The torso’s secrets: Using the torso in art therapy for people with eating disorders

Abstract

Body-image disturbance, a dominant eating disorder (ED) symptom, causes people to experience their body as a battlefield. The torso—the human trunk from the neck to the groin but excluding the limbs—represents the absence of fundamental human qualities and capabilities. Thus, it can evoke contradictory emotions strongly related to the core psychodynamic contents of EDs. Due to their body-related disturbances and significant difficulty identifying and verbalizing emotions, people with EDs can benefit from working creatively with torsi in art therapy. This article presents the author’s observations of commonalities in the art torsi of people with ED and their potential clinical implications. Specifically, the author observed striking similarities in how people with EDs create art using Styrofoam torsi: (1) common working patterns, (2) marking the neck and belt areas, (3) representing sensitive body parts, and (4) neglecting the back of the torso. These shared characteristics can be traced to the ED’s emotional impact on the person and the underlying factors contributing to its development. Working creatively with torsi in art therapy as a stage to explore and process inner experiences, emotional vulnerabilities, defense mechanisms, body- and self-image-related issues, and other psychological themes embedded in EDs are discussed.