Bean Bag Therapies for Sensory Modulation

Sensory modulation is one of the functions of our brain that involves organizing sensory information from different environmental inputs. It is part of one’s ability to develop awareness of their body and understand their presence in the physical world. When a person is stimulated, the brain helps the person focus on that particular stimulus while filtering and modulating the rest. For some people with developmental and behavioral problems, processing sensory information can be very difficult. Because of this, they undergo bean bag therapies that help them regain self-awareness and control.

Children with autism, adults with borderline personality disorders, and victims of trauma and abuse are the ones who need therapy. They may be over-responsive or under-responsive to stimuli such as touch, pain, sound, smell, movement, sight, and taste. Their central nervous system has difficulty judging the degree, nature, or intensity of a stimulus, making it difficult for them to achieve optimal performance and adaptation in their daily lives. This interferes with their learning, social skills, and self-esteem.

Bean bags are safe and versatile tools that are useful for people to organize their senses and gain awareness of their bodies in their physical environment. They come in different shapes and sizes, and are filled with beans or similar materials, such as shredded foam.

The even pressure and hugging effect they have on the body makes them the favorite products for deep pressure therapy in autistic children. They are typically used as chairs that provide immediate sensory feedback to the child on every subtle change in her actions. The foam inside the bags adapts to the child’s physique and makes him aware of every movement. Once you move around the chair, the process of finding what is a comfortable position and what is not helps you focus on all the sensory cues.

Another technique that uses smaller bean bags is called therapeutic tapping. This provides a strong and deep pressure input to different parts of the body. The person is beaten from the arms and hands to the legs and feet. Each area is tapped for one minute before moving on to the next, and is done regularly at specific times throughout the day. The tapping movements develop awareness and focus on the different parts of the body. This is ideal for victims of trauma and abuse who have become fearful of touch, because a gentle tapping makes them realize that touch can also be good and less threatening. This will allow them to exercise control over sensational responses.