“I’m Not Only a Body”: Change in Thoughts about the Body after Mirror Exposure Treatment in Women with Obesity—An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Nowadays, obesity (OB) is one of the most important health problems in population-wide health. In addition to its physical consequences, it is a risk factor for the development of psychological problems, including body dissatisfaction (BD). This is why the treatment of BD is essential for its prevention. However, this has mostly been studied from a quantitative perspective, without focusing on the discomfort experienced by the person and the accompanying thoughts and emotions. In this study, 26 women with obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2) participated, of whom 16 had high BD and 10 had low BD, as measured by the BSQ questionnaire. The women with high BD underwent six sessions of exposure to their own body in front of a mirror, recording the discomfort experienced with this vision during the session. In addition, all participants recorded positive and negative thoughts towards their body before and after these sessions. After the exposure treatment sessions, a reduction in symptomatology (BD, discomfort when visualizing one’s own body) was observed, as well as a change in the thoughts expressed by the participants, both in quantity (fewer negative thoughts) and in quality (a more positive self-perception and/or in more respectful terms used towards themselves). In conclusion, such treatments prove to be effective in reducing subjective discomfort and body-related thoughts in women with obesity.