Eating Disorders and Magical Control of the Body

Download or read book Eating Disorders and Magical Control of the Body written by Mary Levens and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2002-01-04 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People with eating disorders often make desparate attempts to exert magical control over their bodies in response to the threats they experienced in relationships. Mary Levens takes the reader into the realm of magical thinking and its effect on ideas about eating and the body through a sensitive exploration of the images patients create in art therapy, in which themes of cannibalism constantly recur. Drawing on anthropology, religion and literature as well as psychoanalysis, she discusses the significance of these images and their implications for treatment of patients with eating disorders.