Enacting God’s Dream
An Interconnected World of Peace
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12926/fnntm923Keywords:
sociodrama, dreamsAbstract
This essay describes a sociodramatic exercise, Enacting God’s Dream: An Interconnected
World of Peace, that enables groups to co-create their own communal dream of an ideal
world. Through imagination, enactment, and reflection, participants explore the internal
and external factors that facilitate and obstruct fulfillment of their shared vision while
helping them better discern and train to realize their own roles in realizing ‘‘The Dream’’ in
lived life. After providing a theoretical rationale for the exercise based on previously
published research, the article describes the enactment’s steps, including: the warmup, the
selection of the ‘‘cultural characters’’ to be embodied, their placement in the drama
tableau, as well as their subsequent repositioning and interactions with the director and
each other. A case study is offered depicting one small but particularly poignant enactment
of the drama that highlights some surprising insights that can arise both from the
enactment and the reflections that follow. The article concludes with reflections on the
applicability of the exercise to various types of groups.
References
Garcia, A. (2010). Healing with action methods on the world stage. In E. Leveton,
Healing collective trauma using sociodrama and drama therapy. New York, NY:
Springer.
Garcia, A. (2017, August 4–5). Sociodrama directing skills: A two-day intensive.
Monroe Township, NJ. Retrieved from http://www.psychodramatraining.com/
princeton.htm
Gibson, D. (2012, August 3). Vatican crackdown: Catholic Sister Pat Farrell of
LCWR discusses dramatic life. HuffPost. Retrieved from http://huffingtonpost.
com/2012/08/03/vatican-crackdown-catholic-sister-pat-farrell_n_1735672.html
The Haden Institute. (n.d.). http://hadeninstitute.com/summer-dream-conference
Heschel, A. J., & Heschel, S. (1997). Moral grandeur and spiritual audacity: Essays.
New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Kellermann, P. F. (2007). Sociodrama and collective trauma. London, UK: Jessica
Kingsley.
McNamara, R. F. (2017). St. Raphaela Porras. Retrieved from http://www.
kateriirondequoit.org/resources/saints-alive/quirinus-rupert-mayer/st-rafaelaporras/
Moreno, J. L. (1943). The concept of sociodrama: A new approach to the problem of
inter-cultural relations. Sociometry, 6(4), 434. doi:10.2307/2785223
Pinson, D. B. (n.d.). Understanding the order of creation. YYUN Center for Jewish
Spirtuality. Retrieved from http://iyyun.com/kabbalah/understanding-theorder-
of-creation
Segal, N. (2007). Nathan. Retrieved from http://www.rabbinathan.com/
about_nathan/index.sh
Sternberg, P., & Garcia, A. (2000). Sociodrama: Who’s in your shoes? New York, NY:
Praeger.
Stop War. (2003, March). Say PEACE in all languages! Retrieved from http://www.
columbia.edu/~fdc/pace/
Taylor, J. (1989). Dream Work Community Ministry. Retrieved from http://
jeremytaylor.com/dream_work/community_ministry
The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University. (2001). Thomas Merton’s life and
work. Thomas Merton Center. Retrieved from http://merton.org/chrono.aspx
Unitarian Universalist Association. (1992). Activity 1: Song - From You. Retrieved
from uua.org/re/tapestry/multigenerational/gather/workshop7/149648
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.