The Eating Disorders Sourcebook by Carolyn Costin

Author:Carolyn Costin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McGraw Hill LLC
Published: 2007-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

10

Sharing the Pain and the Promise in Group

I didn’t have the language for my feelings, which, I think, contributed to my getting an eating disorder and then continued to fuel it. Group was the first time that I really met people who talked openly about their behaviors, feelings, fears, and so forth. The behaviors especially made me feel very alone and ashamed. Just being able to listen, connect, and talk with other people who shared what I thought were things only I did and thought . . . was very helpful on many levels.

I LOVE GROUP. I am always excited to facilitate a group. There are so many personalities, variables, problems, and dynamics in the room. Group therapy is an opportunity for people to sit in a circle with others and be fully present, listen attentively, practice empathy and attunement, and tell the truth without judgment.

Although it is important for group members to bring up topics to deal with in the group sessions, I start my groups with a question or topic for everyone to respond to such as, “What was your last eating disorder thought?” or “What are all the good reasons you have your eating disorder?” This is my way of doing the traditional “feeling round.” I believe this builds commonality yet separateness, seeing how many different and/or similar ways people can respond to the same thing. Without the group members having to tell me how they feel, I pick up their mood by the way they respond, such as who goes first, what tone each person uses, who passes, and whose body language gives his or her mood away.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.