“Obesity” Can get in the way of healing
Obesity is a term best left unspoken in a lot of cases and for a lot of reasons. Many of us find the term unacceptance and appalling. To be diagnosed with obesity, a patient must have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. However, the big issue is that BMI does not account for bone density or body fat. BMI is calculated based on one’s height and weight.
Many of us experience bigger bodies due to our genetics. So, at baseline, we must recognize that bigger bodies are not “bad” and smaller bodies are not ideal. Our underlying health–including our mental health–is far more critical than the size of our waists. After all, there is no separating our mental health from our physical health; ask all those pesky neurons firing together that produce thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and behaviors in all of us.
There is another reason that the term “obese” can get in our way in the examination room–trauma. If we just look at the science, adverse childhood experiences and trauma are sometimes present in those who receive an obesity diagnosis. Research shows that about 5.8% of us who receive an obesity diagnosis also experience post-traumatic stress disorder. The tough part is that most medical providers jump into weight loss treatment mode and completely miss the underlying trauma that encourages the body mass they are urging against. When our medical providers behave this way, it can feel like blame, guilt, or shame to anyone with unresolved trauma.
The good news is that your medical and mental health provider can work together to get you treatment that aligns with the life you want to live. In other words, let’s not focus on weight “loss.” Any of us who experience trauma already know what loss feels like, and most do not want to go through that again. Instead, your providers can circle around you to focus on what you want to gain. If you want a body size that feels right, gain it! If you want to feel physically and mentally strong, gain it! If you want to wear clothes from your favorite designer, gain it! If you want to be a foodie, gain it! To gain anything you want after traumatic experiences, it could mean first treating post-traumatic stress before focusing on anything related to your body size.
In clinical mental health therapy, we can work together first to treat the trauma. To do that, you will learn coping skills, followed by support to improve emotional identification. We can look for triggers prompting you to engage in behaviors that get in the way of you gaining the life you desire. From there, you can work toward re-authoring your story so that the traumatic script that runs through your mind changes to a focus on the life you want to gain.
While “obesity” is hard to talk about because most of us who experience it have strong emotions around it, you can gain the life you desire by no longer focusing on the “loss” so often associated with weight. If you want to start a trauma resolution journey to free yourself from the past and move to your ideal life, then take a seat. Let’s talk.
