Samenvatting

This single case study deals with individual drama therapy for pathological gamblers, in the
psychosomatic rehabilitation field, with a focus on emotional regulation. The aim of the study
was to find out to what extent improvisation, within drama therapy, makes a positive
contribution to the nine competencies required for healthy emotional regulation according to
Berking (2008, 2011). The nine competencies are attention, clarity, body perception,
understanding, acceptance, resilience, self-support, confrontation and regulation.
Improvisation is the basis of a variety of dramatherapeutic methods. It focuses on working
with the given situation and requires the spontaneous use of body, voice and imagination.
The goal is to create inner and outer space for what the present moment offers and allow
emotions to be captured.
To explore the effect of improvisation in relation to the nine competencies for healthy emotion
regulation, a systemic N=1 trial was undertaken. A 6-week case study with a pathological
gambler was performed within the psychosomatic rehabilitation clinic "salus klinik Hürth". The
case study included the results of a baseline and an effect measurement, which were realized
by means of the SEK-27, a questionnaire for standardized self-assessment of emotional
competencies (Berking & Znoj, 2011). Also, qualitative interviews regarding the gamblers
experience of his emotional regulation and observations on the gamblers medium-specific
behaviour were conducted.
The results of the quantitative study show a clear, positive development of the participant
with regard to the nine competencies required for healthy emotional regulation after the end
of the treatment. The interviews confirm a positive development. However, it is made clear
that, despite the positive development, the participant should continue to pay attention to
the area of emotion regulation. The observations of medium-specific behaviour also show a
positive development. At the same time, they point to even less pronounced areas of mediumspecific behaviour.
In conclusion, the results of the study show that working with improvisation, within individual
drama therapy, has made a positive contribution to the development of the nine skills required
for healthy emotional regulation of the participant.
In order to obtain a result representative of the target group, it is necessary to carry out
further, comparable case studies and evaluate the greater results.