When words fail, the body speaks

In today’s fast-food society, our culture not only revolves around the food we ingest into our body, but also concerns how we feed our mind. Consequently, there has been a proliferation of fast-food therapy that is delivered and consumed so quickly that it barely touches the sides! At Illume Psychology, we are dedicated to an approach that cultivates nutrient-rich therapy, emotionally nourishing experiences and sustainable growth.

Eating is a fundamental human activity that can be impacted by shifts in emotions and wellbeing. When feelings are unable to be voiced and given emotional significance and recognition, they can become confined to the body and form a ‘body-mind’. When this occurs, thinking takes place in the body rather than in the mind and bodily actions are used as communication. Said differently, deeply felt experiences that are unable to be spoken about may be manifested in the body (i.e., when words fail, the body speaks). Maintaining discipline or control over the body can be a strategy to create psychological equilibrium and interpersonal effectiveness. Eating and/or not eating then can compensate for an emotional or relationship absence. Food is seen to take the place of desire for connection and emotional contact in which “wanting, longing, hunger, yearning, and the vulnerability of reaching with one’s appetite towards the ‘world of others’ is subverted” (Petrucelli, 2016). Our relationship with food can tell us about our relationship with others and what kind of emotional nourishment we have or have not received.

Serious problems with eating necessitate integrative thinking. Eating disorders are complex, multi-determined and require a multidisciplinary care team.

April 2024