One very important aspect of the inside-out approach is
that it recognizes that we hold in our psyche a flock of different traits and
experiences, which can be tapped into and used for acting performance. I
believe this is fundamentally true and constitutes an amazing tool for actors.
I just consider we should use this pool of information slightly differently
than what is commonly proposed. Instead of using actual personal memories,
one
should only work with the energy of each aspect of our psyche. In this fashion,
the actor can still focus on the reality of the imaginary circumstances of the
play without using substitutions. Yet, he can support himself with the
appropriate quality of energy that belongs only to him, thus reaching a genuine
and truthful interpretation of the required feelings and emotions. Using only
an energy type or a sub-personality type that comes solely from his own
subconscious (instead of using events or memories from his own life), the actor
will remain in the creative world of the play, yet still feed his performance
with his own personal truth. Here is how it works:
The voices in your head
Many different theories about the subconscious agree that
our mind is filled with multiple voices, which form the multifaceted aspects of
our personalities. Like a prism, each facet of our psyche reflects a different
persona and has its own point of view, style and agenda. Each voice tells us in
genuine truth what is better for us, according to him or her. Each
sub-personality looks out only for our best interest and fiercely defends its
territory and its argument, sometimes succeeding in saving us from danger.
Sub-personalities seem to be like different characters living inside our minds,
inhabiting us all at once and taking turns at who is running the show. Each
sub-personality can also be visualized as an energetic aspect of ourselves.
Different from the clinical diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, the
idea that all of us are a composite of many individual, psychological and
energetic selves is growing in the psychological field. Following are three
different approaches of this enlightening theory, and the angle that Energize
uses for actors.
Archetypes
Famous psychiatrist Carl Jung, founder of analytical
psychology, developed the theory of Archetypes, which Caroline Myss, PhD, an
internationally renowned pioneer in energy medicine and spirituality, recently
reworked in her book
Sacred Contracts.
According to this theory, every one of us functions following different set
behaviors or thought patterns that are defined as universal Archetypes. These
thought patterns have existed for centuries and have been described through
countless stories, songs, legends and myths. They form our behaviors and are
deeply engraved in our subconscious. They are part of what Jung called the
“collective unconscious.” These Archetypes shape the stories of heroes and
heroines from mythology to modern day storytelling; they explain our actions
and influence our thoughts, inspiring the lyrics of songs and scripts of
movies. Caroline Myss believes that we are actually born with them and that
they consist of the psychological grid on which our destinies are woven. They
are the subliminal patterns that explain most of our decisions and choices.
They resonate in our subconscious like voices telling us what to do.
Caroline Myss says:
These patterns, often ancient in origin, populate our minds
and lives in ways that affect us deeply. Yet we are generally unaware of them.
These patterns of intelligence are archetypes, dynamic living forms of energy
that are shared in many people’s thoughts and emotions, across cultures and
countries. Learning to read the archetypal patterns that influence your energy
is the natural complement to working with the energy of the chakras. Just as
the energies of your chakras work together to provide a map of physical and
energy information, the collective body of your archetypes produces a view of
the governing forces of your psyche and soul.
For example, here are a few Archetypes you should be able to
recognize immediately: the Victim, the Child, the Wounded Child, the Princess
or Damsel in Distress, the Mother, the Prostitute, the Teacher, the King, the
Healer, the Protector, the Negotiator, the Servant, the Master, the Rebel, the
Thief, the Don Juan, the Savior, the Rescuer, etc. Many roles in major plays
and movies correspond to these Archetypes. Caroline Myss actually lists
examples in her book: Harrisson Ford in Indiana Jones as a Rescuer; James Dean,
of course, as a Rebel in Rebel Without A Cause; and Princess Leia in the Star
Wars Trilogy as a Princess or Damsel in Distress are just some of the most
obvious. It would be wonderful material for a thesis to examine Hollywood films
from this angle. Caroline Myss’ research led her to believe that there are
twelve major Archetypes that shape our lives and behaviors. Following Jung’s
theory, she also explains that there is a positive and a negative (or Shadow)
side for each Archetype. The Shadow side represents emotional patterns coming
from repressed feelings and fears, the secret reasons why we sabotage what we
try to do. Neither good nor bad, the Shadow side is a “complex,” a part of
ourselves we do not want to acknowledge. Eventually, says Myss, every one of us
needs to confront our Shadow sides in order to evolve to our highest divine
potential. In her fascinating book, she gives tools to analyze the Archetypes
that rule your “spiritual contract” (or higher purpose), and offers ways to
transcend the Shadow sides of our psyche to move forward on the road to our
evolution.
Voice Dialogue
The Voice Dialogue approach also describes a multitude of
inner voices called “The Selves.” Developed by Hal Stone, PhD, and Sidra Stone,
PhD,
Voice Dialogue is a psychological therapeutic tool that can be used in
conjunction with other modalities, and that is also greatly influenced by the
work of Carl Jung. Hal and Sidra Stone explain that they see “The Selves as the
smallest discrete units of the psyche: as energy bodies that vibrate within us
and determine ‘who we are’ at any given time. Each Self has its own way of
viewing the world, its own perceptions, its own beliefs and rules, and its own
specific history.” They refer to them as energy bodies that can deeply affect
the physiology of a person, as each self can sometimes present different
physiological characteristics: different allergies, different blood pressure,
different pains, more or fewer wrinkles, etc. They represent certain types: the
Responsible Parent, the Rational Mind, the Protector, the Rebel Child, the
Procrastinator, the Overachiever, the Slob, the Emotional Self, the Fearful
Self, the Pleaser Self, the Perfectionist, etc. Some of these are more familiar
to us, while some are ignored and down right excluded.
The “Disowned Selves” are the energy patterns that have been
ignored and rejected. They often carry violent emotions and feelings of
exclusion. The Disowned Selves represent the opposite polarity, the Shadow
side. For example, opposite a Pleaser will be a more selfish side, opposite a
Controller will be a more relaxed, “laissez-faire” aspect, opposite a
Procrastinator will be a Perfectionist, opposite an Obsessive Cleaner will be a
Slob, etc. We are often aware of only one of the polarities, while repressing
the other. Hal and Sidra Stone believe that even though the Selves will remain
consistent, they can evolve and change. The best way to help this evolution is to
let them speak, as what they want most is to be heard. Often, the Selves
influence our behavior in peculiar and restrictive ways just because we do not
let them speak or listen to them. However, being heard is often just enough to
calm down the frustration that a Disowned Self can carry. For example, let’s
say your Overachiever is pushing you to finish writing this screenplay you have
started, but your laid back Beach Bum wants to get tanned and go swimming.
There will be a tug-of-war in your mind until you listen to both sides and
allow each to express what it wants, as well as reassure them both that each of
their demands will be honored in its own time. Today you finish writing, but
tomorrow you’ll go to the beach.
In Voice Dialogue, a facilitator will help a patient let
several of his Selves speak their mind on an issue, fully and without
restraint. Using a convention of having the patient alternately sit in
different chairs, representing each voice, the facilitator will ask questions
to each Self and their opposite, allowing them to speak freely. Finally he’ll
help the person mediate between them, by going through a process called “The
Aware Ego.” I have myself experienced this technique and was amazed by the fact
that, without my control, each Self used a different body language, voice,
accent, and tone of voice. I also felt the muscles of my face changing its
“mask” as I was alternatively moving from one chair to the other. I witnessed
the same thing happening to each of the fifteen actors experimenting with us.
The Selves most often expressed long, repressed frustrations. Suddenly, the
reasons why we were doing certain things in our lives appeared very clearly to
each of us. With the Voice Dialogue, the level of awareness increases and the
“Aware Ego” process develops. In that process the person tries to honor,
mediate between, and care for the Selves without necessarily making all of them
happy. This technique is especially fruitful for decision-making. Each
individual wish of the Selves cannot always be fulfilled, but the Selves will
feel reassured and cared for enough not to wreak havoc in the person’s
subconscious.
Voice Dialogue is currently used by thousands of therapists
and facilitators around the world, and many books have been published on the subject." I believe VOICE DIALOGUE is a fabulous tool for performers enabling them to tap into their inner voices to create a character.
© Emmanuelle Chaulet 2008
Emmanuelle Chaulet is an artists' coach and Lecturer in Theatre at the University of Southern Maine
