Beyond parallel play: Science befriending the art of method acting to advance healing relationships

Abstract

Research underscores the central role of factors in healing that appear to relate to the therapeutic relationship. These nonspecific or common factors and placebo effects are often overshadowed by an emphasis in the field on particular empirically supported therapies. Yet relationship variables account for a greater proportion of the variance in treatment outcomes than the technical intervention employed, representing a notable blind spot in our science and, by extension, our practice. As a consequence, clinical instruction in psychology and in the health professions more broadly generally lacks adequate specificity with respect to how to cultivate a healing relationship. Through the elaboration of several techniques derived from theatrical traditions, the authors propose that method acting and similar schools of drama provide a method for honing clinical skills in these areas that is amenable to empirical scrutiny. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).