Masks and corporal expression, a vehicle to the theater of the soul: an experience of the Unit of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Institute

Abstract

Between the year 2000 and 2003 a masks and corporal expression workshop was performed with users of the Rehabilitation Unit of the Psiquiatric Institute José Horwitz Barac. The initial objective was the exploration and development of the creative and expressive capacities, utilizing techniques belonging to Theatre and creativity.

From this initial objective a group was selected, which was able to complete the staging of an artistic piece. This piece was finally presented in an international festival.

During the process of each participant an increase of trust in his/her own capacities was observed, as well as development of the sense of pleasure and efficiency, an increase in the capacity to choose, the appearance of roles, and an increase of tolerance towards everyday tasks.

The following work systemizes the group's process, under the theoretic model of Human Ocupation by Gary Kielhofner. For this work, interviews were performed to the professionals involved, audiovisual records and individual evaluation guides were applied to the users, and written registers of the sessions were taken.

The overall purpose is to give account in a systematic form of the progression in the actions and the obtainment of therapeutic objectives.