Download Yoga for eating disorders

Linda Nurkkala
YOGA FOR EATING DISORDERS
MY QUESTION: CAN PRACTISE OF YOGA HELP IN
THE TREATMENT OF EATING DISORDERS
Therapeutic social work
 Yoga
 Group work with adolescents, children,
different kind of specific groups like mothers
with substance abuse problem etc.
 Women’s studies, especially social works
perspective
 Eating disorder treatment
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YOGA
Ancient Indian practice
 Physical harmony & health
 Mental balance & peace
 Goal is to get the mind and the body work as a
solid unit
 In Yoga, the body is treated with care and
respect
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EATING DISORDERS
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Extremely complicated physical and mental illnesses
The precise cause of eating disorders is not entirely understood
Poor prognosis, only 50% recover
Examples: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Binge eating disorder,
Eating disorders not otherwise specified, Orthorexia nervosa
etc.
Usually person with Eating disorder suffers also from anxiety,
depression, food preoccupation, body dysmorphic disorder
(altering the way a person sees themselves)
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM)
SELF-OBJECTIFICATION
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Self-objectification is related to symptoms of disordered eating
and it may play a role in the development process
Theory of mental risks women face as a result of sexual
objectification
Women are socialized to view themselves as objects of
evaluation
Self-consciousness
Body-as-object vs. body-as-process
How do I look? vs. How do I feel?
Diminished awareness of internal states
Sports?
CAN PRACTISE OF YOGA HELP IN THE
TREATMENT OF EATING DISORDERS
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According to Jennifer Daubenmier yoga, a mind-body exercise,
could offer effective healing to self-objectification.
Robin Boudette argues: “Yoga introduces many patients to a
new sensation: relaxation. Patients often report that the
combination of yoga postures (asanas) followed by relaxation
(savasana) creates a deep sense of peace and freedom they
have never before experienced
Clinical studies, North American psychotherapists
YOGA’S HEALING BENEFITS TO EATING
DISORDER TREATMENT
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Yoga also enables patients to experience their bodies in a new way. Living in a
society that values how you look more than how you feel, eating disorder patients
often relate to the body as an ornament; they suffer from a disconnection from the
body, feelings, appetites, and inner experience.
There is no mirrors in an authentic yoga class
Rather than having all the senses focused on the external, awareness is tuned to
internal sensations.
Where do I hold tension? How is my breathing?
Many patients become much more aware of the body for how it feels, rather than
how it looks
Being in the moment, letting go of judgment, accepting personal limits
When not use yoga and careful introducing
IN CONCLUSION
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With some eating disorder patients,
words are not enough. Yoga offers a
non-verbal, experiential adjunct to
talking therapy that provides an
opportunity for connection with the
physical body and the inner
experience.
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The process of practicing stretching
and strength-building positions with
relaxation, meditation and breathing
techniques provides opportunities for
self-awareness, reflection and change
while at the same time creating inner
peace.
SOURCES
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Daubenmier, J. (2005). The relationship of yoga, body awareness, and body
responsiveness to self-objectification and disordered eating. Psychology of
Women Quarterly, 29, 2.
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Carei, T., Fyfe-Johnson, A., Breuner, C., Brown, M. (2009). Randomized
controlled clinical trial of yoga in the treatment of eating disorders. Journal
of Adolescent Health, 46, 4.
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Boudette, R. (2006). Question & answer: yoga in the treatment of
disoredered eating and body image disturbance. How can practice of yoga
be helpful in recovery from an eating disorder? Eating Disorders. Copyright
Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Retrieved from
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20Helpful%20in%20Recovery%20from%20an%20Eati