Abstract

This paper presents an in­depth case review exploring the use of drama therapy with Adam; an adult in his early twenties who identified himself as a male person, a gay person, a person with Down syndrome, a racialized person, a “fat” person who has experienced fatphobia and a person with trauma and mental health issues including what appeared to be undiagnosed, mild Bulimia Nervosa. Fundamental to evaluating Adam’s case was an understanding of intersectionality, Michel Foucault’s theory of the deviant body, as well as the relationship between trauma and systemic violence. When Adam revealed that he had Bulimic behaviours and thought patterns as well as a negative body image, a thorough exploration of how Adam viewed his body and why was necessary before choosing a particular drama therapy intervention for Adam’s treatment. It became clear that because of Adam’s experience of multiple, overlapping marginalized identities, Adam had been exposed, long­term, to the punitive societal gaze, which was often embodied and enacted by important figures in his life. Adam seemed to have internalized this punitive gaze that translated to him regarding his body as defective, disgusting, tainted, and even morally wrong. It was by adopting a critical race feminist drama therapy frame that I was able to engage with Adam effectively. Through the drama therapy intervention of Developmental Transformations, I was able to play with Adam in the playspace and by doing so, engage him with his body and transform his traumatic material.

Keywords: Drama Therapy, Bulimia Nervosa, Intersectionality, the Deviant body, Developmental Transformations