Grounding in Body Liberation: A Journey of Healing in Eating Disorder Recovery
Eating disorders are complicated mental illnesses that can deeply impact one’s relationship with food, body image, and overall well-being. Recovery from an eating disorder is not just about restoring physical health; it’s also about reclaiming autonomy over one’s body and cultivating a sense of body liberation. In this blog post, we’ll explore the concept of body liberation within the context of eating disorder recovery and discuss strategies for embracing and celebrating diverse bodies.
Body Liberation vs Body Positivity
Body liberation is the freedom from social and political systems of oppression that designate certain bodies as more worthy, healthy, and desirable than others. Body liberation is different from body positivity. Body positivity is ideally about loving our bodies as they are. Body positivity focuses more on individual mindset rather than the systemic issues that are a part of the problem. Body neutrality is another concept in this work and is recognizing the body as it is, for example, its abilities and nonphysical characteristics, over appearance.
The body positivity/body liberation movement was started in the 1960s by a group of fat, queer Black women. It was a fat liberation movement with the intention to create a space by and for marginalized bodies. It is necessary to understand that anti-fatness is rooted in anti-Blackness. Recommended resources for this learning include Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fatphobia by Sabrina Strings, The Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness and Anti-Blackness by Da'Shaun Harrison, and The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom by Chrissy King.
Understanding Body Liberation:
Body liberation is a radical concept that challenges societal norms and expectations surrounding body size, shape, and appearance. It’s about recognizing that all bodies are worthy of respect, love, and acceptance, regardless of their size, appearance, race, ability, and health status. In reality, this recognition should not have to be radical. In the context of eating disorder recovery, body liberation involves breaking free from harmful diet culture beliefs and embracing a more compassionate and weight-inclusive approach to self-care. At Reclaiming Beauty, we align with the Center for Body Trust and their framework for shifting from negative body image and eating-disordered behaviors through deepening roots into liberatory frameworks.
Embracing Body Diversity:
One of the key principles of body liberation is embracing body diversity. This means recognizing that size diversity is another aspect of the human experience and celebrating bodies of all shapes, sizes, abilities, and identities. Sonya Renee Taylor, author of the important book on this topic The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love, describes a body hierarchy where the default body - white, male, young, thin, and able-bodied - is upheld as the body that has the most privilege. The current hierarchical structures of the worth of bodies depending on identities create harm.
Shifting The Focus
In eating disorder recovery, it’s common for individuals to compare themselves to unrealistic societal standards of beauty, leading to feelings of inadequacy and shame. It is also common that people are attempting to maintain or gain privilege by manipulating their body size to align with the identities that have more power in this society. Embracing body diversity involves shifting the focus away from achieving a specific ideal towards appreciating the value, uniqueness, and individuality of each body. It also involves moving towards a sense of safety in your identities and privileges. However, if this shift is not possible in this culture, then building resiliency and connecting with affinity communities of belonging are supportive actions.
Cultivating Self-Compassion:
Self-compassion is essential in the journey toward body liberation and eating disorder recovery. It involves treating oneself with kindness, understanding, and non-judgment, especially during times of struggle or setbacks. Practicing self-compassion can help individuals develop a more positive body image and cultivate a greater sense of acceptance and appreciation for their bodies as they are. Self-compassion also supports understanding your suffering is contextual and that other people also experience negative body image influenced by diet culture’s dictates about what bodies do and do not have value.
Challenging Internalized Beliefs:
Many individuals struggling with eating disorders have internalized negative beliefs about their bodies. This is often perpetuated by societal messages about beauty and worth. Challenging these internalized beliefs is a crucial step in the process of body liberation. This may involve:
questioning the validity of societal beauty standards
divesting from diet culture as an attachment figure
reframing negative self-talk
recognizing the inherent value and worthiness of all bodies
Honoring Body Autonomy:
Body autonomy is the fundamental right to make decisions about one’s own body without interference or judgment from others. In eating disorder recovery, honoring body autonomy means respecting and listening to the body’s cues for hunger, fullness, and satisfaction rather than adhering to rigid external rules or restrictions. It also involves reclaiming ownership over one’s body and trusting its innate wisdom to guide the process of nourishment and self-care.
Healing Pathways: Eating Disorder Therapy in Asheville, NC
Grounding in body liberation offers healing in eating disorder recovery through challenging the prejudice and oppression that set the stage for eating disorders to flourish. By embracing body diversity, cultivating self-compassion, challenging internalized beliefs, and honoring body autonomy, individuals can liberate themselves from the constraints of diet culture and embrace a more empowered and authentic relationship with their bodies. Remember, transformative healing begins with divesting from external structures that define our value and embracing acceptance and love for oneself, just as we are.
Begin Disordered Eating Therapy in Asheville, NC Today
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Discover a holistic approach to well-being at Reclaiming Beauty. Our personalized embodiment coaching unlocks the wisdom within, fostering self-compassion and resilience. Or, explore the transformative benefits of the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). This is a non-invasive auditory intervention that enhances social engagement and reduces stress.
