Sunrise Nutrition Seattle
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Body Image Therapy
Body Image Therapy in Seattle
Do you struggle with appreciating and loving your body and physical appearance? Maybe you feel ashamed about gaining weight or are constantly concerned about your size. If your body image issues have significantly affected your confidence, mental health, or self-esteem, professional body image therapy at Sunrise Nutrition is worth exploring. We provide a caring, non-judgemental space to work through your body image issues and develop a more compassionate relationship with your body.
What is Body Image?
Body image refers to a person's mental representation and experience in their own body. This includes their perception of their physical appearance, thoughts and feelings about their body, behavior based on their body image, and how they value their body. It is typically influenced by several factors, including a person's lived experiences, medical history, cultural and societal norms, and diet culture in the media.
Body Image Issues
If you have body image issues, you may find yourself constantly comparing your body to others, continuously attempting to lose weight or be smaller, or picking apart how you look. Maybe you shy away from social events and miss out on personal and professional opportunities because you feel uncomfortable. You might not remember a time when you weren't self-conscious or ashamed of your appearance.
Negative body image, like these beliefs, can seriously affect a person's mental and emotional well-being, leading to low self-esteem, depression, or anxiety.
What is Body Image Therapy?
Body image therapy focuses on helping individuals improve their body image and develop a more positive relationship with their bodies. It is sought by individuals who struggle with negative body image or body image issues, including feelings of shame, inadequacy, or low self-esteem related to their physical appearance or body.
Body image counseling can take many forms, but here at Sunrise Nutrition it involves working with one of our trained clinicians to explore the underlying causes of your body image issues, develop coping strategies, and utilize tools for change. Our trained clinicians use a range of therapy techniques to help individuals challenge their negative beliefs and work to appreciate and value their body as it is.
Through body image therapy, you can learn to reject unrealistic beauty standards the media and diet culture have set, and develop a more positive and compassionate relationship with your body. Our goal through body image therapy is to help you feel comfortable in your own skin.
Signs You May Benefit From Body Image Therapy in Seattle
If you are experiencing any of the following thoughts or actions, you will likely benefit from body image therapy at Sunrise Nutrition in Seattle.
You are overly preoccupied with your body and appearance.
You constantly check your body in the mirror, pinch body parts, or step on the scale.
You can’t stop thinking about your flaws.
You have an intense desire to lose weight or change the shape or size of your body.
You frequently compare your body to the bodies of others.
You don’t believe people when they compliment you.
You never feel like your body is “good enough”.
You avoid social activities because you’re uncomfortable.
You want to have a more peaceful, positive relationship with your body.
What To Expect from Body Image Therapy in Seattle
At Sunrise Nutrition, we offer a welcoming, non-judgmental environment where you can comfortably open up about how you feel about your body and what you hope to accomplish throughout your therapy sessions. Rest assured that you’ll be treated with the highest levels of support and guidance.
While your treatment plan will depend on your unique situation and needs, body image therapy works to help you:
Challenge and unlearn harmful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors about your body.
Unpack past experiences relating to your body.
Have a professional support system to help you work through your body image issues.
Develop consistent self-care routines and nutrition practices.
Open up about your body image issues in a safe environment.
Develop a trusting and more peaceful relationship with your body.
Heal your body image issues.
At the end of the day, body image therapy at Sunrise Nutrition aims to help you develop a sustainable, peaceful, and compassionate relationship with your body. Our licensed clinicians are here to help you engage with your body more positively, improving your overall confidence and mental well-being.
Start Body Image Therapy at Sunrise Nutrition in Seattle
If you are looking for body image therapy in Seattle, Sunrise Nutrition is an invaluable resource. Here’s how you can schedule a body image therapy session with one of our licensed clinicians.
Complete our Get Started form here.
Our support staff will reach out to you within 24 hours via email.
You will receive a scheduling link of the clinician that best fits your needs.
You can schedule your first therapy or counseling session through your received scheduling link.
Our support staff will follow up with a billing quote and any necessary paperwork.
You will then have a 90-minute onboarding session with your clinician, where they will suggest a comprehensive care plan.
Ready to start your journey?
Body Image Therapy FAQ
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One of the best ways to improve your body image is to seek professional help. A therapist can work alongside you and help you challenge your negative beliefs, and provide you with the tools you need for change. Other practices you can implement to improve your body image include journaling, positive affirmations and self-talk, focusing on movement, and rejecting diet culture.
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At Sunrise Nutrition, we believe that anyone can benefit from body image therapy. However, people with severe eating disorders will benefit from a certain order of operations when it comes to their eating disorder treatment. With severe eating disorders, we recommend first achieving medical stability and being open to consistent nourishment before diving into body image therapy.
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Therapy can help people combat a negative body image by teaching them to challenge and change their negative beliefs about their own bodies and appearance. Negative body image often stems from trauma of some sort, and people benefit from working on the root issue with a therapist. It also provides people with a safe space to open up about their feelings and work to develop a more peaceful, positive relationship with their bodies. Over time, people learn strategies and tactics that help them feel better about their bodies and reduce feelings of distress or shame.
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The media, such as TV, ads, and social media, as well as the people around us, profoundly influence one’s body image. Unfortunately, we live in a culture that tells us we must constantly diet or follow harsh workout regimes to achieve the “perfect body.” Even at an early age, the narratives that we form about our bodies are often influenced by authority figures and caregivers, such as parents, athletic coaches, peers, and teachers. These individuals can play a significant role in shaping how we think and feel about our bodies, and their words and actions can have a lasting impact on one's body image and self-perception. Throughout body image therapy, you and your clinician work to unpack these harmful messages.
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Yes, at Sunrise Nutrition, we offer secure, HIPAA-compliant online body image therapy and in-person sessions at our Seattle office. Online sessions require an electronic device with internet access.