Photograph by Sergio Guimaraes of Buenos Aires, Argentina By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP
We mourn: Zerka Toeman Moreno, the co-developer of psychodrama, has died at the age of 99. When Zerka Toeman met Dr. J.L. Moreno in the summer of 1941, it was the beginning of a very successful partnership in the history of psychiatry and psychology. She would become his closest colleague, helping him edit and write books and journals and traveling with him throughout the United States and Europe to teach and demonstrate psychodrama, an action-oriented method which was considered an alternative to the psychoanalysis of the day, and sociodrama, which addressed social problems with enactment. After her husband's death, she continued to teach and expand the method, now practiced on nearly every continent -- becoming a kind of rock star herself with dozens of training institutes, schools and associations named in her honor. She died on Sept. 19, 2016 in Rockville, Md. Mrs. Moreno was born June 13, 1917 in the Netherlands. In 1932, she moved as a school girl from Amsterdam to London with her parents. She immigrated to the United States in 1939, as the clouds of inevitable war were gathering over Europe. In 1941, she brought her elder sister from Belgium to Beacon, N.Y., desperate to find help for her sister's mental illness at the sanitarium of Dr. J.L. Moreno, an innovative physician who used improvisational drama on a circular stage to address mental health problems and even then was considered a pioneering figure in group psychotherapy. He greeted her with open arms and a delighted “Yes!” and so began their collaboration.
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![]() By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP Let's All Hold Hands and Drop Dead: Three Generations One Story has an odd title. It’s an amazing story. The author, Elaine J. Cooper, an internationally recognized group psychotherapist, tells the tale of her Russian ancestors who suffered during the pogroms of Russia, which she contrasts with life as the child of an immigrant in the United States, a land of peace and plenty. ![]() Just after the tragic San Bernardino shootings in California in early December, I asked myself, "What can I do?" I wrote a commentary for the editorial page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel entitled Is mental illness an individual or systemic problem?, but I felt that more was needed. The systemic approach views people as not only the accumulation of their personal experiences but also as carriers of a collective consciousness. As we face the terror, of the shootings in San Bernardino and elsewhere -- looking and then looking away -- we can look at these events with a wider lens. My op-ed article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Is mental illness an individual or systemic problem? offers a different view.
![]() Isn’t it ironic? Many people actually dread the holiday season. The combination of holiday stressors – rushing around to buy gifts and worrying about money, seeing extended family, feeling lonely or depressed, and the temptation to overeat and over drink - can feel overwhelming to many people. Yet inside each of us we yearn for more joy, more worthiness and more connection. In every culture and every century, we're hard-wired for celebrating, getting together and feasting. It seems like finding a reason to celebrate is truly part of our DNA. ![]() In certain circles, there is a great deal of discussion about actions of “cultural appropriation,” the sociological concept which views the adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture as negative and unsavory. (White musicians like Elvis etc., taking the black music and making a fortune from it, for instance.) In this interview with Francesca Mason Boring, who is an author, international facilitator, teacher and lecturer, working with universal indigenous fields in family constellations, hear wisdom, caution and encouragement. Read here. Systemic Constellations investigate the inner landscape of our relationships, especially with our family members and our ancestors, and reveal hidden information that can dramatically change our lives.
Tarot cards show us pictures that invigorate and inspire our inner lives and encourage us to discover new ways of looking at our dilemmas and challenges. Truth is, they go so nicely together. The 2015 North American Systemic Constellations Conference thinks so too. I'm pleased to present the my workshop Eyes on Cards: How Images from the Tarot and Other Decks Support Healing at the conference Nov. 12-14 in San Diego. Thoughts can be overwhelming when we try to figure things out. The still pictures of the Tarot and the images that emerge during a constellation session let us see what our heart knows. We learn that the pictures may contain unresolved pain as well as hidden joy -- and most importantly, show a route away from our difficulties and into joy and wholeness. I love how the Tarot gives just the perfect picture for what is needed. In this video chat, I spontaneously pulled a couple of cards -- the first the Page of Pentacles, a young person reverently holding what is valuable, and the second card, The Fool, which beautifully illustrates the seeker on the beginning of the journey, willing to be surprised and enchanted by stepping into the field of "what is" and "what can become." P.S. I don't know what's with my eyes -- aren't they a bit squinty! Anyway, enjoy the video and better yet, join me at the conference. ![]() By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP The wheel of life is turning. Summer is transforming into Fall. The wind calls to us, and leaves have begun to drop from the trees. Children return to school. Our lives shift into a different gear. I could start a conversation about new resolutions for the new season, as we move into the Fall Solstice and the shorter days and longer nights. Instead, I'd like to pose a question. And it's a question that I hope that you will pose to yourselves: "Are you willing to drop your story?" Yes, really. Just drop your story and let it fade into the summer. Then turn to fully face this brand time without a story -- and with an openness and a willingness to be surprised. ![]() By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP It’s important for me to take every opportunity to deepen my connection with constellation work, whether they are discussions with colleagues, intensive trainings and national conferences. Every event brings new inspiration and stimulates me to gracefully share and teach these powerful experiential methods that heal long-standing ancestral patterns and are truly life changing. This is why I advocate – and plan to attend – the upcoming 2015 North American Systemic Constellations Conference Nov. 12-15 in San Diego. The opportunity to have thoughtful conversations about this emerging philosophy and how it's growing in the United States, Canada and Mexico continues to help me to refine my relationship with this wonderful work. A recent conversation helped me remember that when I first really “got” the value of the constellation approach, there was a minute when I was ready to toss out all of my other modalities and focus solely on constellations. The other modalities, which I loved, studied and had successfully employed for years, suddenly seemed so clunky compared to the elegance and simplicity of constellations. By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP
I first learned about constellation work in 2002 from a very, very enthusiastic colleague. Mindful of the scores of brochures, e-mails and announcements that tout the latest therapeutic fad, I first was cautious about diving into to this new approach. After all, I’d been working as a master trainer in psychodrama, the earliest and most enduring experiential method that focuses on our network of relationships and using dramatic action to change the roles we play in those relationships. But, hey, there was something with this constellation thing. I felt it. So I began reading about constellations, then watching demonstrations. I ventured into becoming a representative, sensing energy for others in sessions. Then came client experiences, intensive study and finally practice. After many personal and professional experiences, I am a complete convert to the gifts and potential of constellation work and have integrated its philosophy into my practice of teaching, psychotherapy and coaching. The people I work |
AuthorKaren Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP, is an author, trainer and psychotherapist who promotes, practices and teaches experiential methods including psychodrama, Family and Systemic Constellations, sand tray, mindfulness and Tarot imagery. Archives
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