D.H. Hargreaves's “traumatic theory of aesthetic learning” is reviewed in the light of research on educational events in the areas of creative writing and drama. If the full educational benefits of conversive drama are to be realised, they have to be seen within the context of more gradual cumulation of skills and knowledge. Before the trauma, students are prepared by confidence-building, having their sensitivities sharpened, abilities encouraged, and acquiring control and power of expression. During and after the trauma there is considerable personal development, students discovering new things about themselves, maturing, and in some cases being transformed. They acquire more of the art of learning, involving skills of both expression and appreciation. There is also notable social development, resulting in the experience of communitas, wherein participants rise above institutional structures and statuses and develop exceptional community spirit. Above all, conversive trauma excites the emotions, at first in uncontrollable ways, but the educational experience involves the individual coming to terms with, and understanding, the disturbance. A theory of aesthetic learning is advanced involving a constructivist teaching style, charismatic personal qualities, naturalistic context, co-operation, appropriate content, and grounded and open enquiry.
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