Emotion-Focused Therapy to Facilitate Positive Body Image and Embodiment

2019 ◽  
pp. 277-287
Author(s):  
Iryna Ivanova
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Body Shame ◽  
The Body ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Emotion Focused Therapy ◽  
Negative Body Image ◽  
Positive Body Image

This chapter describes the application of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) in enhancing embodiment and positive body image in individuals with eating disorders and body dissatisfaction. It provides an overview of emotion regulation and dysregulation and highlights possible links between emotion regulation deficits, negative body image, and disordered eating. It reviews the application of EFT in the treatment of emotion dysregulation and describes EFT interventions that help enhance positive embodiment and positive body image. The chapter also reviews outcome research on the application of EFT in healing bodily and emotional disruptions in adults and adolescents through individual and group psychotherapy. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future directions to advance the application of EFT to transform body shame into more attuned and empowering ways to inhabit the body.

Promoting Positive Body Image and Embodiment in Schools

2019 ◽  
pp. 346-359
Author(s):  
Zali Yager
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Program Effectiveness ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Appreciation ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Positive Body Image ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Program Content

Body image programming has been implemented in schools to varying degrees of success, but to date, no programs specific to positive body image have been developed and evaluated. This chapter reviews programs that have been effective in improving body image to determine whether the elements of positive body image and embodiment have been present in program content. Some elements of positive body image, such as media literacy and critiquing stereotypes, were present in all five programs conducted with children (<12 years), and all eight programs conducted with adolescents (13–18 years). Additionally, agency (through activism and voice) and broadly conceptualizing beauty were often present in children’s programs, and resisting objectification and agency were often present in adolescent programs. Only one program included the Body Appreciation Scale as a measure of program effectiveness. Potential future directions for programs are discussed, including the incorporation of positive movement, mindfulness, and self-compassion.

Focusing on the Positive

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy L. Tylka
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Negative Body Image ◽  
Positive Body Image ◽  
The Core ◽  
Body Positive ◽  
Convergence And Divergence ◽  
Body Section

This volume provides a state-of-the-art, comprehensive, research-based resource that addresses the breadth of innovative theoretical concepts and related practice in positive ways of living in the body, while it also sets agendas for further expansion. This introduction first defines the core domains that represent positive ways of living in the body: positive body image and positive embodiment. Next, it provides evidence that studying these domains offers a unique perspective that extends beyond what is known about negative body image. It then explicates the points of convergence and divergence between positive body image and embodiment. It ends with an overview of the three sections of the volume: the varied constructs that represent positive ways of living in the body (Section I), environmental factors that nurture these constructs as protective factors for well-being (Section II), and interventions to cultivate positive body image and positive embodiment (Section III).

scholarly journals Cognitive fusion: Maladaptive emotion regulation endangering body image appreciation and related eating behaviours

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S556-S557 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Marta-Simões ◽  
C. Ferreira ◽  
A.L. Mendes
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Body Image Dissatisfaction ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Body Appreciation ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
Cognitive Fusion ◽  
Positive Body Image

Body image-related cognitive fusion is described as the perception that undesired and distressing internal events related to body image are reliable representations of reality. This maladaptive emotion regulation process is known for its impact on human suffering, namely eating psychopathology. On the contrary, body appreciation is a positive body image construct, defined as an attitude of acceptance and affection toward one's body image characteristics, despite some level of dissatisfaction. Although body appreciation associates negatively with several pathogenic processes, its relationship with body image-related cognitive fusion is still unexplored. The present study intended to analyse the power of body image related cognitive fusion regarding its impact on body appreciation, and also on the engagement in disordered eating. The study's sample comprised 308 women, aged between 18 and 35. A path model tested the mediator role of body image related cognitive fusion in the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and body appreciation, and eating disorders symptomatology, controlled for the effect of body mass index.The tested model accounted for 67% of the variance of disordered eating. Body image related cognitive fusion appeared as a significant mediator of the association between body dissatisfaction and body appreciation. Body appreciation presented a significant direct effect on eating disorders symptomatology. These findings highlight the disturbing effect of cognitive fusion related to body image on the construction of a positive body image, presenting an impact on the engagement in disordered eating. In this line, cognitive fusion may be a pertinent target in clinical practice and also within eating disorders prevention.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Lenka H. Shriver ◽  
Jessica M. Dollar ◽  
Susan D. Calkins ◽  
Susan P. Keane ◽  
Lilly Shanahan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Emotional Eating ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Obesity Risk ◽  
Negative Body Image ◽  
Increased Risk

Emotional eating is associated with an increased risk of binge eating, eating in the absence of hunger and obesity risk. While previous studies with children and adolescents suggest that emotion regulation may be a key predictor of this dysregulated eating behavior, little is known about what other factors may be influencing the link between emotional regulation and emotional eating in adolescence. This multi-method longitudinal study (n = 138) utilized linear regression models to examine associations between childhood emotion regulation, adolescent weight status and negative body image, and emotional eating at age 17. Emotion regulation predicted adolescent emotional eating and this link was moderated by weight status (β = 1.19, p < 0.01) and negative body image (β = −0.34, p < 0.01). Higher engagement in emotional eating was predicted by lower emotional regulation scores among normal-weight teens (β = −0.46, p < 0.001) but not among overweight/obese teens (β = 0.32, p > 0.10). Higher scores on emotion regulation were significantly associated with lower emotional eating at high (β = −1.59, p < 0.001) and low (β = −1.00, p < 0.01) levels of negative body image. Engagement in emotional eating was predicted by higher negative body image among overweight/obese teens only (β = 0.70, p < 0.001). Our findings show that while better childhood emotion regulation skills are associated with lower emotional eating, weight status and negative body image influence this link and should be considered as important foci in future interventions that aim to reduce emotional eating in adolescence.

scholarly journals Body Image in Athletes and Nonathletes With Low Back Pain: Avoidance–Endurance-Related Subgroups and Sports Status Play a Role

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Claudia G. Levenig ◽  
Michael Kellmann ◽  
Jens Kleinert ◽  
Johanna Belz ◽  
Tobias Hesselmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Psychosocial Aspects ◽  
Pain Behavior ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Positive Body Image ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Pain Responses

Context: Low back pain (LBP) is a serious health problem, both in the general population as well as in athletes. Research has shown that psychosocial aspects, such as dysfunctional pain responses, play a significant role in the chronification of LBP. Recent research supports the relevance of the multidisciplinary concept of body image in the interpretation of LBP. Objective: To examine the differences in 2 psychosocial aspects, body image and pain responses, between athletes and nonathletes with LBP. Design: Cross-sectional design. Setting: The questionnaires were distributed in the course of LBP treatment. Participants: Data from 163 athletes (mean age = 28.69 [9.6] y) and 75 nonathletes (mean age = 39.34 [12.63] y) were collected. Interventions: Data were collected by questionnaires assessing body image, pain behavior, training activity, and LBP. Main Outcome Measures: To examine group differences between athletes and nonathletes regarding body image and pain behavior, the authors performed 2-way analyses of variance with Bonferroni post hoc tests. Results: The results showed (1) a significant main effect regarding pain responses and body image, showing that participants with eustress endurance or adaptive pain behavior revealed a more positive body image in both groups compared with participants with distress endurance or fear-avoidance behavior, and (2) a significant main effect for the factor group in the body image dimension of physical efficacy, indicating a more positive body image for athletes. Conclusion: These results suggest that considering multiple risk factors for LBP, such as body image and dysfunctional pain behavior, as well as subgrouping, might be valuable for research and for broadening therapy options.

Emotion Dysregulation and Childhood Trauma

2018 ◽  
pp. 263-282
Author(s):  
Patricia K. Kerig
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Developmental Mechanism

This chapter describes theoretical models and empirical research devoted to understanding the aftermath of childhood trauma exposure and discusses the value of considering posttraumatic stress from an emotion dysregulation perspective. After describing definitional controversies in the field related to both trauma and posttraumatic stress, this chapter summarizes research on the effects of chronic, prolonged, and repeated traumatic experiences in childhood, such as maltreatment, with particular attention to its potential to compromise development of adaptive emotion regulation capacities. The role of emotion dysregulation in leading theoretical models of posttraumatic stress is presented, as well as empirical research testing the hypothesis that emotion dysregulation represents an underlying developmental mechanism through which childhood trauma affects functioning over the lifespan. Future directions include a need for clarification in conceptualization and measurement, further developmental processes to be considered, and opportunities for translational work to inform intervention efforts.

Development of Emotion Dysregulation in Developing Relationships

2018 ◽  
pp. 97-113
Author(s):  
Ross A. Thompson ◽  
Sara F. Waters
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Differential Susceptibility ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Central Research ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Children And Parents ◽  
Physiological Synchrony ◽  
Subsequent Discussion ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

A developmental perspective to emotion dysregulation underscores the relational bases to developing emotion regulation capacities. In this chapter, attachment theory and functionalist emotions theory are discussed as theoretical foundations for understanding emotion dysregulation in the context of developing relationships. In the subsequent discussion of central research literatures, the chapter profiles family processes that contribute to the development of emotionally dysregulated behavior. The interaction of biological and social processes is considered next in discussions of the physiological synchrony between children and parents, the socialization of stress neurobiology, and children’s differential susceptibility to environmental influences and its consequences for emotion regulation and dysregulation. The chapter concludes with reflections on future directions, including the clinical implications of considering developing problems in emotion dysregulation as problems not just of individual children but also of relationships.

Disordered Eating in Men and Women: Internalization of Sociocultural Body Image Norms and Emotion Dysregulation

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 151-160
Author(s):  
Erica N. Hutchison ◽  
Sara C. Haden ◽  
Benjamin A. Saunders ◽  
Nicole M. Cain ◽  
Alexandra B. Grundleger
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Men And Women

Designing and implementing a positive body image program: Unchartered territory with a diverse team of participants

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Alysse Bailey ◽  
Kimberley L Gammage ◽  
Cathy van Ingen
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Program Development ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Physical Disabilities ◽  
The Body ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Core Group ◽  
Positive Body Image ◽  
People With Physical Disabilities

This article highlights the use and importance of action research in creating a new positive body image program. The purpose of the larger action research project was to design, test, and implement a positive body image program by working with a core group of diverse stakeholders from an exercise facility. Stakeholders included older adults (aged 55+), people with physical disabilities, and those with cardiovascular disease or risk factors, populations rarely included in the body image literature, particularly in program design. The resulting program was built to teach members of the facility about body image (e.g. its definition, causes, and influences), positive body image, and how to manage their own body image experiences and be critical of the Western beauty ideal. The project is outlined with emphasis on the development of the program along with the researcher’s reflexive notes and participant feedback. We also highlight the strengths and challenges of using action research in the development of a positive body image program with suggestions to improve this process for future action researchers. This research highlights the importance of using action research in order to engage participants who are not typically involved in the knowledge production process of body image program development.

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