Rasaboxes in the Training of Drama Therapists

Mental health providers, like actors, are called to be “athletes of the heart.” In this chapter, Sajnani presents Rasaboxes as a model and a means of sustaining care in the training of therapists. Through anecdotes from a graduate-level drama therapy training program and a wide range of international continuing education contexts, she illustrates ways in which Rasaboxes can expand one’s capacities to symbolize inner experience, cultivate a contemplative stance, be present with others in times of suffering, and attune to and transition from the emotional demands of working in managed care settings. Rasaboxes in this context is discussed in relation to concepts such as emotional aesthetics, emotional intelligence, affective resonance, empathic attunement, and emotional labor.