Too much – not enough. The representation of the body and the meaning of symptoms in patients with eating disorders

ABSTRACT

Eating disorders cover different clinical syndromes, all of which are characterized by an immense focus on food, body and weight, an endless attempt to combat the body and by a fluctuation between ‘too much and not enough’ on different levels (e.g., behaviourally, mentally, physically).

The aim of this article is to contribute to the psychoanalytic understanding of eating disorders, to highlight the vital importance of the symptoms as a psychological survival strategy and to illustrate similarities between eating disordered patients as well as the very different pathways that can lead to an eating disorder. Two clinical cases are presented, one very shortly and one in more detail.

KEYWORDS:

• Eating disorders
• anorexia nervosa
• bulimia nervosa
• clinical cases
• use of language
• hidden trauma
• fear of break down
• second skin
• disturbance of symbolization
• fragmented body ego

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The pronoun ‘she’ is used as the majority of eating-disordered patients are females.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susanne Lunn

Susanne Lunn is an Associate professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.  She is a training analyst at the Danish Psychoanalytic Society and held the position as president of the society from 2011-2017. Her research has focused  on eating disorders, psychotherapy research and psychoanalytic issues.

Signe Holm Pedersen

Signe Holm Pedersen is a Ph.D. in psychology. She is working as clinical psychologist in the child and adolescence psychiatry and is educated as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. Her research has among others focused on eating disorders, mentalization and reflective functioning