Rebuilding the Mind-Body Connection and Body Trust in Eating Disorder Treatment

An edited version of this article was originally published on Walden Behavioral Care’s Blog.

The mind-body connection is the intelligent way our body and mind inform each other of our personal wellness. Our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and beliefs affect our biology and of course, our biology is constantly sending us cues about our physical health and well-being. In an ideal scenario, this two-way communication allows us to navigate a world full of stressors and pressures while recognizing what adjustments we can make to support and stay true to ourselves.

For the person struggling with an eating disorder or insecurities about their body, there is a strong desire for the body to conform to what the mind wants. The two-way street is no longer functioning. When the body sends cues and sensations the mind does not want to hear, it feels like a betrayal. But what is really phenomenal about our bodies is that they can’t lie. We can trick our minds into believing and creating all sorts of falsehoods. But the body is always present to tell us the truth and let us know when something needs our attention.

Science has actually shown that the emotions we feel show up as sensations in specific areas of our bodies depending on what emotion we are feeling. (1) Since many Eating Disorders develop out of a desire not to feel, those sensations can be very overwhelming. In times of stress, hormones are released thereby changing the chemistry of the body; the heart rate increases, blood floods to the extremities and digestion slows down. Sensations surface representing anger, sadness, fear, inadequacy, confusion – and the patient who resists feeling, often translates all of this body wisdom into one uninformative, overwhelming sense of “I’m fat.” “I hate my body!” “I hate myself!”

Over time, people with eating disorders may have learned to disembody to get away from their feelings thereby experiencing stressful events as though they were floating outside of their body. Alternatively, they may experience a constant battle of emotions and sensations but have no ability to distinguish one from the other. Or they may just feel numb, nothing at all. It has been shown that eating disorder patients are considerably are more likely to have alexithymia than control groups. (2) Alexithymia is defined not by the absence of feelings but by the inability to identify and describe emotions in the self.

Rebuilding body trust and the mind-body connection is really a process of building self-awareness and claiming one’s true self. It ultimately involves trusting your instincts, and knowing you have a unique voice, perspective, and place in this world. In times of stress, it involves knowing how to self-soothe without self-harm. Evidence suggests that a strong mind-body connection may result in a reduction in the psychological stress that causes health problems, such as heart disease, compromised immune system functioning, and premature cellular and cognitive aging. (3) For patients with eating disorders, building trust and an ability to listen to the body’s feedback mechanisms might just mean healing.

As my expertise is in yoga therapy and somatic expressive therapy, I’d like to share a few of the mind-body techniques I specifically offer eating disorder populations.

• Body Scans are the most basic way to draw attention into the body. On one hand, it is a little confrontational for eating disordered populations, but often very relaxing and enjoyable when they do it. Rather than focusing on the parts of their bodies they don’t like, getting an opportunity to feel the sensations in the fingers, toes and the soles of the feet can start to build a new relationship to the energy and conscious that lives inside their bodies!

• Kripalu (compassion) Yoga offers a tool called “BRFWA”. It stands for Breathe, Relax, Feel, Watch and Allow which is the process it invites us to follow. It is a way of training the nervous system to stay calm and curious rather than becoming reactive during times of increased internal or external stress. Kripalu yoga teaches that every sensation and emotion is like a wave, with a crest that will eventually peak and subside. Most of us are terrified that we will get stuck in “bad” feelings forever and never be able to get out. This process helps us make space for sensations and emotions to run their natural course.

• Comparing sensations can be a fun way to bring curiosity into the body. I invite yoga groups to stretch or massage one side of their body. Then I have them take a few moments to feel the difference between both sides. Often smiles come across their faces as they feel a difference and realize they can positively affect the way their body feels. When we take time to notice, we build self-awareness and we find the body has some delightful surprises for us.

• Somatic expressive therapy uses expressive arts (movement, writing, drawing) to give voice to the emotional or physical sensations we might not have words for. It is a powerful practice for helping people (especially those with alexithymia) better interpret the language of their bodies. As I guide patients into poses that create strong sensations – I ask them to imagine what color the sensation would be, if there is a story, image or phrase the sensation is trying to share. In private sessions, I invite them to write or draw their senses which guides them into deeper self and body awareness.

• Mantra (a word or phrase repeated) is an easy practice. Most of us spend our time ruminating about the past or the future. Any time we find a way to be present, we inherently experience a deeper connection to our bodies which are always offering feedback about the present. “Slow down” was the first mantra I ever experimented with. Said throughout the day, it helped untangle many thought and reaction patterns I didn’t know existed.

Hypnosis, massage, meditation, gentle yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, and biofeedback are all considered appropriate mind-body medicine for eating disordered patients and have demonstrated the positive results of better mood, coping skills and quality of life. Mind-body connection can be achieved through many forms. Most forms share a safe and relaxing environment and the intention to increase awareness through curiosity and self-compassion.

It is important to remember that as remarkable as the mind-body connection is, we must assume there are equally remarkable and potent reasons for this connection to have been severed. Rebuilding the mind-body connection and body trust takes time, consistency, patience and courage. It can not be achieved through force or expectation. So start where you are. Choose a practice you are comfortable with. Slowly increase the time you practice. Know you can always stop if it gets too much. But try again and try again. I promise, deep inside your body, your true self is waiting for you to find it, explore it and fall in love with it.

1. Bodily Maps of Emotions” Lauri Nummenmaa, Enrico Glerean, Riitta Hari, and Jari K. Hietanen PNAS January 14, 2014. 111 (2) 646-651; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321664111

2. Avercheva, Olga (2017) “Alexithymia and Eating Disorders,” ESSAI: Vol. 15, Article 8. Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol15/iss1/8

3. NIH Fact Sheets > Mind-Body Medicine Practices in Complementary and Alternative Medicine