Anorexia Nervosa: Psycho-Spiritual Considerations in Recovery

Recovery from Anorexia Nervosa remains extremely
difficult. In this text, the author presents a
physical, psychological, social, and spiritual
integration treatment model based on the literature.
Next, results from a phenomenological analysis of
documents, interviews with recovered women and
expert clinicians, and observations at a residential
treatment facility are presented, revealing the
existence of intolerable emotional states that
precede the development of the disorder and
influence the process of recovery. Implications of
the findings for counseling practice are provided,
including the need for counselors to understand the
adaptive and expressive function of Anorexia
Nervosa, to include spiritual assessment in the
comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, to utilize
empirically based treatment strategies that
recognize the biological, psychological, social, and
spiritual needs of sufferers, and to integrate, when
appropriate, empirically supported spiritual
interventions.

Autorentext

Lisa Sosin, Ph.D., L.L.P., L.P.C. is the director of the MAPrograms in Professional Counseling at Liberty University'sCenter for Counseling and Family Studies. In addition to herservice as director and professor, Dr. Sosin has been a licensedpsychotherapist for over twenty years.

Klappentext

Recovery from Anorexia Nervosa remains extremely difficult. In this text, the author presents a physical, psychological, social, and spiritual integration treatment model based on the literature. Next, results from a phenomenological analysis of documents, interviews with recovered women and expert clinicians, and observations at a residential treatment facility are presented, revealing the existence of intolerable emotional states that precede the development of the disorder and influence the process of recovery. Implications of the findings for counseling practice are provided, including the need for counselors to understand the adaptive and expressive function of Anorexia Nervosa, to include spiritual assessment in the comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, to utilize empirically based treatment strategies that recognize the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of sufferers, and to integrate, when appropriate, empirically supported spiritual interventions.