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Experience of the Body

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Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Eating Disorders

Abstract

Both eating disorders and non-suicidal self-injury involve some type of harm, either indirectly or directly, inflicted on the body. Individuals who perceive and experience their body in a negative manner may be more able to cause harm to the body. Therefore, the body represents an important variable to consider when understanding both eating disorders and self-injury. This chapter explores how an individual’s experience of his or her body may increase risk for engaging in self-injury and eating disorder behaviors. The concept of body regard is reviewed along with theoretical and empirical data describing how a negative relationship with the body can potentially facilitate engagement in NSSI and disordered eating. The importance of including body experiences in treatment is presented along with suggestions for how to integrate and address bodily experiences within standard treatments for NSSI and eating disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA

    Amy M. Brausch & Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp

  2. Department of Psychology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, USA

    Amy M. Brausch & Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp

Authors
  1. Amy M. Brausch
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  2. Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp
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Correspondence to Amy M. Brausch .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Laurence Claes

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA

    Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp

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Brausch, A.M., Muehlenkamp, J.J. (2014). Experience of the Body. In: Claes, L., Muehlenkamp, J. (eds) Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Eating Disorders. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40107-7_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40107-7_14

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