Larger Than Life: Six Women and Their Battle with Obesity as Seen Through the Eyes of a Dramatherapist

Larger Than Life is aimed at anyone interested in the causes of obesity and its treatment. It describes a dramatherapeutic intervention of 12 sessions in which six women take part. The reader is taken behind the scenes and experiences what it means to be overweight or obese– the despair and depression that can result from failed attempts to become slim as well as the satisfaction and joy that can come from effective therapy.

The book begins with a discussion on the issue of obesity, attitudes toward large women through the ages, current ways of dealing with the problem, and why psychotherapy might be an effective method of treatment. The six participants are then introduced in the form of an initial interview, in which readers find out about their attitudes toward food and eating and the problems they face in their everyday lives. This is followed by a discussion of dramatherapy and why it might be an effective means of treating eating disorders. Then, the 12 sessions are transcribed, including much of the dialogue that takes place, together with an explanation of the activities and a commentary on the progress made by the participants. In an interview at the end of the intervention, the participants talk about the group and what they felt they gained from it. The therapist then summarizes what she considers was achieved. Finally, in brief telephone conversations that take place three years later, the possible long-term effects of the intervention are discussed with the participants.