Emily Sandoz, assistant professor of psychology at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Troy DuFrene, a writer who specializes in psychology, are convinced that body image plays a major role in the lives of youth and middle-agers. For them the term means one's whole experience of his or her body from strength of the ankles to the tone of the muscles to bad breath and the way one looks in clothes. We all have both an inside and an outside view of our body image. Those who are bothered by "body image inflexibility" expend a lot of energy on their appearance, have consistently painful thoughts and feelings about the body, and seek relief from this negativity.
Sandoz and DuFrene present four practices from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) that can help people become more flexible with their body image: being present, seeing beyond your thoughts, opening up, and getting to know your whole self. This handy paperback comes across as a showcase for ACT, which makes good use of mindfulness practices. It also delivers a healthy regard for change and improving the quality of life.
