“The Space Where I Can Feel Like Myself”: Narratives of Change in Analytic Psychodrama

Abstract

This exploratory qualitative study examines how participants describe and interpret their experience in analytic psychodrama groups. Six semi-structured interviews with adults who attended SIPsA-affiliated groups were analyzed using thematic and discursive analysis. Four areas emerged: motivations for entering therapy, the lived experience of the group, comparisons with individual psychotherapy, and perceived changes. Participants described entering psychodrama in response to escalating emotional distress, portraying the group as a space of belonging, depth, and expressive freedom. Compared to individual therapy, psychodrama was experienced as more dynamic and stimulating, quicker in fostering change. Reported changes included greater emotional awareness, assertiveness, and a sense of identity transformation. Participants constructed these experiences through metaphors (e.g., “chain reaction”) and contrasts (e.g., before/after). Their narratives suggest that psychodrama resonates with broader contemporary imaginaries of psychological care as a process of renewal, self-construction, and meaningful connection with others. Despite the limits of a small sample, the study offers initial insights into analytic psychodrama as both a therapeutic and socio-cultural phenomenon.