W HAT CAN WE LEA R N FROM A SPON G E ? Some eating disorder clients benefit significantly from visual aids. At Alsana, we’ve grown fond of what we call our “Sponge Analogy,” which gives a powerful demonstration of what happens to one’s gut during the recovery process. In this demonstration, the satisfied, nourished gut will be represented by the fresh, new sponge while the hungry, undernourished gut will be represented by the dried-out sponge. Let’s get started!
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You will need two fresh sponges. Place one of them in a sealed plastic bag.
Dampen the second sponge, then squeeze the moisture out of it.
Place the wet sponge in the dryer with a large bath towel and run on “high” cycle. Repeat if necessary.
Leave the dried sponge out in a non-humid climate, and it will continue to “dry up.” If the environment is humid, seal dried sponge in a plastic bag.
Now you are ready! Flip this card over and follow the instructions to complete the demonstration.