Body Image and Body Recovery

Abstract

Explores the psychological aspects of bodily recovery and body image. The author's thinking developed from her work with women who survived sexual abuse and/or who suffer from eating disorders. It is predicated on the idea that improved bodily self-esteem can enhance physiological and psychological recovery. The material that is presented provides ways to think about the mind and body in relation to trauma and body image. Beyond the purely psychological responses, such as being reminded of the trauma or having intrusive images of it, at a very concrete level many women may experience perversions of normal bodily routines, such as sexual relations or eating habits. Whether therapies that are mainly designed to grapple with meaning and memories of the trauma are sufficient to restore these violated body routines is the central issue of this chapter. The author's observation is extended to theory and then an outline is provided for treatment designs to address the body and the impact of body violations on the soul and psyche. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)