Episode 12: Finding a Positive Body Image.
When you look in the mirror what do you see? Who do you see?
I used to think that what I saw and (more importantly, what I thought about who I saw) was called body image.
You’re about to hear why body image is way more complex than that and the difference between body image and embodiment.
Today on the Savor Food and Body Podcast, I’m talking with one of my teachers and mentors, Elizabeth Scott LCSW, CEDS-S, psychotherapist and co-founder of The Body Positive with Connie Sobczak.
Elizabeth’s work focuses on the intersection of embodiment, social justice, and mindfulness.
As Co-Founder and Director of Training for The Body Positive, Elizabeth has taught treatment professionals, educators, and students to use the Be Body Positive prevention model to promote joyful embodiment and excellent self-care since 1997.
She is currently training therapists in her Big-Hearted Embodiment model via Zoom. She studies Insight Meditation and has a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area.
One of my biggest aha’s in working with Elizabeth is that our ability to be embodied or not directly affects our body image. Sound deep right?
While this conversation can feel philosophical, it’s also practical – giving you clarity around why you think about your body the way that you do – “my stomach is too round, my thighs are too thick, I have too many wrinkles, etc.”
Here’s what we’re talking about:
- How the work of Niva Piran has influenced the work of The Body Positive and Elizabeth’s work with individuals.
- What embodiment means and how it’s different from body image?
- Elizabeth describes how the practices of embodiment and mindfulness have influenced her relationship with food and her body.
- Plus, Elizabeth’s top 3 suggestions for how women in midlife can have a more peaceful, embodied relationship with food and their bodies.
You’re definitely going to want to take notes with this one! Grab your favorite beverage, pen, notebook, or journal, and listen to the show here.
If you like what you hear, don’t forget to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This kindness helps other folks find the show too!
This body image conversation doesn’t stop here!
Join the Savor Food and Body Community on Facebook to get answers to questions, additional resources, and a new group of friends to support your savor food and body journey.
Resources mentioned in the show include:
Piran, N. (2017). Journeys of embodiment at the intersection of body and culture: The developmental theory of embodiment. San Diego: CA, Elsevier Press
Piran, N. (2019). The Experience of Embodiment Construct: Reflecting the Quality of
Embodied Lives. In T. Tylka & N. Piran (Eds.), Handbook of Positive Body Image and Embodiment (pp. 11-21). New York: NY. Oxford University Press.
