Me and My Body Program

One of our main aims at Day treatment is to provide the space and necessary practices to experience, feel and inhabit the body as a home. When living with SEED the connection between self and body gets disrupted, as a result the body is lived as a thing separate from the self, instead of a part of the living being to inhabit. Through a series of somatic and body-based therapies (Yoga, Art, Theater, Mindfulness), our aim is to encourage participants to rediscover their bodies and their vitality using curiosity and experimentation.

Recovery from an ED has often been understood as going back to re-connect with  pre-ED self, and although this approach attempts to encourage the person to let go of harmful behaviors, it frequently achieves the opposite, since the disorder initially developed as an escape strategy from that self with no intention of returning.

Seen in this way, it becomes clear why recovery is not a straightforward path; it requires deep acceptance and self-compassion for the ED’s protective role, as well as great courage to sit with those aspects of the self the person has been aiming to escape from. This process often involves confronting past trauma, pain, illness and grief that lives in the body, for which is necessary to count with a supportive environment to withstand this experiences.

Somatic work is then an invitation for the person to move towards the body instead of away -not as a return to pre-ED self, but as an invitation to explore and create a more embodied living for their future, now with more awareness and greater alignment with values.

Embodiment refers to the connection between self and body. A healthy sense of embodiment is experienced by a positive body connection and comfort, embodied agency and passion, and attuned self-care. 

With the Me and My Body program we want to support participants in creating a more embodied living in which the body is not longer an object but a home the person wants to be in. For this to be possible it requires dedication and commitment in putting up the necessary foundations that will withstand that home.

• Self-care in everyday habits: First of all we must ensure the safety of the home. For a person with SEED this means putting the necessary work to reduce self-destructive habits and, guided by the professional team, implement new self-care practices to ensure their body’s physical health.
• Agency and accountability: At Day treatment we follow a “supportive approach” meaning that we provide the resources, set the necessary routines and limits to accompany the person towards healthier choices for their body, but ultimately is our intention that the person feels agent of their treatment. By agency we understand the person’s ability to feel capable and empowered to make their own choices over their bodies in their recovery journey, while at the same time being held accountable by a community that has their health in mind, when those choices attack the integrity of their bodies.
• Body connection and comfort: as much as safety and agency are essential, connecting and experiencing comfort as well as other positive feelings in the body are crucial to make the body a place where one wants to be in. With practices like Yoga, Art and Mindfulness we aim to promote comfort and presence within one’s body.
• Enjoyment and expression of desire: As the person gets closer to embodiment and the living body as opposed to the objectified body, the opportunity to reclaim enjoyment and desire within themselves opens up. This pillar reflects connection to internal cues, such as appetite and bodily desires, and the ability to express them with agency and self-attunement. With practices such as dance and psychodrama our intention is to promote experiences of vitality and enjoyment. Ultimately a home where there is joy is a home which is alive.

To work towards a healthy embodiment we offer a series of daily activities and practices:

• Morning catch up with your body – short yoga practice
• Slow down time: drawing/craft/reading/walk
• Yoga classes adapted to ED
• Physiotherapy/personal trainer/stretching (according to each patient´s needs)
• Psychodance therapy and workshops
• Psychodrama
• Mindfulness workshops and practice