also suffers from other issues specifically related to body image and their eating disorders, including somatic complaints, body image concerns, and dissociation, particularly during binges. According to Pollatos et al. (2008), individuals with eating disorders also have “reduced capacity to accurately perceive bodily signals” (p. 385) and an inability to differentiate sensations of hunger from sensations of emotion. Herbert and Pollatos (2012) found individuals with EDs have an altered perception of their bodies and lack awareness of “an embodied sense of self” (p. 698). Clients within this population may also lack integral awareness of their emotional body and the ways in which emotions and the body are interconnected.
SomaPlay Therapy’s Somatic Change Model SomaPlay Therapy, created by the author, is an integrative, whole- body approach to play therapy which emphasizes the importance of embodiment as a primary tool for healing and integration. SomaPlay Therapy is currently being studied utilizing grounded theory research to support the validity of SomaPlay Therapy with children and adolescents. While SomaPlay Therapy is largely based on humanistic and body-centered principles, it is easily integrated into play therapy sessions from a variety of theoretical orientations, including Gestalt play therapy, Jungian play therapy, narrative therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, EMDR, psychodrama, and voice dialogue. The overarching goal of this approach is for the client to embody mind, body, and emotions with compassion and acceptance.
SomaPlay Therapy utilizes the following phases, along with each phase’s primary goal to address maladaptive eating. The phases
and goals are as follows: phase one, orienting, grounding, and embodiment; phase two, discovering the emotional body; phase three, body dialoging; phase four, challenging beliefs and positive affirmations; and phase five, creating a new relationship with the body. The following case study breaks treatment into phases. It should be noted that it is not necessary to proceed through all five phases in a linear fashion. The author recommends including embodiment practices and positive affirmations in each session to ground and empower the client.
Case Study Briana is a 12-year-old female referred for play therapy by her mother due to anger issues at home. During the intake session, it was reported that Briana began purging in eighth grade. Identified triggers were comprised of a series of significant life disturbances, including parental divorce, school changes, the loss of a best friend, and bullying by girls in Briana’s new school. Briana acknowledged struggles in appropriately expressing emotions to her mother and reported feeling unloved. She reported a history of panic and anxiety, along with periods of depression and low energy, stating she “feels nothing.” In the first phase of therapy, the therapist focuses on building rapport and re-orienting the client to their body through embodiment and body-awareness activities. I taught Briana how to use body scans, which are done at the
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