Body image and adverse childhood experiences are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain adverse childhood experiences, and adverse childhood experiences frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Adverse Childhood Experiences
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives adverse childhood experiences
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary adverse childhood experiences trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as adverse childhood experiences
How Adverse Childhood Experiences Affects Body Image
Adverse Childhood Experiences can worsen body image through reduced self-care motivation, changes in appetite and weight, and a general negative lens that extends to physical self-perception.
Addressing Body Image and Adverse Childhood Experiences Together
- Body neutrality: Not requiring positive body feelings, just reduction of hostility
- Body functionality focus: What your body does vs. how it looks
- Intuitive eating: Reconnecting with hunger and satisfaction cues disrupted by adverse childhood experiences
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and adverse childhood experiences