title: Marathon: a life-and-death experience.
abstract: Therapists have a great need for techniques capable of provoking change in their clients. Generally, people resist change and need incentives to accomplish it. The tools to effect change are few. Therefore, the value of the theme Marathon experience is that it can be both innovative and piercing. Many clients need to have the drama of their own lives connected to a meaningful plot. The theme Marathon experience can do this. It exerts an influence on the emotional, cognitive and behavioral aspects of the participants and connects their past to the present and future, allowing them to see clearly the futility of a life of chemical dependence.
mesh_terms: D003643:Death; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013808:Therapeutic Community