How often do you look in the mirror? 5, 10, 15 times a day? Imagine living a life where the mirror consumes your thinking, directs all your behaviors and manages all of your emotions. That is what it is like for those who struggle with eating disorders, body image issues and / or body dysmorphic disorder. The mirror is the most feared and most desired object to be in front of. For those who are imprisoned by their reflection, there is nothing that they can or will see that will ever be good enough.
There is not only the traditional mirror that one may find in the bathroom, or in a compact – no, there are “mirrors” everywhere. The side of a building, the window in their office, the “judgmental” look on a strangers face. These are all the lies that the mirrors of a woman or man struggling face each and every day. It is a constant battle and one where there is no winner.
In order to begin to challenge the distorted perception and thoughts that those suffering have, there must be a desire to fight. For many, these “mirrors” are what they grow to rely on, to depend on. These mirrors tell them what they are worth, how they should think, what they should believe and how they should feel. In order to break this unhealthy bond those struggling need to first recognize the lies.
Through individual and group counseling those who live in this prison can begin to speak about these lies that are constantly being fed to them and process where they originated. More often than not, these distorted perceptions and beliefs about oneself and the world they live in were developed in early childhood. They are lies based on events and traumas of the past. The key to begin healing is:
1. Raise awareness and identify the distortions in perception and thought
2. Validate the pain and struggle and reality of the world each struggling live within
3. Introduce a new possibility, an alternative view
4. Invite them to consider this alternative
It is possible to look in the mirror and see the truth……it is possible to look though a new healthy set of eyes.
