[Adta] RE: Movement Profile of Eating Disorder
skdmt2
skdmt2 at bellsouth.net
Mon Feb 5 15:04:15 EST 2007
Hi Nava, Anne & others interested in this subj.
Nava said: " Watching the body of ED women lately, it is very
clear to me that it is a syndrome which is built on
many different manifestations. The ED symptoms may be
similar but each body "tell" a different story-
require a different intervening strategy. Some are
more into Verticality, exploring boundaries and others
are more horizontal. Did you or anyone else looked
and published about movement profiles of ED?"
I agree & think the ED is a very complex disorder
My forte has not been in the area of movement profiles of ED but more in
understanding the experience of ED & helping women move their ED aside to
reclaim their bodies & their "self"
Perhaps others can respond though re this issue, as well as what I am
including below.
I have my own way of describing what I see-, perhaps not terribly efficient
but more in terms of metaphor, countertransferential responses that I
attempt to balance & to use, etc.
I think I addressed that in an ADTA conference presentation in 2004 in New
Orleans.
Here's my abstract.
Use of Self as a Dance/Movement Therapist: Our Greatest Therapeutic Tool
Human beings communicate through their bodies long before they learn to
talk (Kleinman & Hall, 2003). As we develop we add words to our
communication, however, body language remains our most acute means of
recognizing our needs and expressing ourselves (Chace with Dyrud, 1993;
Kleinman & Hall, 2003). Yet, when faced with difficult therapeutic
situations, dance/movement therapists often look to techniques or props,
rather then trusting their own sense of self, to determine their responses.
According to Yalom, "Above all, the therapist must be prepared to go
wherever the patient goes". .I believe technique is facilitated when it
emanates from the therapist's unique encounter with the patient" (2002).
The therapists' own experience of embodiment, ability to access their own
unconscious material, and way of being in their body, is part of their sense
of self, and plays a role in the healing process between therapist and
client ( Harris & Kleinman, 2003). According to Virginia Satir, "When I am
in touch with myself, my feelings, my thoughts, with what I see and hear, I
am growing toward becoming a more integrated self. I am more congruent, I am
more 'whole,' and I am able to make greater contact with the other person."
Satir, V, p27 (1987).
As dance/movement therapists, we need to be especially sensitive to the
subtle dynamic between our own body/mind experience and that of our
patients. Our use of "self" is, in essence, our greatest therapeutic tool.
Harris, R. & Kleinman, S. ( 2003). Training for becoming an Embodied
Therapist. Presented at The 13th Annual Renfrew Center Foundation
Conference, Feminists Perspectives on Body Image, Trauma and Healing.
Philadelphia, PA.
Kleinman, S.& Hall, T. (2003). Dance/movement therapy: A method for
embodying emotions. The Renfrew Center Working Papers, Volume 1, Fall.
Satir, V. (1987). The therapist story. In M. Baldwin & V. Satir
(Eds.), The use of self in therapy (p. 23). New York: The Haworth Press.
Yalom, I. D. (2002). The gift of therapy (p. 34). New York:
HarperCollins.
Susan
Susan Kleinman, MA, ADTR, NCC
-----Original Message-----
From: nava lotan [mailto:nava_lotan at yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 10:28 AM
To: skdmt2; adta at adta.org
Subject: Movement Profile of Eating Disorder
Thank you Susan
What a wonderful response. You know, I wonder if we
can speak about Somatic Transference, counter
transference and projective identification
(kinesthetic empathy, attunement etc..) by using
mirror neurons language-
Watching the body of ED women lately, it is very
clear to me that it is a syndrome which is built on
many different manifestations. The ED symptoms may be
similar but each body "tell" a different story-
require a different intervening strategy. Some are
more into Verticality, exploring boundaries and others
are more horizontal. Did you or anyone else looked
and published about movement profiles of ED? ..and
again I really appreciate relating so quickly to my
inquiries.
best
Nava Lotan
Israel
--- skdmt2 <skdmt2 at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> Hi Nava!
> You said: " Hi Susan
>
> I watched the movie THIN, which I believe was filmed
>
> in your center (yes?) last year. After the film, my
>
> students and I felt an urge to eat and we
> experienced
>
> a feeling of starvation. As if we have/must eat
>
> immediately and eat a lot! It was very strange.
> The
>
> movie is difficult to watch and I wonder if this is
>
> something you experience and what you are making of
>
> it? somatic transference?
>
>
>
> Hope you don't mind the question and will appreciate
>
> your comments
>
> feel free to respond through the list,
>
>
>
> thanks
>
> Nava Lotan "
>
>
................................................................
>
>
>
>
>
> Yes, I think you are probably experiencing somatic
> transference & I am not
> immune however, I believe it can be transformed into
> a very useful
> therapeutic tool, if we are able to understand what
> is we are dealing with-
> what is getting triggered for us.
>
> I am including a section of a Working Paper on group
> therapy- see
> below-unfortunately it is no longer available- that
> explores this issue.
>
>
>
> Interesting isn't it! let me explain a bit I think
> is relevant. People w/
> ED tend to make everything about food, physical
> weight, size, body parts
> instead of the issues that underlie ED. I compare
> living w/ ED to living in
> a very restricted space in one's house & trying to
> keep everything under
> control in that space. Over the weekend in Central
> Florida, there were some
> terrible tornados & one woman was shown on TV who
> sought refuge in her
> bathroom. When she emerged after the tornado, she
> found everything intact in
> her bedroom but when she opened the door to the rest
> of her house, it was a
> shambles- That's kind if what happens w/ an ED- The
> ED person, in an attempt
> to deal w/ life, tries to use only ED behaviors as
> coping mechanisms because
> they are so scared or overwhelmed re their life.
>
> In their development & history there may be lots of
> control, trauma, perhaps
> some genetic factors also- a predisposition to an
> ED, they feel so
> overwhelmed & often frightened dealing w/ life
> through a more "normal"
> route, that they detour & try to restrict their
> feelings & thoughts, pick on
> themselves, put themselves down, run from themselves
> to try to find relief,
> to find ways to purge their feelings, stuff them
> inside & try to protect
> them, etc. Eventually, this turns into what is
> called an eating disorder.
>
>
>
> I try to refocus the women I see on the underlying
> issues & also to
> separate food from feelings, physical weight &
> hunger from emotional weight
> & hunger, etc. I let the nutritionists & medical
> staff deal with those
> issues & try to understand & help them understand
> what they are
> experiencing, express it, & connect the meaning of
> these feelings, patterns,
> events, etc, in their lives, as well as to challenge
> them to take risks to
> live more expansively.
>
>
>
> Also, may people w/ ED have OCD or very ritualistic
> behaviors & that is seen
> of course in their whole movement repertoire, as
> well as in the dining room,
> where food rituals are not allowed. Cognitive
> thinking is often so black &
> white- so linear- it's like swimming in a pool- up
> one lane & back, rather
> then including abstract thinking- being in the gray
> areas- of course, d/mt
> is grey.
>
>
>
>
>
> Also, FYI As you noticed, I'm sure, barely any
> therapy was shown in THIN,
> although it was filmed. It just wasn't what the
> director chose to show.
>
>
>
> I see that I've gotten somewhat off track from your
> specific question but
> realize that what was triggered for me was one of
> the most impt issues I
> believe in treating ED & that is understanding & as
> d/mts, that means
> getting involved & working to understand & balance
> our own personal
> responses- physical, emotional-cognitive, often as
> cues.
>
>
>
> Perhaps others who work w/ ED will also respond to
> these issues raised by
> Nava & her students. Patrizia, you also may have
> some things to add ( see
> below)
>
>
>
> Thanks for writing.
>
>
>
> Susan
>
>
>
> Susan kleinman, MA ADTR, NCC
>
>
................................................................
>
> Reference info: Kleinman, S., Gerstein, F., Botwin,
> S., Developing
> Connections in Group Therapy. The Renfrew Center
> Working Papers, Volume 2,
> Fall., 2004
>
>
>
>
>
> From Developing Connections in Group Therapy
>
> Fran Gerstein, PhD, Shari Botwin, LCSW, Susan
> Kleinman, MA, ADTR, NCC
>
>
>
> "... Managing Countertransference
>
> Eating disorder therapists are prone to certain
> types of
> countertransferential, often visceral in nature.
> One notable somatic
> reaction to dealing with anorexic patients is that
> therapists can find
> themselves hungry and fantasizing about food during
> a group session. It is
> as if the therapist picks up the sense of "hunger"
> and deprivation the
> patient is attempting to ward off. Because Renfrew
> therapists deal with so
> many patients with eating disorders, they are prone
> to very specific types
> of somatic countertransferential feelings. Pallaro,
> in
=== message truncated ===
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