www. Karpman Drama Triangle . com

The original Drama Triangle article reprint and selected

Transactional Analysis articles by Dr. Karpman

JAMAICA: FEBRUARY 4-11, 2011

The 15th Annual USATAA Jamaica Gathering was held February 4-11, 2011 at the secluded private oceanside resort of Frenchman's Cove, Jamaica. Luxury accommodations were provided at reduced prices for us with a choice to stay either at the "Great House" or in dramatic oceanside villas overlooking the cliffs of the southern Caribbean as you will see in the photos below. Breakfast and lunch were included with lunch served at the beach. In the evenings we divided up into small groups to dine on excellent native Jamaican cuisine in town. The weather was tropical, in the 80s.

At the "gatherings," presentations are volunteered informally each day during the time period after breakfast from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and range from theory discussions to the experiential. Continued education credits are offered.

TAers are invited to attend each year. You can look up "Frenchman's Cove, Jamaica" on Google. For more information please contact Dianne Maki at coordinator@usataa.org.

 

MONTREAL: AUGUST 11-14, 2010

The ITAA 50th Annual International Conference was held in Montreal, Canada, the birthplace of Eric Berne, M.D., on the 100th anniversary of his birth as a Centenary celebration of his work Then and Now.

 

PERU: AUGUST 5-8, 2009

The 2009 ITAA/ALAT joint English/Spanish Conference "New Life From Old Roots" was held in Lima, Peru August 5-8, 2009 with an enthusiastic attendance of 350 professionals and trainees from 27 countries.

There were nine 1-2 all day pre-conference institutes, advanced member examinations, keynote speeches, and plenary gatherings followed by a choice of 50 presentations on a wide variety of psychological subjects (including Mayan and East Indian wisdom) over the 3-day period.

 

SAN FRANCISCO: AUGUST 8-12, 2007

The International Transactional Analysis Association (ITAA) annual conference was held in San Francisco on the weekend of August 8 – 12, 2007 co-sponsored by the USATAA (click both links on the left). Over a half dozen lectures and workshops were presented daily during each time period. Continuing Education Credits were avaliable. An introductory T.A. 101 course was given offering the basics in Transactional Analysis. A new 101 introductory T.A. DVD is available this year for purchase from the USATAA website. The conference was a great success attended by 300 therapists and trainees from 40 countries.

At the August conference I presented two workshops:

  1. A didactic/experiential 3 hour workshop on “Game Free Communication for Couples, part two” using a variety of my new relationship concepts was given on Thursday August 9. A 1.5 hour DVD will be available for purchase on this website this year. The worksheets are available now for free downloads on the link on the left.
  2. A 1.5 hour lecture with experiential exercises on “Drama Triangle 2007” was presented on Saturday August 11. The DVD of this will be available for purchase on this website this year. "The New Drama Triangles" worksheets are available now for free downloads on the link on the left. 

The notes and diagrams for the two workshops are posted on the link on the left. This is the description of the Drama Triangle workshop I wrote for the CEU requirements at the conference:

Over these forty years there have been a dozen variations and changes in the use of the Drama Triangle by the author and by the contributions of others.  Some of these can be seen in the 15,000 links on Google, many to uses in codependency and specific jobs and situations.  Also included are T.A. uses in the redefining hexagon, the miniscript triangle, the OK triangle, the compassion triangle and the10% solution, manipulation and propaganda triangles, trapping bonds, escape routes, partner triangles and more.
The blank center of the triangle is now used to display the hidden feelings and motivations of the psychological self during games.  This can include the withheld escalations awaiting their chance to display their choice of first or second or third degree game payoffs.
A new tiny scripting triangle from the family "script scene" can be drawn in the interior center and called the redecision triangle or the transference triangle, operating deep behind the scenes and directing choices during those acting out dramas that seek script payoffs.
As a teaching aid, voluntary safe small group exercises will give participants the experience of switching roles during drama using their own selected safe topics.
CEU goals offered:  Participants will learn how people can get trapped and bonded Into drama, and how to use the escape routes to achieve game free openness and honesty.  This can be pointed out in group or individual therapy and taught to clients for social control.  The therapy contract can include awareness and avoidance of negative drama.

In addition to my 101 lecture and the two workshops described above I have presented keynotes in Arkansas and Florida in Summer 2007. Please click "Email me" on the left for my workshop and lecturing topics and rates. I have lectured widely in the US and 12 countries abroad. I am in private practice in San Francisco.