Promoting Positive Body Image in Eating Disorders Through Embodiment-Based Interventions: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial

Embodiment-based interventions may be particularly promising for promoting positive body image in patients with Eating Disorders (EDs). This preliminary randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of two embodiment-based interventions on positive body image and ED symptoms in outpatients with EDs, compared with standard treatment.

Forty-nine outpatients with EDs recruited from a specialist ED service were randomized to one of three conditions: (a) Treatment as Usual (TAU), (b) TAU plus the From Feeling to Seeing the Body intervention (FSB + TAU), or (c) TAU plus Hatha Yoga (YOGA+TAU). Participants completed measures of body appreciation, functionality appreciation, and ED symptoms. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment, and 1- and 3-month follow-ups.

Significant time × group interactions emerged for functionality appreciation and ED symptoms. FSB + TAU showed significantly higher functionality appreciation than TAU at post-treatment and 1-month follow-up, with within-group gains maintained throughout the follow-up period. YOGA + TAU also showed within-group improvements in functionality appreciation, although these did not differ significantly from TAU in the between-group analyses. Body appreciation increased over time across all conditions, with no significant between-group differences. ED symptoms decreased over time in all groups; however, embodiment-based interventions did not confer additional reductions beyond those associated with TAU.

Embodiment-based interventions may represent a promising adjunct to standard treatment for promoting positive body image in outpatients with EDs, particularly functionality appreciation, while no add-on benefits emerged for ED symptoms, supporting the view that positive body image and ED symptoms may represent related but distinct treatment targets.