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Eating disorders are a complex and constantly growing phenomenon; there are several therapies designed to treat this disease. But what do we mean when we talk about disease and treatment? What is an eating disorder? Is it a clinical disease? A psychological ailment? A reaction to difficulties encountered in particular socio-relational environments? Behind the symptom is always a person who, consciously or unconsciously, is the cause of their own discomfort. The symptom is a symbolic representation of an inner conflict, betraying difficulties in relating to oneself, to others and to reality. A valid method of treating eating disorders is the theatre experience, primarily in workshop form. Theatre experience is inherently about openness to others and to oneself; it can be tool for developing a new perspective, for looking after oneself, for discovering one’s body as an authentic, deep and healthy interface between an individual and the world, which is necessary for constructing a positive self-image. Through play, and in an environment perceived as safe and removed from everyday reality, the individual can follow a process of experimentation, creation and expression (perceived as impossible in ordinary life) which can lead to a new way of living. Starting from current studies on eating disorders and their connection with social dynamics, and based on personal experience in leading a theatre group of girls with eating disorders in a collaborative project with the medical team of therapeutic communities in Asso (at Sant’Anna Hospital, Como), this essay aims to evaluate theatre’s potential as an effective, long-lasting treatment for eating disorders, one that gives the individual a chance to extend this potential to their own everyday life as the foundation for broader social change.
