Abstract

This theoretical research examines the benefits of drama therapeutic mirroring as an attachment-oriented therapy for adults and addresses the need for further research into the development of adult-oriented interventions involving the mirror game. This need for further research is stated as an expression of the limited work available on embodied attachment therapies for adults, particularly in comparison to the robust body of research that has been conducted in the context of earlier developmental stages. A review of the literature includes information on mirroring at the intersection of neuroscience and the creative arts therapies as well as an overview of the relationship between attachment and identity formation over the course of development, and tracks the strong bases in theory and praxis that support drama therapeutic mirroring as an attachment therapy across the lifespan. The work concludes with proposals for future areas of research, with particular foci on: how the intervention of the mirror game might be applied more widely and intentionally to support attachment outcomes in various adult relationships; and how the composition of adult sexual identity and attachment might inform the formulation of future adult attachment therapies across modalities.