Poor Body Image
Poor Body Image
Sure, people say you’re attractive. Nice features and all that. But when you stare into the bathroom mirror, you see someone entirely different—someone who just doesn’t measure up in the looks or weight department.
Chances are you’re suffering from poor body image. We become aware of our bodies in childhood and pay more attention to our appearance as we grow up. But sometimes our vision becomes distorted. We think we’re fat when we’re not; we think we’re ugly when we’re not; we think our noses are too big when they’re not. Sometimes it takes professional counseling to change the way we look at our bodies. And the natural remedies in this chapter, used with your doctor’s approval, may help improve body image, according to some health professionals.
See Your Medical Doctor When...
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Flower Remedy/Essence Therapy
“Many people have grown up with low self-esteem and poor body image. The media feed this by giving us unrealistic expectations. Or perhaps we were taught that sex is dirty, and we have difficulty understanding or feeling comfortable with our sexual desires,” says Cynthia Mervis Watson, M.D., a family practice physician in Santa Monica, California, who specializes in homeopathy and herbal therapy. For those who have trouble accepting their physical selves, Dr. Watson recommends the Bach flower remedy Crab Apple. For people whose negative body images stem from conflicting feelings about their sexuality, she recommends the California essence Easter Lily.
Flower remedies/essences are available in some health food stores and through mail order (refer to the resource list on page 635). For information on preparing and administering flower remedies/essences, see page 37.
Imagery
“Imagine looking at a statue of yourself, a statue that is the perfect, All-American ideal for your sex,” says Dennis Gersten, M.D., a San Diego psychiatrist and publisher of Atlantis, a bi-monthly imagery newsletter. “Walk around this statue of yourself. Notice that it has all of the right dimensions, all of the right curves, even the perfect smile. Touch it, feel it. What is the statue made from? Stone, bronze, wood, glass or even flesh? Talk to the figure and ask it how it feels about itself. How do you feel about this perfect statue?
“Now imagine that inside this statue is a being who is unwillingly confined within this mold and who longs to escape. Get ready to liberate him. Take a big strong object, such as a hammer or an ax, and shatter the statue. Rejoice as the inner being emerges, as he dances, sings and flies free of the shackles of this mold.” Dr. Gersten suggests practicing this imagery for 10 to 20 minutes twice a day.
Relaxation and Meditation
A few moments of meditation each day may help you improve body image and self-esteem, says Sundar Ramaswami, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at the F. S. Dubois Community Mental Health Center in Stamford, Connecticut. For an example of a simple meditation technique, see page 117. Begin meditating for 20 minutes twice a day, suggests Dr. Ramaswami. As you become more proficient at meditation, you may find you can meditate less and still get the same effect.