Gender-expression through a session of Psychotherapeutic Playback Theatre: A case study

Psychotherapeutic Playback Theatre (PPT) is a form of group psychotherapy that was developed from Playback Theatre (PT). In PPT, participants share a narrative that is enacted theatrically by the other group members. As the narrative is central to the therapeutic process, the present study aimed to investigate the subjective experience of participants in a PPT session, particularly their relationship with the story told by the teller. In this in-depth case study, a qualitative methodology was used, applying Thematic Analysis to interviews conducted with five participants from the PPT group. The resulting themes were then crossed with the description of the audiovisual recording of the session and with responses from the respective Helpful Aspects of Therapy (HAT) questionnaires. Analysis revealed three principal themes: 1) Narrative as a meeting point; 2) Exploring vertical and transversal dimensions of the story: from the individual to the sociopolitical; and 3. Beyond the Narrative. The findings suggest that PPT, as a group therapy setting, served as a safe and affirming space for the protagonist, exploring his gender expression, fostering not only a sense of belonging and acceptance but also greater awareness of personal resources and of the complex roots of their suffering. Other members of the group referred to benefits that can be connected to common therapeutic factors of group and expressive therapies. • Personal stories are central to Psychotherapeutic Playback Theatre group work. • PPT offers LGBTQ+ people a safe space for free and authentic expression • Affirmative therapy principles adapt well to group-based therapeutic formats. • Three themes emerged from interviews: Narrative as a meeting point, Exploring vertical and transversal dimensions of the story, and Beyond the Narrative.