Theatre for Hope and Healing invites mental health professionals—including therapists, counselors, social workers, case managers, and community health workers—to explore Ibsen’s Ghosts: A Slow Theatre Ritual for Mental Health & Collective Healing, a transformative event that integrates theatrical performance with mental health-centered programming. This unique event blends Ibsen’s classic play with a trauma-informed, Slow Theatre methodology, offering a communal healing ritual designed to support individuals’ mental health and collective well-being. Below, we provide key information for professionals considering attending or social prescribing this experience to clients.
About the Event
More than just a performance, this production of Ibsen’s Ghosts is a healing ritual designed with the idea of creating a space for mental health support in community.
Key components of the event include:
- Trauma-Informed Staged Reading: A thoughtful, immersive performance of Ghosts designed to help regulate the nervous system.
- Pre-Show Grounding Exercises & Brave Space Agreement: To ensure the psychological safety necessary for audiences and actors to be fully present and grounded in their bodies and foster a supportive environment.
- Post-Show Psychotherapist-Led Talkback: A facilitated discussion exploring key themes such as generational trauma, societal stigma, resilience, and narrative agency.
- Optional Closing Ritual & Access to Mental Health Resources: Continued support to ensure clients can integrate their experience into their healing process.
Themes explored in this production:
- Intergenerational trauma
- Societal stigma
- Autonomy vs. obligation
- Secrets and shame
- Narrative agency / courage to own your truth
- Religious and moral influence on personal autonomy
- Family dynamics, particularly mother-son relationships
Content Advisory: The play addresses challenging themes, including terminal illness, substance use, familial conflict, and a pivotal request for assisted suicide at the play’s conclusion, which may be distressing for some individuals. See our website for a more detailed content note.
Why Social Prescribe This Event?
This event is an ideal candidate for social prescribing due to its potential to support mental health and well-being through engagement with the arts. It offers:
| Feature | Therapeutic Benefit |
| Narrative Engagement | Encourages clients to reflect on their own personal and collective stories through the lens of Ibsen’s characters. |
| Community Connection | Promotes a sense of belonging and reduces isolation through a shared experience, available both in-person and virtually. |
| Psychoeducation | The post-show talkback bridges themes in the play with therapeutic concepts, such as boundary-setting, self-advocacy, and healing. |
| Accessibility | The livestream option ensures accessibility for clients with mobility or geographic limitations. |
Research indicates that arts-based social prescribing can be particularly beneficial in addressing mild-to-moderate depression, anxiety, and stress. These interventions empower individuals, support emotional expression, and help reduce feelings of isolation. This event offers a safe space for participants to engage with these challenges in a meaningful way.
Event Details
Dates: March 19 & 20, 2025
Location: Fine Arts Building, Chicago (410 S Michigan Ave) or livestream
In-Person Ticket Options:
- Community-Supported: $18 (subsidized rate for accessibility)
- Standard: $25
- Pay-It-Forward: $30 (supports others’ access)
Livestream Ticket Options:
- Community-Supported: $6 (subsidized rate for accessibility)
- Standard: $12
- Pay-It-Forward: $18 (supports others’ access)
- Pay What You Can: any donation accepted
What is Social Prescribing?
Social prescribing is a non-clinical intervention that connects individuals with community-based activities to improve their psychosocial health. These activities—such as arts, sports, and social engagement—offer therapeutic benefits and act as a complement to traditional medical treatments.
Benefits of social prescribing include:
- Reduced loneliness and stress: Through participation in group activities.
- Improved self-efficacy: Empowering individuals through active engagement in arts-based practices.
- Cost-effective: A beneficial addition to conventional therapeutic approaches, helping reduce healthcare costs.
This event is a prime example of how arts-based initiatives meet the criteria of social prescribing, as it:
- Provides structured, facilitated participation.
- Aligns with trauma-informed care principles.
- Offers tiered pricing to accommodate financial needs.
Learn more about social prescription:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8324130
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37196338/
https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/what-are-social-prescriptions-and-how-should-they-be-integrated-care-plans/2023-11
https://www.socialprescribingusa.com/
https://closler.org/lifelong-learning-in-clinical-excellence/how-the-arts-can-address-mental-health-inequities
https://www.americantheatre.org/2024/08/14/filling-your-theatre-prescription/
https://www.americantheatre.org/2023/11/22/arts-is-the-prescription-we-need-now-more-than-ever/
https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/what-is-social-prescribing/arts-and-culture-social-prescribing/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericwood/2025/03/10/the-mental-health-benefits-of-social-prescribing-the-arts-for-students/
How to Refer Clients
Ibsen’s Ghosts explores profound themes such as intergenerational trauma, societal stigma, autonomy versus obligation, secrets, and shame. Additionally, it touches upon religious trauma and complex family dynamics, particularly the mother-son relationship. The narrative also emphasizes the courage to embrace one’s truth and authenticity.
This production may be particularly beneficial for clients working on:
- Interpersonal dynamics and family relationships
- Shame reduction and overcoming societal stigma
- Expressing complex emotions or processing generational trauma
- Navigating religious trauma
- Developing narrative agency and embracing authenticity
- Tolerating multiple narratives and fostering narrative pluralism
Choose Format:
- For clients experiencing agoraphobia or geographic limitations, the livestream option offers a comfortable, private space to engage.
- For clients who would benefit from face-to-face interaction and social reconnection, the in-person experience is ideal.
Share Access:
Direct clients to eventbrite.com/o/theatre-for-hope-and-healing-67570152143 for ticket booking or theatreforhopeandhealing.org to learn more about our organization. You may offer clients the code ARTSINHEALTH10 for 10% off any ticket purchase.
Theatre for Hope and Healing is a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas. Please note, this event is not a therapeutic intervention in itself but aligns with holistic approaches to mental health, offering an art-based, communal experience that may complement ongoing therapeutic work.By incorporating Ibsen’s Ghosts into your social prescribing offerings, you can help your clients explore their healing journey through collective artistry and deep engagement with universal themes.