Embodiment and Eating Disorders

About this event

Presented by Dr Catherine Cook-Cottone, Psychologist, Yoga teacher and Professor at University of Buffalo

Delivered Live, Online over 4 half days

Part 1: Thursday 21 & Friday 22 September, and
Part 2: Thursday 5 & Friday 6 October 2023
9:00am - 12:00pm

This four-session training will review the Embodied Approach to Treating Eating Disorders (EAT-ED) that is detailed in Dr. Cook-Cottone’s book: Embodiment and the treatment of eating disorders: The body as a resource in recovery (W. W. Norton). She will detail the embodied self model and what it means to be embodied.

As the EAT-ED elucidates, eating disorders represent disrupted embodiment. Rather than being attuned, in service of one’s daily functioning and larger pursuit of meaning and contentment, the body (including its needs and experiences) becomes a target of the mind. Authentic lived experiences are avoided and engagement with the body is harsh, controlling, and invalidating.

The EAT-ED model begins with mindful self-care and exploring a sense of meaning and purpose in life. It then helps clients build skills for being with and working with the body and all of its needs, wants, and challenges.

This approach to treating eating disorders can be utilized as an adjunct with all of the more formal models of treatment including CBT, DBT, and family-based treatments. It is intended to enhance your relationship with your clients, as well as the client’s relationship with their body. You will leave this training feeling empowered to support your client’s work toward positive embodiment as they recover.

Trainees will:

• Be able to define embodiment, disorder embodiment, the concept of the hungry ghost and how they relate to disordered eating.
• Learn the components of the Embodied Approach to Treating Eating disorders (EAT-ED).
• Learn how to create a foundation for recovery with mindful self-care and development of a sense of meaning and purpose with their clients.earn tools to work with sensations, physiological states, and feeling/emotions in treatment with hands-on, practical activities.
• Learn polyvagal theory basics as they relate to the treatment of eating disorders.
• Learn the basics for working with community settings, especially those centred on working out and other physical activities that reduce ED risk and support recovery.
• Explore their own relationship to their bodies, sensations, states, and feelings as well as mindful self-care and their personal sense of meaning and purpose, especially how these personal experiences relate to effective treatment and prevention of burnout.

Target Audience: Mental health clinicians providing treatment for people experiencing eating disorders. Prior training in, and clinical practice experience in provision of evidence-based treatment of eating disorders is assumed.