The Body as Portal: Theatre, Healing, and the Transformative Self
PhD thesis by Dr. Jessica Bockler, Liverpool John Moores University (2011)
đź“„ [Download or explore the full thesis above
“My body is the fabric into which all objects are woven.”
— Maurice Merleau-Ponty
What happens when theatre is not just performance—but personal practice? What opens when the stage becomes a space for healing, presence, and transformation?
In her powerful and deeply personal doctoral research, Dr. Jessica Bockler explores the psychosomatic dynamics of self-expressive theatre practices. Using a heuristic methodology (after Clark Moustakas), Bockler interviewed 22 practitioners—artists, facilitators, and performers—about how they use theatre to “work on the self.” Her inquiry is both scholarly and lived, drawing not only on dialogue with others but also on her own somatic, emotional, and spiritual journey as a researcher and artist.
Key Themes from the Research:
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Theatre as Transformative Practice is not just expressive—it’s integrative. It invites ego attunement, deep body-based introspection, and access to felt senses and imagery.
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These practices can support healing, self-insight, and personal growth—when approached with mindful awareness of both self and other.
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The conditions for this transformation require safe, relational space and creative authenticity—not performance for applause, but presence for truth.
Drawing from her time with figures and ensembles such as Eugenio Barba and Odin Teatret, Dzieci Theatre, ParaTheatrical ReSearch, and TAI, Bockler distills insights that reveal how performance can become ritual, and how embodiment opens us to our most vital inner knowing.
“This is a story about how I grew, how I became lost, how I rediscovered myself…”
— Jessica Bockler
Her research is a call to artists, therapists, and facilitators working at the edge of performance and personal development—to honour the performative relationship as a vessel for real change.
To dive deeper into this visionary work:
Read or download Jessica Bockler’s full thesis by downloading the link above
