Between worlds: The myth of Tiresias in the psychodramatic exploration of gender fluidity

Abstract

ABSTRACT This qualitative single-case study examined how the myth of Tiresias functioned as a symbolic mediator within an individual psychodrama psychotherapy process involving a gender-fluid client. Rather than serving as a model of gender identity, Tiresias gradually emerged as a transitional symbolic space through which conflicting self-experiences could be expressed, explored, and psychologically integrated within the therapeutic relationship. Through symbolic role-taking, dramatic enactment, and collaborative meaning-making, the client developed an increased capacity to engage with ambiguity, sustain dialogue between different self-states, and relate more flexibly to psychological complexity. The findings suggested that the therapeutic value of myth lies not in defining identity but in creating a symbolic and relational space through which identity can be explored and negotiated. The findings highlight the contribution of psychodrama to contemporary gender-affirming psychotherapy and its broader relational and socionomic implications.