Abstract
Eating disorders impact a large number of individuals worldwide. Due to a rise in media standards on weight and appearance, prevalence rates of eating disorders are at an incline. Diagnoses include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and emotional eating. Research in dance movement therapy as treatment for eating disorders suggest that dance movements' creative and physical attributes can positively affect individuals' recoveries from eating disorders as increased body-image satisfaction, self-awareness, and body awareness occurs. Dance movement therapy offers a range of intervention styles that can be tailored through individual therapy or be used to build community in group therapy. Additionally, different intervention designs tackle a myriad of components that plague eating disordered individuals such as attachment style, emotional distress response, and the mind-body connection. Dance movement therapy's treatment has a prominent focus on the therapist/patient relationship, development of physical practice and confidence, and personal reflection.
TopIntroduction
Eating disorders (ED) and disordered eating are a unique group of psychological disorders. While EDs are characterized as mental health disorders, the physicality of the body is concurrently a concern for those who suffer. EDs are more common in Western and Asian countries, and up to 30 million people in the U.S. are affected (Bucharová, Malá, Kantor, & Svobodová, 2020). Characteristics of EDs can involve undereating or overeating, but EDs are truly defined by the individual's attitude toward food, when the relationship to food is the top priority of the individual.
The pathology of EDs proves to be a complex system of factors involving psychological stress, distorted body-image, low self-esteem, media influences, material and environmental surroundings, and attachment styles. Krueger and Schofield (1986) discuss how individuals with eating disorders tend to have impaired self-regulation and rely on external cues like counting calories or measuring exact amounts of food. Internal bodily sensations and messages are lost as the individual ignores or suppresses the body’s message of hunger. This innately creates a divide between mind and body. A characteristic that has been found to be coexistent with EDs is alexithymia, a personality trait described as the inability to identify one’s feelings and body sensations which often exists with depression, anxiety, and social phobias (Bucharová et al., 2020).
These symptoms, characteristics, and risks indicate how the disease is multifaceted and affects a large number of individuals; it necessitates a multimodal approach that addresses behavioral, biological, psychological, and social factors. Traditional treatments prescribed for EDs like cognitive behavior therapy or talk therapy have low long-term success rates. Some believe this is due to the nature of the disorder running deeper than health behaviors and that it affects the psyche, but also the physical body.
Research in Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) challenges the depth and range of the therapeutic experience, since embodied practices have the ability to decrease objectification and ignorance toward the body and increase the mind-body connection to experience self. Embodiment integrates internal and external experiences, as well as relational, environmental, cultural, and existential parts of oneself (Perey & Cook-Cottone, 2020). Approaches from DMT to treat EDs vary in specific techniques and foci, which allows for a nuanced experience for the participants experiencing it. On the whole, DMT interventions promote an increase in self-awareness, building a subjective relationship to one's body, and strengthening the mind-body connection.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Bulimia Nervosa: An eating disorder involving recurrent cycle of binge eating followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors, or purging that may include self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, fasting, excessive exercise.
Binge Eating Disorder: A disorder marked by recurring episodes of uncontrolled consumption of food, caused by emotional distress.
Improvisation: Creative movement exploration that is sometimes prompted and is open-ended. In Dance Movement Therapy it can be used as a tool for expression of emotions, release of tension, and increase of body-awareness.
Embodiment: The thesis that the human mind is largely determined by the structures of the human body through somatic and kinesthetic experiences and its interactions with the physical environment. This concept emerged from work in late 20th century linguistics, philosophy, and cognitive psychology.
Purge: The activity of expelling food that has just been ingested, usually by vomiting, over-exercising, extreme dieting, or the use of laxatives. Its purpose is to eliminate or reduce real or imagined weight gain.
Body-Image Distress: Occurs when there is a discrepancy between how an individual views their body (actual body-image) and how they want it to be (ideal body-image). Dissatisfaction, over evaluation, and preoccupation are considered as contributing factors to body-image distress.
Mind-Body Connection: A psychological and philosophical concept that describes how biological, behavioral, and physical components of an individual influences and is influenced by psychological and mental components. Together the physical and mental factors create a holistic experience of self and surroundings.
Anorexia Nervosa: An eating disorder, occurring most frequently in adolescent girls, that involves persistent refusal of food, fear of weight gain, and obsession with thinness that is insatiable causing disturbed perception of body-image.
Binge Eating: Consuming abnormally large quantities of food in a short time period with feelings of loss of control. Recurrent binge eating is associated with numerous adverse characteristics, such as increased risk of obesity as well as depression.