Sociometrics: Embodied, Experiential Processes for Relational Trauma Repair

Tian Dayton

Aug 2022 · Central Recovery Press

About this ebook

“In Sociometrics, Tian Dayton masterfully integrates principles of group dynamics and psychodrama therapies with insights into bodily states and feelings gained from contemporary neuroscience. Sociometrics infuses therapeutic principles in an intuitive and functional program that shifts the agent of healing from the therapist to the group. We learn that through sociometrics, the threads of healing are woven as the client experiences a reconnection with the inner self and a connection with others.”—Stephen W. Porges, PhD, Distinguished University Scientist, Indiana University; Professor of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina; creator of the Polyvagal Theory

Embodied, relational processes designed to add experiential therapy into addiction treatment centers, IOPs, and one-to-one or group therapy settings.

Relational trauma can cause a loss of connection with the self and impact our ability to engage comfortably in intimate connection with others. Feeling misread, neglected, or abused by the people we want most to be loved by is a traumatizing experience that is cumulative. When these relational wounds remain unseen and unresolved, they can become the pain pump fueling self-medicating and dysfunctional behaviors that silently pass down through generations. 

Sociometrics are embodied, research-based processes that educate clients about trauma, grief, and resilience as they offer in-the-moment, experiential relational trauma repair. Created by Dr. Tian Dayton to fit easily into outpatient programs, clinics, and one-to-one settings, sociometrics help to take the guesswork out of incorporating experiential therapy into treatment. They give therapists a clear process that builds momentum for deep change and personal growth. Harnessing the therapeutic power of the group, they teach skills of emotional literacy and self- and co-regulation.

The combination of sociometrics and simple role plays allow the body, as well as the mind, to find a voice. They draw on the theory base of psychodrama and sociometry, the first forms of mind/body, experiential therapy created by the father of group therapy, Jacob Levy Moreno.

About the author

Dr. Tian Dayton is a senior fellow at The Meadows and author of fifteen books. She is a Huffington Post blogger and creator of innerlook.com. She has a Masters in Educational Psychology and a PhD in clinical psychology and is a board-certified trainer in psychodrama and a licensed Creative Arts Therapist. She is also a certified Montessori teacher. Dr. Dayton is the director of The New York Psychodrama Training Institute where she runs training groups in psychodrama, sociometry, and experiential group therapy. She is a nationally renowned speaker, expert, and consultant in psychodrama, trauma, and addiction.