João's obese body

This study aims to understand the lived experience of obesity of a patient undergoing psychotherapy through Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of ambiguity. It is a qualitative case study, with data collected through session transcripts and versions of meaning elaborated by the psychotherapist. The sample consisted of an adult male participant diagnosed with grade III obesity. The analysis was carried out using the critical phenomenological method, which investigates phenomena manifest to consciousness, widely used in studies of clinical psychology, psychotherapy and psychopathology. The results indicate that the patient perceives the obese body as both protective and limiting, experiencing conflicts related to food, self-image and sexuality. The conclusion is that obesity is not restricted to the physical dimension, but is an experience intertwined with the world, personal history and the multiple contours that shape the individual's life.