At the heart of this doctoral research lies the blurring of the clear linearity between narration and trauma recovery, which forms the topic of emerging theoretical developments in both transcultural trauma psychology and theatre studies. Both fields display emerging theoretical developments that question how this dominant western trauma paradigm is underpinned by the assumption of a linear relationship between trauma narration and recovery in which retelling traumatic experiences directly leads to healing.
More specifically, her study aims at furthering the post-narrative paradigm shift in both fields through an empirical analysis of post-narrative modes of trauma recovery in (applied) theatre in post-transitional South Africa. By combining analytical approaches from both transcultural trauma psychology and theatre studies, the study aims to further the understanding of trauma recovery shaped by modes of coping beyond narration.