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Background: Presenters will demonstrate how clinicians can successfully interweave Interpersonal Somatic Psychotherapy techniques to facilitate their clients’ ability to listen and respond to their embodied selves. Techniques to rapidly reduce clients’ anxiety, diminish negative self-talk, and improve ability to engage in treatment will be discussed and demonstrated.
Introduction of Interpersonal Somatic Psychotherapy
Integrating Mind, Body and Relationships into Effective Eating Disorders Treatment
Implications of neuroplasticity within eating disorders treatment
- Understanding the relationship between the nervous system and eating disorders
- How somatic disconnect interrupts recovery
- Sub-cortical levels of the brain that regulate body systems must be directly engaged
Demonstration of Interpersonal Somatic Psychotherapy (ISP)
- Live demonstration with presenter
- Treatment interventions
- Group discussion
Components of ISP
- Interpersonal neurobiology
- Poly-vagal theory: Evolutionary hierarchy of effective responses to perceived threats in the environment
- Dialectical, Non-judgmental stance
- Gestalt, I/Thou relationship
- Clinical case examples
Window of Tolerance
- Window of tolerance is the range of an individual’s self-regulation capacity or capabilities, neither hyperaroused nor hypoaroused
- Effective treatment occurs within the window of tolerance, however narrow that may be
- Empathic connection between client and therapist occurs in the window of tolerance: place where the client is able to be “met”
Hyperarousal and Hypoarousal
- Hyperarousal indicators
- Delineation of sympathetic hyperarousal
- Hypoarousal indicators
- Deliniation of parasympathetic hypoarousal
Experiential exercise
- Invite participants to experience their somatic selves and track sensation in their own bodies
- Invite discussion and feedback from exercise
Interpersonal Somatic Psychotherapy techniques in clinical practice
- Discerning healthy discharge in nervous system versus arousal
- Tools
- Pacing of sessions within window of tolerance
- Using one’s own body resonance
- Using sensory language
- Interventions to assist clients back into window of tolerance
- Methods of integration with diverse treatment modalities
- Emphasizing the importance of integrating with current treatment protocol
Interactive small group participation techniques
- Tracking “client” sensations
- Managing titration of arousal
- Facilitating movement from awareness of arousal through resolution into greater coherence
Discussion of benefits of using Interpersonal Somatic Psychotherapy in eating disorders treatment
- Increases awareness and tolerance of hunger and fullness signals
- Deepens clients ability to manage feelings and utilize mindfulness skills
- Provides clients with additional resources to address upsetting events/triggers which reduces reliance on eating disorder
- Clients develop skills to be able to assist their own body to restore self-regulation
- Improves inclination towards social engagement and relationship development
Questions
As advances in neuroscience point to innovations in treatment, research also makes it clear that learning and change are embodied, relational experiences. In the journey of eating disorder recovery, sub-cortical levels of the brain that regulate body systems must be directly engaged. Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to learn, grow and re-wire, is supported by somatic experience, as well as the therapeutic alliance and are essential components of any model of effective treatment. In eating disorders treatment, clinicians continually face the challenge of intervening at the risk of dysregulating or overwhelming clients’ already delicately balanced emotional and cognitive system, contributing to the chronicity of symptoms. Informing how clinicians are with their clients through the use of body awareness and other somatic practices, supports the clinicians’ capacity to create an optimal environment for activating the systems of change in an effective, titrated manner. Integrating Interpersonal Somatic Psychotherapy into eating disorder treatment helps rapidly reduce clients’ anxiety, diminish negative self-talk, and improve ability to engage in treatment.
This presentation will offer a working model of Interpersonal Somatic Psychotherapy in an easy-to understand and easy-to-apply format, so that clinicians can use the latest advancements in neuroscience to enrich their work in eating disorder treatment. Presenters will use live demonstration to illustrate step-by-step clinical interventions and discuss their application in a variety of treatment settings. Participants will learn techniques through the use of lecture, group discussion, case studies, simple experiential activities, skill-building and practice.
Susan L. Richter, MA, MFT, CEDS, SEP is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice at New Beginnings Counseling Center in Camarillo, California. A Certified Eating Disorders Specialist trained in Somatic Experiencing and EMDR, Susan provides individual and group psychotherapy treatment to those with eating disorders, trauma, anxiety and depression. As founding president of iaedp Central Coast and an approved supervisor, she mentors those specializing in eating disorders treatment and is Clinical Director of the intern training program at New Beginnings. She sponsors a free ANAD support group as well as a monthly Professional Practice Consultation Group.
Susan M. Baker, MA, MFT, SEP is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist providing adolescent, adult, family and group therapy in private practice at New Beginnings Counseling Center in Camarillo, CA. Certified in Somatic Experiencing and Gestalt therapy, Susan combines body-mind centered techniques to resolve clients distress related to trauma, eating disorders, medical conditions and self-destructive behaviors. She serves on the faculty for the Graduate School of Psychology at Pepperdine University. As a clinical supervisor, she provides training in group process, Gestalt therapy, personality issues and trauma. She leads a monthly Professional Practice Consultation Group for practitioners in the community.
