Pediatric Eating Disorders & OCD: The Body as a Feared Place

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Course Description: Obsessive Compulsive disorder and eating disorders thrive in an environment of fear, body avoidance and relief seeking behaviors. The body’s fear response will be examined from evolutionary, physiological and neurobiological perspectives. Modern-day eating disorders and OCD will be explored as escape strategies for uncomfortable bodily sensations. Dance/movement therapy will be applied as a method to build body trust, instill courage and restore aliveness through a mindful, embodied, improvisational, and playful approach. A special focus on embodying imperfection, practicing gratitude and building a “window of tolerance” for uncomfortable bodily sensations will help students craft a body map of their own fear response system. Forming an embodied relationship to fear allows participants to increase their body threshold for body discomfort. This course centers the practitioner’s self-discovery as a guide on how to help others. 

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