Eating Disorders and the Power of Myth

In the landscape of healing, we often search for control—reshaping thoughts, managing emotions, disciplining the body. Yet true transformation does not reside solely in the mind. It lives in movement, in breath, in the stories we embody rather than merely understand. Drama therapy invites us into this space of experience, where inner conflicts take form, new roles emerge, and healing becomes something we step into rather than analyze.

The Body as a Stage – Living Landscapes

Eating disorders exist in paradox—a fixation on the body paired with a deep disconnection from it. But what if we saw the body not as a battleground, but as a stage, a living canvas where change can unfold?

One practice begins with tracing the outline of one’s body onto a large sheet of paper, then filling it with landscapes—rivers of sorrow, mountains of strength, deserts of emptiness. And then, we step inside.

What does it feel like to wade through a sea of fear?To rest beneath a tree of resilience?

To climb the mountain of self-trust?

Through movement and theatrical play, these landscapes shift from metaphor to experience. The body remembers. The story breathes. What once felt fixed begins to move.

Myths and Masks – Reclaiming Lost Narratives

Myths are echoes of the human experience. Persephone’s descent into the underworld speaks of transition, loss, and emergence. But there are many stories to inhabit.

What happens when we are no longer just the lost one, but the seeker?What if we write an ending where we are not rescued, but rise on our own?

Drama therapy does not only replay old narratives—it allows us to reimagine them. Masks become tools: we wear them not to conceal, but to reveal. Who lies beneath the mask of control? What new self waits beneath the face of perfection?

Beyond Survival – Six Keys to Transformation

Sue Jennings defines six core elements of the dramatic healing process:

• Safety – A space where new possibilities unfold.

• Personhood – Seeing beyond the disorder to the full complexity of the individual.

• Action – Moving beyond words into embodied expression.

• Choice – Inviting agency in one’s own transformation.

• Creativity – Unlocking expression beyond limitation.

• Community – Finding resonance, connection, and belonging.

  
  

Drama therapy is not merely a technique—it is an invitation.

Which story do you long to tell? What role have you yet to step into?

Healing is not just the undoing of pain but the creation of something new. The body is not an enemy but a storyteller. And perhaps, the greatest transformation is not in leaving the old story behind, but in writing it a new—with our own voice, our own movement, our own becoming.