What happens in the course of body exposure? Emotional, cognitive, and physiological reactions to mirror confrontation in eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE

Though body exposure seems to enhance outcome in cognitive-behavioural therapy of anorexia and bulimia nervosa, the underlying mechanisms are still unknown.

METHODS

Participants with eating disorders (ED; n = 21) and normal controls (NC; n = 28) were exposed to their own bodies in front of a mirror for 40 minutes under standardized conditions. Emotions, cognitions, and saliva cortisol were assessed every 10 minutes during body exposure. Heart rate and skin conductance were recorded continuously.

RESULTS

ED showed higher negative emotional and cognitive responses to body exposure compared to NC, whereas no group differences were found for physiological reactions. In the course of body exposure, the extent of negative emotions and cognitions decreased significantly with medium effects for emotions and low effects for cognitions. Physiological parameters remained stable during the task.

CONCLUSION

Body exposure is a promising technique to overcome negative body-related emotions, but additional cognitive techniques are necessary.