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From Body As Billboard to Body As Home: Leaving the Cult of Body Shame

CE Hours 2

About this course

For most of us, body shame is normative; perhaps we cannot remember a time of feeling truly at home in our bodies. As eating disorder clinicians, we may consider interventions like CBT, mindfulness techniques and intuitive eating skills to be the standard of care in addressing the "stinking thinking" narratives of our clients. Sadly, change is often slow, painstaking and easily lost. In this presentation, we will discuss how we are living in a "cult of body shame", one that profits deeply from disinformation, misogyny, victimization of the most vulnerable, and the commodification of women's bodies. And we will also bring considerable hope for change, using both "cult psychology" and IFS as powerful tools to more deeply and sustainably build resiliency, promote healing and reject the cultural messages that drive profound body shame in our clients and ourselves.

Learning Objectives

  • Define the Body Shame Cult.
  • Identify three ways body shame is traumatic.
  • Explain the role of the Self in leaving the cult of body shame.

Learning Levels

  • All Levels

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for clinicians, including psychologists, dietitians, social workers, counselors, and MFT's. Students, recent graduates, nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals are welcome as well.

Course Instructor(s)

  • Amy Pershing LMSW, ACSW, CCTP-II

    Amy Pershing, LMSW, ACSW, CCTP-II is the Founding Director of Bodywise, the first BED-specific treatment program in the United States, and President of the Board of the Center for Eating Disorders in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is the founder of Pershing Consulting, which offers training to clinicians treating BED and trauma worldwide. Amy is also the co-founder of "Attune", an online coaching program for attuned eating and recovery support.

    Amy is an internationally known leader in the development of treatment paradigms for BED, and one of the first clinicians to specialize in BED treatment. Based on 35 years of clinical experience, Amy has pioneered an approach to BED recovery that is strengths-based and trauma informed, incorporating Internal Family Systems (IFS) and body-based techniques to heal the deeper issues that drive binge behaviors. Her approach integrates a non-diet body autonomy philosophy, helping clients create lasting change with food and body image. She is the author of the book Binge Eating Disorder: The Journey to Recovery and Beyond (Taylor and Francis, 2018) and Emotional Eating, Chronic Dieting, Bingeing And Body Image: A Trauma-Informed Workbook ", with co-authors Judith Matz and Christy Harrison (PESI Publishing, 2024). She also offers a variety of trainings on BED treatment through PESI. Amy maintains her clinical practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Disclosure

DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity ― including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests). The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity’s planners, faculty, and the reviewer: PLANNERS AND REVIEWER The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships. FACULTY The faculty of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

References

  • Kimber, M., McTavish, J. R., Couturier, J., Boven, A., Gill, S., Dimitropoulos, G., & MacMillan, H. L. (2017). Consequences of child emotional abuse, emotional neglect and exposure to intimate partner violence for eating disorders: a systematic critical review. BMC psychology, 5, 1-18.
  • Lie, S. Ø., Bulik, C. M., Andreassen, O. A., Rø, Ø., & Bang, L. (2021). Stressful life events among individuals with a history of eating disorders: a case-control comparison. BMC psychiatry, 21, 1-12.
  • Hodgdon, H. B., Anderson, F. G., Southwell, E., Hrubec, W., & Schwartz, R. (2022). Internal family systems (IFS) therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among survivors of multiple childhood trauma: A pilot effectiveness study. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 31(1), 22-43.
  • Jones, E. R., Lauricella, D., D’Aniello, C., Smith, M., & Romney, J. (2022). Integrating internal family systems and solutions focused brief therapy to treat survivors of sexual trauma. Contemporary Family Therapy, 44(2), 167-175.
  • Whiteley, C.. Cult Psychology: A Cognitive, Personality Psychology, Social and Forensic Psychology Look At Cults. CGD Publishing, 2022.