Body Image Therapy in Lakewood, CO
Are you constantly combating negative thoughts about your body?
Do you find it difficult to show up fully as yourself due to how you think and feel about your body?
If you spend your days either checking or avoiding your body, fielding negative thoughts and feelings about your body, or holding yourself back from living because of body image concerns; please know that you are not alone.
From a very young age many of us were taught that our worth is tied to our appearance. As children, we believe this because we need to stay attached to our caregivers and find belonging with peers. These messages can lead us to feeling anxious and exhausted trying to attain the ideal appearance.
Negative thoughts and feelings about your body is not something for your body to solve. The world might try to sell you diets, shape-shifting clothes, or a cream that promises youth- and all of that is tempting- however, making peace with your body is the most loving thing one can do.
Questions about body image therapy? Reach out today.
The problem isn’t you, the problem is what you were taught
In our society it has been normalized to treat our bodies like a project. You may have been told that a certain size or weight equals health. You probably saw advertisements promising a product that will change your appearance. You may have heard the generations before you pass down critiques of their body or another person’s body.
Growing up, all of this is absorbed and can turn into body image issues.
Here are some common symptoms of negative body image:
Body checking
Socially isolating
Intrusive negative thoughts and feelings about yourself
Difficulty taking care of yourself
Disordered eating or eating disorders
Feeling disconnected from your body
Body dysmorphia disorder
It can feel overwhelming to confront the messages you have heard for years and the symptoms that have helped you survive, so we move at a pace in which your nervous system feels safe. Often this starts with understanding.
At Lakewood Holistic Counseling, I create a space that allows you to understand the why behind your unique relationship with your body without the pressure to “love your body” overnight.
To be embodied is to be aligned and connected- heart, mind and body. In body image therapy we work together to help you come back to your body, not as a critic, but as an inhabitant. As an inhabitant, we listen to your body and start to learn your unique sensations and needs, creating a safe and secure place to be fully embodied. When you heal your body image, you heal your relationship with yourself creating alignment and connection between your heart, mind, and body.
To get to an embodied place, I offer a unique therapy approach to body image issues that combines modalities. I am a Certified EMDR Therapist with specialized training in the intersectionality of trauma, perfectionism, and body image. I am committed to the HAES (Health at Every Size) framework.
The Solution: Embodied, Relational Healing
EMDR
Trauma and body image are deeply linked. Whether it was a specific comment from a parent, an experience at a doctor’s appointment, or a history of being bullied, EMDR therapy for body image issues helps process those stuck memories so they no longer dictate how you feel when you look in the mirror.
Relational and Attachment Based Therapy
We work together to undo the aloneness of any shame (or any other emotions) you may feel about your body. When you feel a wave of not being enough or being too much, we sit with that feeling in the room. By processing these emotions in a safe relationship, the shame begins to lose its power and your capacity to be present with your body increases.
Animal Assisted Therapy with Winston the therapy dog
Winston provides a powerful example of being embodied. He doesn't care about size, shape, or flaws. He is fully present in the moment with himself and you. His non-judgmental, calming presence can help to ground you in the room when body-related anxiety starts to spiral.
A safe place to take up space
My approach is informed by both clinical science and deep empathy. I offer a steady, weight-inclusive space where your body is never a problem to be solved.
What makes my practice different is the power of going slow. Most of the wellness industry is trying to sell you a faster way to change yourself. I am offering you a slower way to know yourself. I combine the deep neural-reprocessing of EMDR with a relational warmth that says, "You are already enough, exactly as you are sitting in that chair."
Common Questions about Body Image Therapy
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That is perfectly okay. In fact, the idea of loving your body is often too challenging of a goal when starting body image counseling and can lead to disappointment. In my practice as a body image therapist, we focus on body neutrality, which is the ability to respect your body and care for its needs regardless of how you feel about its appearance. Respect is the foundation, which often leads to improved thoughts and feelings about your body.
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No. Lakewood Holistic Counseling is a weight-neutral practice. Research shows that focusing on weight loss often increases body shame and disordered eating. Instead, we focus on Health at Every Size (HAES), which means we prioritize your mental health, your relationship with movement, and your ability to listen to your body’s internal cues.
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Because negative body image is not healed overnight, an important aspect of body image counseling is learning to be kind to yourself on the days that negative body image is loud. In therapy, we will work together to care for the part of you that criticizes you. We will identify ways to soothe this part and set boundaries with this part. Sometimes this looks like having a kind phrase you say to yourself other times it is reaching out for support to know that you are not alone.
Stop shrinking, start living
You have spent enough years waiting to feel happy about your body. You have spent enough energy trying to fit into a mold that was never designed for you.
Your body is the home you live in. Let’s make it a place where you can be at ease and fully yourself.
Ready to reclaim your space? Click the button below to schedule your free 20 minute phone consultation.
Come as you are. All bodies are welcome here.
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