For patients with eating disorders, the concept of body neutrality is an alternative approach designed to find a middle ground. It’s the focus of a new Princeton Center for Eating Disorders psychoeducational group called “Emotion and Identity,” facilitated by Senior Eating Disorders Therapist Alison Locklear, LCSW. The group helps patients explore more deeply who they are as a person and strengthen the parts of themselves that are sometimes forgotten when struggling with an eating disorder.
“Body neutrality is more attainable and sustainable than body positivity, especially for those with eating disorders,” explains Locklear. “Rather than jumping ahead from a negative body image to body positivity, this approach focuses on the self-reflection and deep emotional work that exists between the two.”
Because emotions are heavily linked to how people feel about their bodies, each session focuses on breaking down a specific emotion, such as happiness, guilt, or shame. A session on happiness might include remembering an enjoyable experience and considering what body parts were integral to experiencing that emotion and how they function to simply enable life activities.
Held weekly for adults, the group seeks to help patients:
Consider how they were raised to feel about their body and their identity
- Examine where distorted thoughts might be coming from and what led them to where they are
- Identify what parts of themselves they want to strengthen
- Challenge all or nothing thinking—for example, a bad day can just be a bad day and not a reason to magnify negative thought patterns
- Be gentle with themselves
- Set the groundwork for next steps after discharge
Often, negative body image is masking something else, and behavioral health providers can assist patients in identifying those deeper issues by continuing to ask why at every step of treatment, according to Locklear. During this process, providers can help patients focus less on how the body appears, and more on how it functions as we live our lives.
“Having body positivity is a full-time job—your body should be the least interesting thing about yourself,” she adds. “When we swing to a neutral space, it frees up room to explore and build on the more important aspects of self, including goals, dreams, and relationships.”