Many women struggle with body image, as unrealistic expectations continue to be placed on women by western culture. Particularly women who are older, or those who are on the end of the bell curve (underweight or overweight) struggle to keep body-shaming from affecting their self-worth. Our culture also places an unhealthy amount of value on youth, so as young people begin to age, many develop issues with body image due to not feeling as pretty or confident as they once did. Also, those who have been victims of emotional and/or narcissistic abuse may struggle with body image in particular, as this type of abuse is very cruel and repetitively chips away at a victim's self-worth. Clients who have had parents with narcissistic traits may have been raised to believe that they are more valuable when they look a certain way or are a certain weight. Depending on the root cause of the body image disturbance, I can partner with you to challenge the validity of the thoughts that are contributing to a decreased sense of self worth as well as process traumatic or particularly cruel events that have been stored in the emotional brain, or the amygdala, through journaling exercises. The ability to attain a healthy body image is possible, regardless of age, race, weight, or gender, as the key to having a healthy self-image in general involves a healthy sense of value derived from within, as opposed to what any external evidence may be present. This is a reasonable goal, so if you find yourself struggling with body image, please reach out so we can begin your journey to healing from the inside out!