The False Self: The Complexity of Body Image and Identity Issues in the Treatment of Eating Disorders

Body image is perhaps the least understood and most complex of the core issues associated with eating disorder treatment. As an integral part of the life cycle, body image development shifts and adapts as we age and engage in life experiences. It is ironic, and adds to the difficulty of treatment, that our clients are focused on and obsessed with their bodies yet are virtually disconnected from experiencing their own bodies.

This seminar will address the intricate interplay between brain, body and beliefs (why we believe what we believe). Repetition of messages and experiences over time become internalized and influence not only self-perception and self-talk, but the body itself. Negative reinforcement often becomes so familiar that it feels “true” and, thus, is taken on by the client as her identity and imprinted in her bodymind.

Attendees will learn body-focused strategies designed to help the client reclaim her “authentic” self and recover connection to her body. This seminar will utilize lecture, demonstration and experiential exercises, and video clips of work with clients.