ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the premise that practice-based evidence, in conjunction with evidence-based practice, can impart valuable information to allow practitioners to incorporate body-focused techniques into their everyday working style. The body and mind are interrelated parts that form a cohesive whole. Body movements are influenced by thoughts, attitudes and feelings; thoughts, attitudes and feelings are influenced by the rhythm and the movements of the body. Psychoanalyst Hilde Bruch left a legacy highlighting the pivotal role of body image in the treatment of eating disorders. H. E. Fisher and Stark proposed that even before birth, body image development is influenced by how close the match is between the parents' expectations and the actual reality of the baby's looks, sex, and temperament. Hilde Bruch states, "The complex nature of body image is manifested in disturbances of perception, an inability to recognize signals and sensations in the body and delusional-like distortions of size and weight".
