Body Dysmorphia Treatment

Body Dysmorphic Disorder Help
Body Image Therapy

The obsession with your body has taken over your life.

You are feeling alone and exhausted by your constant thoughts about particular body parts, checking them, and trying to “fix” them. These intrusive thoughts and checking behaviors are relentless, and have gotten in the way of living your life. You are extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in your appearance that others can't really see. Your unrelenting belief that you have a defect in your appearance makes you feel ugly, deformed, and worthless. You may have tried everything to help yourself, but this issue is particularly tenacious, and you need specialized support to make real changes.

BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) frequently occurs alongside an eating disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD or OCPD), and/or overexercise issues.

You may be seeking aesthetic treatments and even surgery to “fix” the perceived imperfections. If this is you, we understand the desperation and loneliness that goes with these worries. If you can, please pause any surgical plans and speak to a specialized clinician for support. The belief that a surgery or treatment (or diet or exercise plan) will fix your problems is founded upon the false premise that changing your appearance can cure body image. Unfortunately, it simply cannot, and oftentimes these interventions make things worse.

At Austin Center for Eating Disorders (ACED), we fully specialize in these concerns, and understand how frustrated, anxious, and tired you are. Body dysmorphia is an invisible mental illnesses that rules your mind, body, and life. We have everything you need to tackle this issue with targeted skills and tools, education, compassionate support, and guidance to better understanding what’s going on with you. We want to help you reclaim your life and prevent harm to your health.

Body Dysmorphia

Signs & Symptoms

Body Dysmorphia is a complex issue

Understanding that you are stuck in the pattern of obsession and compulsions and the need for over-control is an important first step towards reclaiming your life. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is about so much more than the pursuit of perfection.

Perhaps you have a deeper understanding of your need for the sense of control over your appearance. Insight is one part of recovery and it’s typically not enough by itself; you also need something to do (like targeted skills and tools) to help interrupt the cycles of thoughts and behaviors. You are here reading this now because you know this, and feel ready to take the next step in your healing process.

Contributing Factors in Body Dysmorphia, Eating Disorders, & OCD

Suffering with BDD is overwhelming, and effects everything in your life— your relationships, your work or school, your body image and physical health, your emotions, your mental health, your capacity to pay attention, and your identity. Anxiety can skyrocket. Complicating matters is the incessant cultural pressure to be thin or muscular and attractive based upon narrow and oppressive beauty standards. And, if exercise is wrapped up in this, fitness/gym culture is even worse. These beauty and fitness standards are ubiquitous and convince all of us that if we want love, care, and respect in this world, we must conform.

On top of all of this, we can imagine that someone in your family also struggles with food, body image, and/or exercise. BDD, OCD, and eating disorders have a strong genetic component and tend to run in families. If you grew up in an environment of appearance obsession, body shame, or dieting and/or overexercise, you are more likely to struggle in these ways as an adult, especially if you have the genetic predisposition. We’re not here to blame your family, even though they may have accidentally contributed to the development of your eating disorder. Your parents’ parents likely passed these things down as well, and so goes the cyclical nature of trans-generational food and body image issues. That is, until someone finally heals it. We hope that person is you.

We often hear about the shaming doctors visits our clients endure as children and adults. Having a doctor tell you that there is something wrong with your body shape or weight as a child (or adult) can spur body image distress and disordered eating, and contribute to having body image disturbance later in life. We want you to know that it’s not ok that you were shamed as a child, and told that your body was somehow defective.

We Can Help

With the help of a skilled, specialized therapist and/or dietitian, you can develop the insight and compassionate self-care needed to sustain the long journey of healing. We can provide the support you need:

• You will receive a personalized treatment plan that is highly specific and aligned with your unique needs and goals

• Tools and skills to manage and diminish obsessions and compulsive behaviors

• Support in developing insight and understanding in your relationship with your body, and about yourself in general

• Education about the science behind BDD, and OCD, or eating disorders as well if needed

• Help learning to regulate and soothe your intense emotions

• Coping skills to advocate for yourself, especially when it comes to difficult relationships and diet or fitness culture

• Nutrition support, education, and guidance, including ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention therapy)

• A meal plan, if necessary, with a specialized Registered Dietitian

• Inspiration, motivation, and accountability

• So much love and compassion

• See eating disorder treatment FAQs here

Body Dysmorphia Treatment Can Repair Your Relationship With Your Body

Psychotherapy and Nutrition Therapy can be an extremely effective method to heal your relationship with your body, food if it applies to you, and your life. Treatment for Body Dysmorphia, although complex and commonly long-term, can guide you toward developing insight into your dysfunctional patterns of thinking and coping by giving you the skills, tools, and space necessary for healing.

Therapy can give you a refuge, a place where you can be vulnerable, and trust that you will be unconditionally accepted, respected, and loved. Working at your own pace, you can find your voice, reconcile unaddressed emotions, and summon the power and courage required to take charge of your life and make the changes that you want.

We will help you to understand the science behind body dysmorphia and eating disorder behaviors if you desire this information, and help you understand why these behaviors harm more than help. Together, we will explore your unique history of relationships, body image, and any trauma to help you figure out how your obsessions and compulsions serve you. You’ll need to know this information so that we can find better ways of getting you what you need without your these obsessions and unwanted behaviors, when you’re ready to let go. We’ll identify potential triggers for engaging in unwanted behaviors, underlying activating emotions, and major stressors to clarify your needs.

Our Collaborative Approach Toward BDD Recovery

Depending on your symptoms and needs, we will refer you to a registered dietician and/or therapist specializing in Body Dysmorphia to assist us on our journey together. Working with a specialized dietitian can be very important, and we will collaborate to make sure that you are getting the best care possible.

We will also refer you to a specialized medical doctor to check in about your physical health. Again, we want to do our best make sure that you have everything you need to recover.

Another option and recommendation we’ll likely provide is to join a therapy group that focuses on body image, so that you can connect with others who share your goals and struggles.

We’ll also look for other possible mental health concerns, such as an eating disorder, OCD, anxiety, depression, or trauma, that may be complicating or intensifying your need to cope using compulsive behaviors.

We utilize a number of therapeutic modalities to aid in your unique recovery process:

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Family Based Therapy (FBT)

• Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

• Psychodynamic Theory

• Feminist Theory

• Health at Every Size® and Intuitive Eating

• Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Parts Work

• Relational Cultural Theory

• Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

We Cherish Your Autonomy

You and you alone (given that you are an adult) are in charge of your body. You make decisions based upon what you believe is best for you. We will have plenty of recommendations (see above) to aid your recovery process, and if your symptoms are more severe, we may be more directive in nature. However, you are always free to agree or disagree, to come and go as you please, and do what you believe is the best thing for you.

We believe that you must make your own decisions to get the most out of therapy and/or nutrition therapy, and we support you in doing so. We cannot make you do anything, and you simply will not change unless you want to. We unconditionally accept you for who you are, right now.

You may be considering Body Dysmorphic Disorder Treatment but still have some questions or concerns…