Healing Trauma Through Body Liberation
The connection between trauma and body image struggles is a deeply personal and often overlooked part of healing. Trauma—especially from abuse, attachment injuries, or body shaming experiences—can profoundly impact how we view and relate to our bodies. By reading this blog, you’ll understand why addressing this issue is crucial. Jenelle Coolidge and I will offer guidance in nurturing body liberation and reclaiming your sense of self.
Trauma and its Impact on Body Image
Trauma is a psychological response to a deeply disturbing or distressing experience. Trauma can look different for everyone and each individual can have varying reactions. It can result from experiences of abuse, attachment wounds, natural disasters, and many others. Having a clear understanding of trauma can offer insight into why things in your past may still be impacting you in the present.
“Trauma shapes our brain and our body, influencing how we interact with ourselves and the world. Healing begins with recognizing this connection.”
Trauma can affect how we see and trust our bodies, often disrupting our ability to recognize what feels good, when we’re hungry or full, or even making us believe our bodies are flawed. This pain is amplified by a society that idealizes thinness and excludes those in larger bodies, creating a constant sense of shame and inadequacy. These pressures can lead to harmful behaviors as we struggle to conform or cope with the emotional pain of feeling judged and excluded.
7 Ways Body Image Struggles Can Manifest
Body image struggles often surface in different ways; here are 7 common manifestations to be aware of, though this is not an exhaustive list.
Disordered Eating/Yo-Yo Dieting - When an individual attempts to alter their weight by controlling their intake. It can look like trying different diets, restrictive eating habits, and only eating “clean” and “healthy” foods.
Self Harm - Self harm can happen for a few different reasons like emotion regulation, numbing, punishment, or to gain a sense of control over the body. The physical pain can cause a distraction from the emotional pain.
Body Dysmorphia - When an individual is obsessively focused on a perceived flaw on their body.
Isolation - Due to insecurities a person may avoid social interactions and decline plans if they aren’t satisfied with their body or clothes to avoid judgment or comparing themselves to others.
Body Checking - When a person frequently checks their body to measure the fat and any other changes. It can be used as a way to shame themselves out of eating or into a compulsive behavior to counteract weight gain.
Perfectionism - A hyperfocus on being perfect; whether in the way they groom themselves, interact socially, or performance-wise, academically, professionally, or in athletics. This can also lead to procrastination or avoidance if they are concerned they won’t be able to do something “well enough.”
Obsessive Thoughts - The mind experiences recurring persistent thoughts. In this case, around weight, body appearance, food, and anything else that the anxiety latches onto.
What is Body Liberation
Body liberation is defined as embracing your body, mind, and soul rather than succumbing to society’s pressures on what ideal beauty is. It involves rejecting diet cultures’ principles and adapting intuitive eating that nourishes one’s body. The idea of body liberation is to celebrate bodies and live free from unrealistic expectations, perfectionism, and free from the judgment of others. Understanding our inner body narrative allows us to identify the harmful thoughts and replace them with thoughts that are nurturing.
Getting to a place of body liberation will involve exploring the concepts of body positivity, fat acceptance, and radical self-love. We have expanded on the 3 Principles below to better understand what makes up body liberation.
The 3 Principles of Body Liberation:
Body positivity helps one reject society’s pressures of what beauty means and focuses on the idea that all bodies have value and deserve respect. It encourages us to look at what the body can do instead of what it looks like.
Fat acceptance advocates for equal treatment of all bodies, particularly for individuals living in larger bodies, and works to promote inclusivity by spreading the message that people living in larger bodies deserve to be treated with dignity, and have equal access to opportunities, health care, and social acceptance.
Radical self-love involves searching deep within and learning what it means to love one’s self unconditionally. This means embracing one’s flaws and imperfections. Learning to see the beauty in the mistakes we make and how they allow us to grow.
Healing Practices for Trauma and Body Image Struggles
Working towards body liberation can come with its challenges and managing the anxiety and distress throughout the process is a must. Because there is a strong connection between trauma and body image struggles, practicing techniques rooted in Polyvagal Theory can be extremely helpful. Engaging in the following skills will help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for calming the body and restoring a state of safety.
When trauma responses feel overwhelming and out of control, it’s common to direct these feelings toward our bodies. We may criticize, compare, or even punish our bodies, which only deepens the cycle of self-judgment and disconnection. Below are alternative ways to help regulate and ways to challenge negative body image beliefs to help you on your path towards body liberation.
4 Techniques to Activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System
Deep Breathing Exercises: Sit or lie down comfortably. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4, hold for 4, and exhale gently through your mouth for a count of 6. Repeat as needed. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation.
Safe-Touch Practices: Gently place your hand on your heart or another soothing area of your body. Practice a soft, comforting touch or self-hug. Bring awareness to this touch - notice the pressure & the warmth. This can signal to your nervous system that you are safe and supported.
Gentle Movement: Engage in slow, mindful movements like stretching, yoga, or light walking. Focus on the sensations in your body as you move. This helps to regulate the nervous system and reconnect with bodily sensations.
Vocalization: Use humming or gentle vocal sounds to stimulate the vagus nerve. Try humming a favorite tune or making a low, soothing sound. This can help calm the nervous system and promote a sense of safety.
4 Techniques to Improve Body Image Struggles
Positive affirmations: Create short but powerful messages to repeat to yourself to help change any distorted negative thoughts. This can promote an increase in self-esteem and a more positive mindset.
Intuitive Eating: An approach that involves listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues and eating mindfully. It was designed by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch and follows 10 principles offering guidance toward healing the relationship between the body and food.
Self-care Rituals: Intentional practices and routines that one sets to improve physical and mental health. It can help promote relaxation and a more balanced life. A few examples include mindfulness walks, journaling, joyful movement, intuitive eating, reading, and doing a digital detox.
Seeking a Support System: Sometimes healing one’s body image can be challenging but resources and help do exist. This can involve surrounding yourself with people who have a body-positive mindset. It is also important to reach out to a therapist who embraces a weight-neutral and body-inclusive mindset.
My Body Liberation Journal with Jenelle
Jenelle, the author of My Body Liberation Journal, is a mental health clinician in Florida dedicated to helping individuals heal the trauma that has disrupted their relationship with their bodies. Her background as a nurse provides a skill set to better help those living with chronic illness and with medical trauma. She is passionate about guiding people to repair those wounds and reconnect with their bodies, fostering a sense of comfort and belonging in their own skin.
Jenelle’s passion extends beyond her practice into her work as an author, where she provides valuable tools for healing through her My Body Liberation Journal. In the upcoming sections, Jenelle will delve into how her journal can guide you through this journey, sharing insights and tips to support your path to body liberation and emotional well-being. Click here to learn more about Jenelle Coolidge, LMHC, CCTP-II.
How to Use the Body Liberation Journal
I designed this journal based on what I found helpful throughout my journey in healing my relationship with food and my body. Even though it was a long journey, I have reached a level of peace with my body This isnt to say that I am wihtout my “bad body image” days. When this happens, I return to My Body Liberation Journal for support.
One of the most impactful prompts in the Body Liberation Journal encourages writing gratitude statements about what your body can do, rather than focusing on how it looks. This helps shift from a hyper-focus on perceived flaws to a broader, more compassionate view of yourself. The journal also includes prompts for setting meaningful goals and offers encouraging statements that promote self-care and mindfulness.
How Journaling Can Help
Journaling has been found to help provide a therapeutic outlet and give the writer the power to control the narrative in their mind. Studies have shown that journaling has been helpful in healing past traumas and faulty thought processes that can contribute to poor body image. Journaling is a cost-effective psychological intervention that has been found to reduce distress in individuals with anxiety and depression. Additionally, clinical benefits have been found in those struggling with autoimmune or chronic illnesses. This is important to know because patients with trauma may also live with a chronic illness (Smyth et al., 2018).
Next Steps to Body Liberation and Healing
Whether you’ve just begun your healing journey or have been on this path for some time, it’s important to remember that your process is uniquely yours, and it’s never linear. Every step you take toward gaining insight, repairing your relationship with your body, and healing trauma wounds is a victory worth celebrating. Healing from trauma and reclaiming your body is a journey that requires patience, self-compassion, and the right tools. Working on past traumas and body image takes time; therefore, breaking steps into smaller, more manageable goals can help promote longevity in the treatment process.
Practicing helpful techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, or self-care routines can help with managing anxiety and depression and build resiliency. Through body liberation practices and resources like My Body Liberation Journal, you can rebuild a positive relationship with yourself. Remember, each step forward is a victory. Ready to take the next step? Explore the journal and begin your path to body liberation and healing today.
References
Smyth, J. M., Johnson, J. A., Auer, B. J., Lehman, E., Talamo, G., & Sciamanna, C. N. (2018, December 10). Online positive affect journaling in the improvement of mental distress and well-being in general medical patients with elevated anxiety symptoms: A preliminary randomized controlled trial. JMIR mental health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6305886/
