戲劇具有治療的性質自遠古時期的儀式中即已存在。儀式戲劇在早期人類文 化的演進中，其型式、訊息、價值、與情感連結，發展為人們的行動，有助於減 低焦慮、消除困惑並滿足情緒與認知，而使人們安於生活並建構成一個穩定的社 會。因此，當戲劇自儀式中分離成為一種藝術發展至今，其療育的內涵始終存在 於戲劇之中。 戲劇具有療育性的論述首見於亞里斯多德（Aristotle 384-322 B.C.)在《詩 學》（Poetics, c. 335-323 B.C.)中提到的「淨化」（Katharsis)，但應用戲 劇藝術結合現代科學的方法成為新興的治療專業領域，則是始於二十世紀三〇年 代從彼得•史萊德（Peter Slade, 1912-2004)將「兒童戲劇」（child drama) 作為一種淨化方法，來協助學習不良及困難者所展開。戲劇治療在許多的戲劇與 劇場學家、心理學家、社會學家的研究與發展，發展出一個專業的療育領域。許 多戲劇治療與治療性戲劇的技巧已經被應用在醫院、診所、學校、社區給一些有 特殊需要的團體與個人。 本文將從戲劇治療的起源、發展、原理與其他治療性戲劇之內涵，作系統化 整合的概念論述，期能建立對戲劇治療與治療性戲劇概念的認知，以作為後續深 入療育研究或探討所用。

In ancient times, the dramatic nature of therapy has already existed in the ritual of the human society. Following the development of ritual, drama connected with the forms, messages, values and senses lead the people bring it into the action for their lives. Drama is helpful for people to reduce anxieties, eliminate puzzles, content emotions, awareness and cognition to let people in establishing a constant society. The healing connotation exists in dramatic activities even while drama has separated from ritual and expanded into an art form. The statement on the therapeutic elements of drama is first found in Aristotle’s Poetics as “Kathasis.” Drama therapy connected with modern scientific knowledge and applied into the psychotherapy just at late of thirties in twenty century. Peter Slade applied child drama as a way of purify to assist the kids with the learning hinderers and difficulties. Today, Drama therapy has developed as a new profession. By the researches and applications of the drama/theatre artists, psychologists, sociologists, the drama therapy and therapeutic drama techniques have brought into the hospitals, clinics, schools and communities for the people with special needs. In this article, the author is tiying to systematically introduce the origin, principles, development and the integrated contents about the drama therapy and therapeutic drama. It is hoped that the basic concepts could be established for the puipose of further researches in the field of drama therapy.