sociodynamics which lead to
> devestating social and political problems. I am not just pointing fingers. I
> know myself to be underutilized and not involved to the level of my
> capability.
>
> Playback Theater has risen to the challenge, and a scattering of
> psychodramatists are looking at the big picture.  I am grateful for every
> one of you who takes the method to points of crisis.  If we want our methods
> to be more available to those who need them we need to make sociometry more
> available on a global scale.
>
> The Obama administration opened the Office of Public Engagement in
> February, 2009.  Their Core Priniciples (7) are listed on the website of the
> National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation.  If you want to you can go
> to www.sociometry.net and get linked to this.  Our current government is
> open to our methodology.  Let's respond!
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>
>
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