Nourishing the Soul: Exploring the mind-body-spirit connection in Eating Disorder Recovery

While most treatment providers prioritize their care to address the identified client’s medical, emotional, and mental health, spiritual health is often overlooked. This presentation explores eating disorder recovery from a whole person perspective, viewing the client as an integration of body, mind, and spirit. Eating disorders can deeply wound a person’s spirit and leave a dark hole of hopelessness. A strong sense of identity, meaning, and purpose are all core elements of a nurtured spirit that are lost to an eating disorder. Without a strong sense of self, an eating disorder can dominate the body and mind by first conquering the spirit. Participants will have the opportunity to examine their own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs around spirituality, while gaining insight into the mind-body-spirit connection. Core competencies consistent with the ACA Code of Ethics will be addressed such as culture and worldview; counselor self-awareness; human and spiritual development; communication; assessment; diagnosis and treatment. Embracing a multicultural approach, spiritual care as a source of client empowerment will be examined and cited as a reliable treatment intervention to not only support and bolster physical, mental, and emotional healing, but also as an important part providing hope in recovery. 

Educational Objectives:

Following this presentation, participants will be able to

• Describe the integration of mind, body, and spirit.   
• Identify ways that spiritual care can promote and support mind and body recovery from an eating disorder. 
• Utilize interventions with their clients to assist them in cultivating their spiritual health.