The protocol for positive body experience (PBE); introducing a psychomotor therapy intervention based on positive body exposure targeting negative body image in eating disorders

Negative body experience is a core characteristic of eating disorders, and poses a serious risk factor for its development, maintenance and relapse. This underlines the importance of specific therapeutic attention to body experience. In the past ten years a body-oriented treatment protocol with the focus on positive body exposure, called 'Protocol Positive body experience' has been developed. The aim of this paper is to describe the scientific basis of the protocol and to give an impression of its content and structure, illustrated by clinical case vignettes. An important and innovative aspect of the protocol is to enhance not only aesthetic, but also functional and tactile body experience. The protocol enables body-oriented therapists and psychomotor therapists to treat negative body experience in an evidence-based way and facilitates further research to validate the effect of positive body exposure

Psychomotor therapy and aggression regulation in eating disorders

Eating disorder behaviours can be seen as self-destructive behaviours to a greatextent related to inhibited anger expression. However, a treatment protocoltargeted at anger and aggression in these disorders is lacking. This paperdescribes a psychomotor therapy (PMT) model as a body-oriented method tohelp patients with eating disorders to cope with anger and aggression. They learnto see aggression as a positive, relational, body-felt experience, and to controlanger expression at the right time with appropriate intensity. Our clinicalexperience indicates that PMT can accelerate the overall treatment process bytriggering hidden feelings and thoughts and by developing expression skills.This article discusses PMT principles of aggression regulation and themethodological procedures of the intervention. Randomised controlled researchis needed to validate clinical experiences

Prevention and Intervention Programs Targeting Sexual Abuse in Individuals with Mild Intellectual Disability:A Systematic Review

Introduction: Compared to their non-disabled peers, individuals with mild intellectual disability (MID) are at higher risk of becoming a victim of sexual abuse and more vulnerable to its disruptive effects. This review provides an overview of content and effectiveness of prevention and intervention programs targeting sexual abuse in individuals with MID. Methods: PRISMA guidelines were followed and quality and effectiveness of the programs were evaluated taking into account the rating of the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (QATQS). Results: Twelve studies were included. In prevention programs role-play prevailed, whereas the content of intervention programs varied. All studies received a "weak" QATQS rating. By consequence, effectiveness of the program was downgraded to "unclear" in ten, and "ineffective" in two studies. Conclusion: Further development of programs and higher quality of research is needed to investigate whether they are effective in preventing sexual abuse or reducing its consequences in individuals with MID

Psychomotor therapy for individuals with mild intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning presenting anger regulation problems and/or aggressive behaviour:A qualitative study on clients' experiences

Background Psychomotor therapy (PMT) is often applied in Dutch clinical practice to address aggressive behaviour in individuals with mild intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning. However, the literature on clients' experiences is lacking. Methods An interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the semi-structured interviews of seven participants (19-60 years; four male, three female) who completed PMT targeting anger regulation problems. Results According to the participants, becoming aware of increasing tension and/or learning to downregulate the tension were the main goals of PMT. They emphasised both the possibility to learn by doing and the therapeutic alliance as essential to create a safe context, where participants can experiment with alternative behaviour. After completing PMT, participants perceived fewer aggressive outbursts and an increased self-esteem. Conclusions Participants in our sample experienced PMT as being helpful in targeting anger regulation problems and aggressive behaviour. The experiential nature of the program was perceived as a valuable aspect of PMT

Measuring body satisfaction in women with eating disorders and healthy women:appearance-related and functional components in the Body Cathexis Scale (Dutch version)

Purpose Differentiating the concept of body satisfaction, especially the functional component, is important in clinical and research context. The aim of the present study is to contribute to further refinement of the concept by evaluating the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Body Cathexis Scale (BCS). Differences in body satisfaction between clinical and non-clinical respondents are also explored. Method Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to investigate whether functional body satisfaction can be distinguished as a separate factor, using data from 238 adult female patients from a clinical sample and 1060 women from two non-clinical samples in the Netherlands. Univariate tests were used to identify differences between non-clinical and clinical samples. Results EFA identified functionality as one of three factors, which was confirmed by CFA. CFA showed the best fit for a three-factor model, where functionality, non-weight, and weight were identified as separate factors in both populations. Internal consistency was good and correlations between factors were low. Women in the non-clinical sample scored significantly higher on the BCS than women with eating disorders on all three subscales, with high effect sizes. Conclusions The three factors of the BCS may be used as subscales, enabling researchers and practitioners to use one scale to measure different aspects of body satisfaction, including body functionality. Use of the BCS may help to achieve a more complete understanding of how people evaluate body satisfaction and contribute to further research on the effectiveness of interventions focussing on body functionality

Shifting the Focus:A Pilot Study on the Effects of Positive Body Exposure on Body Satisfaction, Body Attitude, Eating Pathology and Depressive Symptoms in Female Patients with Eating Disorders

One of the most commonly used techniques for the treatment of body image problems in eating disorders (ED) is body exposure (BE). However, evidence of its effectiveness in clinical populations is scarce. In the Positive Body Experience (PBE) protocol, the focus of positive BE is on aesthetic, functional and tactile aspects of the body. The current study evaluates the outcomes of positive BE with regard to changes in attitudinal body image and eating pathology, as well as the factors that influence these changes, in a sample of 84 adult female patients with different EDs who did not receive any other treatment for their EDs during the period in which BE treatment occurred. The results show significant positive changes in attitudinal body image, ED behaviors and depressive symptoms, with depressive symptoms at baseline mediating the changes in attitudinal body image. This study indicates that the PBE protocol is a suitable intervention for reducing negative attitudinal body image in anorexia and bulimia nervosa patients, as well as those with binge eating disorder. Furthermore, the results suggest that positive non-weight-related and functional body satisfaction are strong catalysts for change and that depressive symptoms play an important role in the ability to change. Additional RCTs are needed to gain more insight into the effects of PBE