Background: This presentation will demonstrate how to use multi-cultural folk tales, ancient myths, and neuroscience to bring inspiration and hope into the treatment setting, giving those who struggle with eating disorders a glimpse of their capacity for recovery and a vision of the recovery process that is encouraging and hopeful. Through the healing power of metaphors embedded in these wisdom tales, “aha” moments can be evoked and the deeper meaning of the eating disorder revealed, bringing both levity and illumination into a recovery experience that is typically filled with fear, pain and resistance.
Objectives: Following this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Explain how storytelling can be used as a tool for revealing the adaptive function of disordered eating behavior.
- Describe the neuroscience behind how metaphor functions as a change agent in the brain.
- Describe several techniques for using metaphor and imagery to bring joy in a therapeutic setting.
A. Examples of ways of viewing the world
B. Description, function & levels of operation
II. Introduction to Metaphor
A. Definition
B. Levels of function in the psyche.
C. Current neuroscience research
III. Clinical Application to Eating Disorder Treatment
A.Myth
B. Storytelling
C. Metaphor
D. Neuroscience findings
IV Discussion
Einstein said that a problem can’t be solved with the mind that created it. Since our modern Western culture has created eating disorders (at least the proliferation of the version we are experiencing now) it may be useful to explore other cultural approaches when seeking to provide the inspiration necessary for healing eating disorders.
Storytelling and parables have been used for eons around the world to assist in problem solving and healing. The healing power of story lies in its ability to arouse strong emotions by allowing the listener to identify with its characters, without being overwhelmed. It provides a means of externalizing inner conflicts by offering metaphors of internal and interpersonal dynamics, therefore exposing the deeper meaning buried beneath the struggle. Recently, modern science has developed technology that gives glimpses into brain functioning, allowing us to see how these processes work.
Those with eating disorders are seeking a way to transform a life of struggle and suffering into one that has meaning, hope, and joy. Because they are frightened of stepping into a life without an eating disorder, however, the resistance they present can be enormous, despite their desire for freedom. This presentation will demonstrate how to use multi-cultural folk tales and ancient myths to give them a glimpse of their capacity for recovery and a vision of the recovery process that is encouraging and hopeful.
It will discuss the neuroscience behind how using parables and stories can bring inspiration and hope into the treatment setting and demonstrate how to use stories to help clients find the deeper meaning in their struggle. Through the healing power of metaphors embedded in these wisdom tales, “aha” moments can be evoked, bringing both levity and illumination into a recovery experience that is typically filled with fear and pain.
Anita Johnston, Ph.D, CEDS-S, is the Founder and Clinical Director of Ai Pono Hawaii Eating Disorders Residential Treatment Program in Maui. She is the author of Eating in the Light of the Moon, which has been published in six languages, several professional articles and book chapters, and is the co-creator of the Light of the Moon Café, providing online education and support. A pioneer in the field, Dr. Johnston has been working with eating disorders for over thirty-five years.
