Tools for the clinician to help clients turn their bodies into resources for healing from eating disorders.
Tools for the clinician to help clients turn their bodies into resources for healing from eating disorders.
Embodiment refers to the lived attunement of the inner and outer experience of self. Cognitions are aligned with the sensing and feeling body. Further, in an attuned experience of self, positive embodiment is maintained by internally focused tools, such as self-care practices that support physiological health, emotional well-being, and effective cognitive functioning.
For those who suffer from eating disorders, this is not the case; in fact, the opposite is true. Disordered thinking, an unattuned sense of self, and negative cognitions abound. Turning this thinking around is key to client resilience and treatment successes.
Catherine Cook-Cottone provides tools for clinicians working with clients to restore their healthy selves and use their bodies as a positive resource for healing and long-term health. The book goes beyond traditional treatments to talk about mindful self-care, mindful eating, yoga, and other practices designed to support self-regulation.
“Dr. Cook-Cottone eloquently paints both the disturbing picture of pain and dysfunction underlying eating disorders and the hope and optimism of living a different life―an embodied life. She presents a roadmap of the multiple pathways to positive embodiment that not only relieve eating disorder symptoms but lead to a life with purpose and meaning. The heartfelt writing alone allowed me to sense the joy and relief of being more present in my own body.”
Anne E. Cox, PhD, Associate Professor of Kinesiology, Washington State University