Abstract

Traumatic events such as childhood sexual abuse have the ability to destroy a person's inner and outer world. Such incidents can shatter the construction of the self that has been formed by the individual as well as the ability to form and sustain relationships with others. One of the most important relationships that can be affected is that of a mother and her child. This research paper explores the potential value of drama therapy as a therapeutic approach for strengthening the attachment between women survivors of childhood sexual abuse and their children. The paper begins with an examination of the current state of knowledge about childhood sexual abuse and the impact upon the women who live through this experience as they grow into adulthood and motherhood. This is followed by a review of attachment theory and the ways in which a mother's history of sexual trauma and her own maladaptive attachment experiences may interfere with the attachment relationship between her and her child. Finally, throughout this exploration of theoretical models, connections will be made establishing the benefits of drama therapy and its employment of the unique aspects of non-verbal media, along with other creative interventions that may be applicable at different stages of treatment for both mother and child individually and in dyadic formation. Ultimately, specific drama therapy interventions will be discussed as advantageous models for the delicate and complex process of recovery from childhood sexual abuse, as well as for facilitating engagement and increasing the quality of attachment between mother and child.