ESP Psychodrama - Mello Mello - 22.02.14

ESP

Psychodrama

Mello Mello

22.02.14

1982: Join us at Castle Blackthorn, the remote retreat of the ESP Initiative (Europe's fastest growing non-religion) to unlock the power of the human mind, separate fact from fiction and achieve your full psychic potential with like-minded lost souls and perverts alike.

This is not a church!

We are not ghosts!

We are the living.

Haunt us if you dare!!!

SEE! NON-PSYCHIC PSYCHIC MEDIUMS!

HEAR! THE DEATH-AFFIRMING SOUNDS OF ORGAN FREEMAN!

SHUDDER! AT THE DYSTOPIAN LAMENTS OF NATHAN JONES!

FEEL! YOUR FULL PSYCHIC POTENTIAL REALIZED!

MEDICATE! YOUR ILLS WITH OUR REVOLUTIONARY MIND-SOAK!

Psychodrama is an action method, often used as a psychotherapy, in which clients use spontaneous dramatization, role playing and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives. Developed by Jacob L. Moreno, M.D. (1889–1974) psychodrama includes elements of theatre often conducted on a stage where props can be used. By closely recreating real-life situations, and acting them out in the present, clients have the opportunity to evaluate their behaviour and more deeply understand a particular situation in their lives. Psychodrama may be used in a variety of clinical and community-based settings, and is most often utilized in a group scenario, in which each person in the group can become therapeutic agents for one another's scenes. Psychodrama is not, however, a form of group therapy, and is instead an individual psychotherapy that is executed from within a group. A psychodrama is best conducted and produced by a person trained in the method, called a psychodrama director.

A typical psychodrama session

How does psychodrama work in practice? In a typical session, a small group of enthusiastic people work cooperatively to do their personal psychodramas and are led by an experienced practitioner. The trainer will ask someone to get up and act out some of their deepest personal or communal concerns, such as being bullied in the workplace, or the plight of the homeless in society. Others in the group will join in, acting the extra roles in the person’s drama. The session develops spontaneously as each person in turn takes the lead role in their own drama or support roles in other people’s dramas. In this open-ended way, people find ideas and solutions they didn’t know they had, and which they would never have found using conventional training or self-discovery methods. Instead of passively absorbing ‘the answers’, they actively find their own answers and help other people find theirs. The whole thing is spontaneous and fluid, not didactic and rigid.

Well I have just spent over two strange but interesting hours at MelloMello watching a psychodrama in which actors portrayed their alter egos.  The sound of wailing voices lasted for at least twenty minutes and was quite unsettling.

Starting off with the members of the non-church all doing some strange celebrative dance or other finishing off with hands raised and then clasped together looking upwards.

Members of the non-church wearing black – (is there any other colour?) were name tagged and exchanged strange hand gestures similar to the Freemasons, as well as making strange impromptu noises, gathered noisily around the stage.

 ESP - Non-Church (Anwar on the right)

Blackthorn and his initiates

The slimy, and sneering Daniel Blackthorn, head of the non-church of ESP – (nobody worships him) Introduced himself and asked the audience to put their hand up if they felt they didn’t belong in the world and a number of people had their hands raised, me included and he then told us a bit about the non-church naming the first member as Martin Browning.

Blackthorn - we do not worship him

Martin proceeded to tell us ‘his’ very shocking story of how his parents were both arrested for murder and accessory to murder, which duly led to him having to go and live with his grandma, who on all accounts was an over bearing and controlling woman with hands like a ‘goalie’ Both Martin and his Grandfather were terrified of her, so kept themselves to themselves in an attempt not to get too ‘involved’ with her.

As Martin grew up he naturally developed a liking for the opposite sex and often fantasized about girls in his bedroom.

Martin Browning

His room was not all that private as Granny used to invade his territory quite a lot which prompted Martin to go and ‘do the deed’ in a barn outside.

Unfortunately for him his Grandmother caught him in the act and spat obscenities at him, calling him a ‘dirty, filthy boy’ (this was echoed by non-members in a whispered hissing effect) and made a comment on how she hoped spiders would invade his body if he ever thought about having sex again, which had very undesirable effect on Martin so much so, that the mere sight of a girl would send him screaming in the opposite direction, and as a result he became introverted and retracted into himself becoming lonely and depressed.

Martin telling his story

Many years later, Martin met Daniel Blackthorn (We do not worship him) who introduced him to the mad world of the ESP non-church. No Amen!  His therapy began thus.  He was led into a dimly lit room, all he could make out was a bed in the corner, and the mere sight of it reminded him of spiders. (Ssssssspidersssssss, as hissed by the non-members of the ESP Church – No Amen!)

He then realised there was somebody under the sheets.  It was a woman and as she slowly emerged. He realised she was naked, apart from a hood which resembled an executioner’s. Her body sculptured in all the right places, Martin’s anxieties grew, fear took hold and he bolted for the now locked door of which he hammered on it fiercely and without mercy.

The woman lunged at him ripping his clothes off with sheer abandon and lust, Martin had no escape from his fears.  Naturally sex occurred and Martin realised that there were no ‘spiders’ resulting in him becoming a devout follower of Daniel Blackthorn (We do not worship him) and the non-church. No Amen!

As Martin finished his story Blackthorn took to the stage again and before he introduced the next member Blackthorn, trying to prove his existence as being a credible doctor produced a pack of strange cards with various symbols on them.   He asked for a member of the audience to come on stage and Amy appeared looking rather scared. He told Amy to choose one and show the audience, as she did so he then told her a bit about her life and got the card right each time. The first was a diamond, the second an orange dot and the third a blue dot – all very impressive to the vulnerable I must say! Blackthorn then asked us all to give Amy a round of applause.

 The evil Blackthorn

 Amy with Blackthorn

Right card again - NO AMEN!

Blackthorn then introduced the next non-member – No Amen! Who was going to talk about his experiences with everyone, his name was Nathan Jones – his story involved technical equipment and a screen on which his face was badly distorted and surrounded by a generated noise that pulsated hypnotically.  The jumbled images contorted into various stages on the screen and I found myself concentrating on the screen as the utterances of Nathan were again very unsettling.

 Nathan Jones

 Strange images

 from a troubled mind

Before introducing his next non-member – No Amen! Out of nowhere a heckler appeared in the shape of Alex Court. He questioned Blackthorn’s techniques ridiculing him. Blackthorn fought back and made out that Alex was secretly a troubled soul sneaking into his sisters room to smell items of her clothing. Martin the trusty member of the non-church – NO AMEN ran to his aid and Blackthorn put his hand on Alex’s head and he fell into Martin’s arms only to be bundled away off stage never to be seen or heard of again.

Martin on hand to help his idol

 Heckler Alex and Blackthorn

 Martin, Alex and sneering Blackthorn

 But did Alex do it?

Gone but not forgotten

Next up to tell his story was the very disturbed Brendan Curtis Burton who was wearing what looked like a hospital gown and it may well have been as he was clearly a basket case!

He secured white tape in a square in front of the stage and asked for a chair saying that he was safe in the box “Nobody would attack a man in a box!” He then ranted so fast it was hard to keep up and standing on the chair pulled up his gown to reveal a pair of very bulging underpants with grapes hanging from underneath them – which gave me a shock sitting in the front row I can tell you!

 They can't get you there Brendan!

 The tell tale signs of grapes and potato's perhaps?

The trusty potato get's it outing

He also pulled out of his pants a disposable camera and a wooden spoon appeared at some point too. By now there were grapes all over the floor plus the odd potato. Brendan looked directly at me and said “Well what are your feelings about life?” before I had chance to answer, Brendan hastily stood on the chair and wrapping the mic chord around his neck tried to hang himself from the chandelier, it was just out of his grasp, so he said “Well that was never going to work was it?” to giggles in the audience. 

Brendan pointed to Mat, Mel and myself, who were in the front row, remarking who he felt we resembled – Mel got Sandra Bullock – I got Tina Turner – not sure whether to laugh or cry at that!

Finally Brendan turned the chair on its side, jumped onto it and started to move towards the exit using the chair as a vehicle to leave the building – clearly one disturbed human being.

Back to Blackthorn, (We do not worship him) who told us that Brendan was undergoing ‘treatment’ But I think that there is still a lot of work left to be done on Brendan. Poor guy! Blackthorn then introduced us to Jackie Crane – her story was the most harrowing of them all.

 The once happy Jackie Crane

 Now troubled by past harrowing experiences

She told us she was with to an over bearing man who was a control freak. He decided what she was to wear, to eat, who she could see and at one stage locked her in a wardrobe for three days.  Finally she had, had enough and made a hasty retreat to her sister Julie’s house in Cambridge where she met John and they found love and as a result little Frank was born.  Jackie was so happy.

She was out with Frank in his pram one day, when her worse fears came true and there she saw her ex’s car parked over the road.  Jackie said she wanted to run screaming but was transfixed on the spot and the next minute she said she felt a hand over her mouth, she tasted chemicals or something and then started to sink into a deep sleep. 

Followers of the ESP Non-church

She awoke some time later, it was pitched black and not a sound could be heard.  Jackie said she started to scream and waved her hands around frantically but found they hit something solid – it was a box! and not only that she felt something move by her feet and thought ‘rats!’ she wouldn’t have put it past her ex to put rats in there with her, but in fact it was her 6 month old child Frank that had been placed between her feet. She heard his muffled cries for attention and gradually brought him up to her chest.

She said she couldn’t condemn her child to live this way and so, slowly the tiny little breaths became less and less until they stopped completely. Much to Jackie’s horror as well as relief, she then saw blue flashing lights - she had been rescued and then carried the guilt for not waiting longer with her decision over Frank and was duly taken away to ‘recover’ and during her recovery met Blackthorn who showed her a new enlightenment making her feel cleansed and refreshed from her past troubles. NO AMEN!

Blackthorn made another appearance and introduced Anwar who had just started to tell us his tale when bang! He dropped dead on stage – one of the non-members of the ESP church – No Amen! Rushed to his side and nodded hastily as the curtain was pulled over the stage.

Such a brief appearance by the now deceased Anwar - see pic above

Again Blackthorn appeared his sneering growing more by the minute reminded me of Vaseline – slimy! He started to act more sinister than previous and the reason behind it was to let us all know that we had all gone to Castle Blackthorn of our own free will, and signed the papers confirming it and that there had been some kind of poison in the drinks – at that moment Martin coughed and fell to the floor. One by one the members started clutching their chests and coughing loudly all dropped to the floor and crawled towards the stage and finally the last ‘body’ had been dumped the curtain pulled over the stage in an attempt to ‘hide’ them all.

 Do not trust this man Blackthorn seen here with Martin

 Initiate with Blackthorn

 Martin and the rest of the non-members die suddenly

 All the be dumped

The last remaining non-members of the ESP non-church

Blackthorn had obviously poisoned them and no doubt the only thing on his mind was their cash.

The dynamics of this Psychodrama were startling, but not as shocking as you may think for the human mind when in its most vulnerable state, clings to some sort of normality, and it will bend towards someone who they think will offer them some form of respite from their living nightmare, only to be sucked into another and they usually end up paying with their lives.

A really interesting and gripping perspective on life and death! NO AMEN.

Thanks also the band who wore long wigs finished off the evening with some music - not sure what they were called - maybe 'The Orbs' as there were a lot caught on camera last night - but nice to see some hair!! (Amen)