HealthyGamerGG The Roots of Body Dysmorphia
Apr 29, 2020
A candid conversation tracing how high school rejection, suppressed emotions, and social comparisons can shape painful self-image patterns. They unpack rituals like mirror checking and photo editing that feed the cycle. The discussion also explores avoidance, numbness, alexithymia, and how exposure and targeted therapy might start to undo long-held beliefs.
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Validate The Felt Experience Before Contradicting It
- Dr. K recommends validating a person's internal experience rather than arguing against it when they hold a painful belief.
- He compares this to suicide support: acknowledging a client's felt reality opens space for change, not denial.
Self Argument Undermines Positive Evidence
- Ingrid finds some photos she likes but immediately invalidates them, which sustains her negative self-belief.
- Dr. K points out this internal counterargument habit: she finds '4 of 500' good shots then erases their value by explaining them away.
Avoidance Turned Into Identity Over Time
- Ingrid stopped allowing herself to be feminine over time after peers labelled her tomboyish, and that avoidance became a fixed identity.
- Dr. K links reluctance to try feminine expression (dresses) with internalized judgments that converted choice into 'fact'.