Oedipus in the City: An Autoethnographic Exploration of the Role of Image and Performative Process in Developing a Mentalizing Stance within Dramatherapy

Abstract

Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) is a form of psychotherapy that shares similar goals with dramatherapy, particularly in fostering reflective functioning and understanding internal states. However, the intersection between MBT and dramatherapy has not yet been widely explored.

In this arts-based, autoethnographic study, I investigate my lived experience as an emerging dramatherapist learning to integrate MBT principles within a practice-based learning context. Using creative tools familiar from dramatherapy — including play texts, visual imagery, performative processes, and story-making — I explored how data generated through art-making could enhance the mentalization of my developing professional identity.

Through undertaking this research, I realised that consciously adapting arts-based methods to support mentalizing significantly strengthened my reflective functioning. The findings highlight a rich potential for dialogue between dramatherapy and MBT, suggesting that arts-based pathways can enrich reflective practice and professional development by integrating therapeutic creativity more intentionally into clinical frameworks.