Mindfulness Training to Facilitate Positive Body Image and Embodiment

2019 ◽  
pp. 312-324
Author(s):  
Melissa J. Atkinson ◽  
Tracey D. Wade
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Intuitive Eating ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Positive Body Image ◽  
Intervention Content ◽  
Negative Impacts

Mindfulness—the nonjudgmental awareness and acceptance of present moment experience—is cultivated through formal and informal experiential exercises and has received support as an effective intervention approach across multiple disorders. The efficacy of mindfulness for body image and disordered eating is less well researched. This chapter outlines a theoretical framework for the application of mindfulness in this context, provides examples of intervention content, and reviews existing evidence related to the use of mindfulness training to enhance body image and prevent eating disorders in both clinical and nonclinical samples. Overall, research indicates mindfulness is a worthwhile approach but should be carefully considered among those with clinical eating disorders due to the potential for negative impacts. Further research using rigorous methodology is required to establish stronger and broader support for intervention effects and to explore mindfulness with regard to additional aspects of positive body image, embodiment, and intuitive eating.

scholarly journals Mindfulness-Based Group Approach for Undergraduate Students with Disordered Eating or Body Image Issues: A Case Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Olivia Stumpf
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Internal State ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Mindful Eating ◽  
Group Approach ◽  
Body Image Issues

Background: Mindfulness can be defined as "consciously bringing awareness to the present moment by focusing non-judgmentally on cognitions, emotions, and physical sensations" (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). This technique is applicable to patients with disordered eating, body image issues, or eating disorders (EDs) because these individuals have a tendency to become detached from their emotions and use the over or under consumption of food to regulate their internal state (Corstorphine, 2006). Mindfulness techniques are used to create a connection between thoughts, feelings and physical sensations, and external experiences. Practicing mindful eating is one way undergraduate students can be attentive to hunger cues and ensure balanced nutrition amidst a full academic schedule.Aim: The aim of the study was to develop and evaluate a mindfulness-based group approach to managing eating disorders in college students with disordered eating or body image issues.Methods: Undergraduate students ages 18 to 22 years old who were already receiving treatment for ED symptomatology from a university Counseling & Psychological Services Center were recruited to participate in a six-week mindfulness-based group approach to eating awareness. Results from the progress of two participants’ process observations are shared.Results: Increases were seen in participants’ confidence in using mindfulness-based practices to foster a sense of acceptance, nurturance, and adaptive behaviors.Conclusions: A mindfulness-based group approach to treatment of disordered eating or body image issues shows promise for improving the quality of life for college-aged students. Undergraduate institutions have the advantage of using social interaction to facilitate healthy behavioral change. Future research with larger and more diverse samples is suggested, and implications regarding practice and education are also discussed.

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.

Celebrity influence on body image and eating disorders: A review

2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532098831
Author(s):  
Zoe Brown ◽  
Marika Tiggemann
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Big Data ◽  
Body Dissatisfaction ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Media Attention ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Appearance Comparison

Celebrities are well-known individuals who receive extensive public and media attention. There is an increasing body of research on the effect of celebrities on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Yet, there has been no synthesis of the research findings. A systematic search for research articles on celebrities and body image or eating disorders resulted in 36 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Overall, the qualitative, correlational, big data, and experimental methodologies used in these studies demonstrated that exposure to celebrity images, appearance comparison, and celebrity worship are associated with maladaptive consequences for individuals’ body image.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Eating Disorders

2017 ◽  
pp. 112-125
Author(s):  
Danyale McCurdy-McKinnon ◽  
Jamie D. Feusner
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Body Dysmorphic Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Body Image Concern ◽  
Core Feature ◽  
Visuospatial Processing

This chapter addresses the comorbid presentation of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and disordered eating. BDD affects approximately 2% of the population and involves perceived defects of appearance along with obsessive preoccupation and repetitive, compulsive-like behaviors. The prevalence of comorbid BDD and eating disorders is high: Approximately one–third of those with BDD will have a comorbid eating disorder, and almost half of those with an eating disorder will have comorbid BDD. There are complicating diagnostic and treatment factors that arise when an individual experiences both. A core feature of these disorders is body image concern, which may be explained by both shared and unique aberrancies in visual and visuospatial processing that have neurobiological underpinnings. Understanding shared and unique pathophysiology may help inform and guide treatment, as well as open up lines of future research into their etiology.

scholarly journals A Review of Cook-Cottone's Embodiment and the Treatment of Eating Disorders: The Body as a Resource in Recovery

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Nutter
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
The Body ◽  
Practice Recommendations ◽  
Eating Disorder Treatment ◽  
Disorder Treatment

Embodiment and the Treatment of Eating Disorders: The Body as a Resource in Recovery by Catherine Cook-Cottone provides over its 13 chapters a theoretical framework and practice recommendations for infusing embodiment in eating disorder treatment via her Embodied Approach to Treating Eating Disorders model. Part 1 of the book provides an overview of the model and Part 2 provides a framework for integrating the model into treatment, using several aspects of embodiment. Cook-Cottone includes numerous resources in the book to support counsellors in integrating this model into practice. For clinicians working with clients struggling with disordered eating or eating disorders, Cook-Cottone’s book provides an engaging addition to eating disorders treatment.

Development and validation of the Physical Activity Body Experiences Questionnaire

2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie E. Menzel ◽  
J. Kevin Thompson ◽  
Michael P. Levine
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Disordered Eating ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Body Awareness ◽  
Positive Body Image ◽  
Body Experiences ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Self Objectification

Embodiment is defined as a state in which one experiences one's physical body as an essential aspect of one's lived experiences, a potential protective factor against body image and eating disturbance. The Physical Activity Body Experiences Questionnaire (PABEQ) was rationally derived as a measure of embodiment based on focus groups, literature reviews, and expert review. The PABEQ and measures of body image, self-objectification, and disordered eating were administered to two samples randomly selected from a pool of 606 female undergraduate students at least 18 years of age and a third test–retest sample of 58 female undergraduates. Exploratory factor analyses and reliability estimates supported a two-factor scale: Mind-Body Connection and Body Acceptance. Results indicated the utility of the subscales in predicting body awareness, body responsiveness, positive body image, body satisfaction, self-objectification, disordered eating, and positive body image.

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