Eating and weight through the shame lens

Shame may be both deeply present and incredibly difficult to name and narrate in work involving food, eating, body and weight.

This workshop considers shame as a relational experience that can emerge in the room, remain hidden, and be evoked through how a practitioner’s interventions are received. It invites careful attention to pace, sensitivity, and the evocative and emergent – at times almost unspeakable – nature of shame. We will consider the conditions that may make difficult experiences more speakable.

What we will explore:

• The presence of shame in clients with eating, weight, body and relationship concerns;
• How shame may be communicated indirectly, hidden or enacted in the therapy room;
• Humiliation, isolation and the risks of unwittingly re-shaming;
• The relationship between shame, stigma, prejudice and microaggressions;
• Attunement, curiosity and sensitive language when approaching difficult material;
• The practitioner’s responses to ruptures in relationship and reenactments, including the value of reflection and supervision;
• Working with compassion, sensitivity, care and respect within appropriate professional boundaries.