OnlyFans for Therapy review – a brave and unsettling emotional exposure

Verona Verbakel’s Digital Confessional: When Online Vulnerability Becomes Healing

Wanderstayfinder.com – The modern digital landscape has given rise to countless forms of self-expression, from curated lifestyle posts to intimate subscription platforms. Yet rarely do we encounter someone who transforms their personal trauma into a public therapeutic journey. Verona Verbakel’s solo performance, currently running at Edinburgh’s Zoo Playground, accomplishes precisely this feat with remarkable honesty and theatrical innovation.

A Mathematical Approach to Emotional Recovery

Verbakel, a writer and performer, approached her healing process with the precision of an accountant. Through what she describes as a back-of-the-envelope calculation, she determined that recovering from a lifetime of emotional wounds would require 2,599 sessions with a psychiatrist. At the standard rate of £70 per session, the financial burden becomes staggering. But as she observes, the cost must be paid regardless—whether through monetary investment or through the continued accumulation of psychological damage.

This insight forms the conceptual foundation of her show, which draws inspiration from the subscription-based intimacy model popularized by platforms like OnlyFans. However, instead of offering glimpses of physical vulnerability, Verbakel presents something far more exposing: the raw architecture of her emotional landscape.

Childhood Shadows and Adult Investigations

The performance traces the trajectory of a woman haunted by two pivotal moments in her life. The first occurred when she was merely five years old, when abuse entered her world. The second came at eighteen, when an investigation brought those buried experiences into painful focus. These events created a permanent undercurrent of vulnerability that surfaces throughout the show.

Verbakel’s performance style captures this duality perfectly. One moment she appears confident and assured, the next she crumbles under the weight of memory. The damage remains perpetually visible, never fully concealed, always present beneath the surface of her composed exterior.

The exposure in her solo show is of the emotional not the naked body kind.

Belgian Theatrical Freedom

Produced by Karolien De Bleser as part of the Big in Belgium programme, the show embodies a characteristically Belgian willingness to disregard conventional theatrical expectations. Verbakel’s performance is deceptively simple: she sits, often with a stony expression, before a laptop. Occasionally she catches the audience’s eye, but mostly she appears indifferent to the content of the first-person videos she displays in sequence.

Yet within this apparent passivity lies tremendous emotional power. The videos range from humorous to devastating. In one, Verbakel lies in bed wearing a sleep mask, reciting a dryly comic catalogue of emotional triggers. In another, she makes painful journeys to the actual location of her childhood abuse, breaking down as she recounts the experience.

The Online Medium as Therapeutic Space

What makes this performance particularly compelling is how it leverages the direct-to-camera honesty inherent in online video culture. The format transforms personal confession into shared experience, making the pain feel immediate and vivid. This brave, unsettling approach to emotional exposure resonates with audiences who understand the vulnerability required to share one’s story publicly.

The show challenges our assumptions about how we process trauma. In an era where influencers narrate their daily routines and attempt to convince us—and perhaps themselves—that they are living their best life, Verbakel offers something different. Rather than endless positivity, she presents the messy, painful reality of recovery.

Performance Details and Support Resources

OnlyFans for Therapy continues at Zoo Playground in Edinburgh until 30 August. The production has been well-received as part of the Edinburgh festival programme, offering audiences a chance to witness this unique form of theatrical therapy.

For those who find the subject matter resonates with their own experiences, several support organizations provide assistance:

In the United Kingdom, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, while adults concerned about a child can call 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) provides support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331.

International audiences can access help through various channels. In the United States, the Childhelp abuse hotline can be reached by calling or texting 800-422-4453. Australian residents have access to the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 for children, young adults, parents, and teachers, while adult survivors can seek help at the Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Additional resources are available through Child Helpline International.

Verbakel’s work demonstrates that sometimes the most profound healing comes not from traditional settings, but from the courage to share our stories in new and unexpected ways. Her show reminds us that emotional exposure, when done with honesty and purpose, can be both therapeutic and transformative.