ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the neuroscience of eating disorders through the lens of a neurobiological theory characterising AN as a condition underpinned by the disturbance of the representation of the body in the brain. The self as represented within the brain is part of a larger field of study on homuncular representation. J. R. E. Fox, A. Federici, and M. J. Power highlighted the role of emotional processing and regulation in eating disorders, as well as the potential utility of emotion-centred treatment options, such as Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and Emotion Focused Therapy. The chapter aims to outline how the understanding gained in these studies influences conceptualization of eating disorders and the embodied experience of those who suffer from them. Self-disgust figures largely in the experience of those with eating disorders. Disgust emerges as a relevant emotion as it is both a pertinent affective experience among those with eating disorders, and an emotion intrinsically connected to embodiment and the experience of self.
