Body Activity

Recently, we did a really cool activity that could be really great for your teenagers who are dealing with issues such as body dysmorphia, or sexualized issues. You might even think of other ways to use it, so here goes!

Take your individual client out into a pasture. Ours is about 6 acres, but you could even use a really large area with forage or grass. Have the individual take their horse and show the team where their 'body' is in the grass or on the ground, as if they were lying down there. We didn't have the client label anything or put objects down to represent parts, but you could certainly try it! 


Once this is done, have the person take their horse for a 'tour'. You will want to think about what word to say. You may also want to label the horse, in this case, we labeled the horse 'guys', so that this client could take the horse around the body and decide what he could and could not eat along the way. The horse could represent bullies, friends, or others from their peer group. 



When they return, talk about what was observed, what they liked and didn't like. Did he eat? What was that like? Did you give permission for eating? Then have them go back and visit the areas they didn't visit before. Discuss what that was like. We found this to be a rather simple but powerful way to talk about ones' body, how the client views his or her body, as well as how they perceive others view their body and when and how they can/should be touched. Was pretty cool! Give it a try and let us know how it turns out!

As a really excellent follow-up, we did an activity that I saw many years ago where a flake of hay represents the body, and three buckets are filled with a bit of grain and each labeled with something the individual values (i.e. family, school, faith, friends, etc.) We then ask them to protect themselves and their values and see what happens! This one we did in the indoor arena. 

Putting these two together was really helpful!