Body Dysmorphia Therapy
Body Image and Anxiety Coach & Counsellor
Does the anxiety you, or your loved one experience get in the way of your life and relationships?
Are your body image concerns or anxiety taking over?
Do you feel stuck, confused, and that nobody understands what you are going through?
Let me help…..
I have personal experience of serious anxiety and body image disturbances. I recovered and studied for an MA where my thesis was on Body Dysmorphia, also known as BDD. I’m here to support individuals and their families through individual therapy or through proxy therapy. This is where family members get support and where appropriate, guidance about how to help overcome body image anxiety and other forms of anxiety. It’s my personal, lived experience which makes the body dysmorphia therapy I offer different.
I understand the challenges in a way that I think you will find particularly helpful and supportive and I know how difficult accessing any kind of therapy can be when you are struggling with such difficulties.
I offer you hope from day one of your therapy.
I know that flexibility on the part of the therapist is crucial, as is kindness and commitment.
If you need support more often than weekly, that is what we will do. In fact if things are really bad this is often a necessary support.
If you can’t get to me because of anxiety or another reason, we will overcome that.
If you don’t want to talk to me face to face, we will find a way of speaking.
If you are having a bad day, I’ll understand and we’ll work around it.
I’ll help your family to understand what it’s like for you. I know how anxiety affects the family in ways that someone who hasn’t been through this experience cannot.
I’ll do all I can to help you move from a painful and stuck place to a new and better way of life, even though right now that may feel really frightening and you may not be able to imagine that a different way of life is possible.
Don’t miss another day of not knowing what to do about this. Pick up the phone or email me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Change is possible and there is hope.
What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
Body image concerns are common today, These can escalate into Body Dysmorphia, a very severe and sometimes life-threatening anxiety disorder. Usually, this escalation happens in the teenage years and at first it happens without anyone realising it’s becoming a problem.
A person who has BDD doesn’t realise that they have it; for them, the problem is the way they look or some feature that causes them great distress. This is not to be confused with vanity in any way, sadly sometimes people misinterpret the person’s behaviour, and this is deeply distressing for the sufferer.
The person with BDD becomes so troubled and preoccupied with their perceived defect that their life gets overtaken by body image concerns and compulsive behaviours. It may become almost impossible to continue at school, college, or work. As the person withdraws from life, relationships suffer and the destructive cycle gains power.
Some people get caught up in mirror gazing, this is where they are compelled to spend many hours a day checking their reflection and experiencing many extremely disturbing perceptions, thoughts and emotions. Some people avoid reflective surfaces at all costs, because seeing their reflection is too troubling. People who suffer with BDD sometimes cover their bodies and try to conceal their perceived faults.
BDD effects on family members
Family members often get caught up in BDD in a number of ways. These include hostility and anger, but one of the most troublesome dynamics occurs when you try to reassure the sufferer about the way they look. People who have BDD often crave reassurance in the hope it will alleviate their anxiety. If your loved one is troubled by the way they look it is natural to try to reassure them, but for the person with BDD reassurance is interpreted as confirmation that there is something wrong. The cycle of reassurance seeking can be damaging and hard to break.
It is obvious that the cost of not getting better is immense. Entrenched BDD is extremely difficult to treat and irregular or disjointed cycles of therapy can be counterproductive and reinforce a sense of hopelessness. Once the person has some insight into the way in which BDD works and some consistent support, there is every opportunity to take steps to recovery. It’s often a long journey though and this is why finding a therapist who understands and who is committed to staying present and available, as long as necessary, is so important.
What is BDD?
About me
As a young person, I had a very hard time with anxiety, which developed into body dysmorphia. I now work with individuals who suffer in the same way with anxiety and body image concerns.
My recovery involved experience of many kinds of therapies and treatments. I explored spiritual traditions and disciplines and over time I figured out what were the most helpful elements of these.
When I was going through really hard times what I needed was someone who understood what was going on for me and someone who would stand by me. Therapists who understand BDD are very few, therapists who have had BDD and understand it from the inside are even more scarce.
I don’t make promises about a cure but I do understand about how to get there and my role if you choose to share your journey with me, will be to guide and support you with the full benefit of learning from all the therapy I had over a number of years.
I studied for an MA in psycho-spiritual psychology.. I now I identify myself as a mentor and coach, particularly for young people who are going through difficult times.
The anxiety we feel as we grow up can be overwhelming and can range across many areas of life. So although helping people who have body image anxiety is high up on my list of ‘issues’, anxiety of all kinds is what I am also drawn to work with. Anxiety comes in many forms: OCD, relationship concerns, self esteem issues, exam nerves and more.
I hope that you’ll find that my approach is open, honest and empathetic. I learned a lot about what it means to be a good therapist from the excellent therapists who helped me, and I learnt also about what doesn’t help. My core intention is to support others, who are suffering as I once did, toward a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
I once had a therapist who said he could fix me and back then I was desperate to believe he could. It turned out that he was wrong. He and other therapists I’ve had have acted as supporters, guides and mentors and I am grateful for this, however, none of these people had a magic wand. There was work I had to do and their role was to offer perspective when I couldn’t make sense of what was happening and hope at a time when I had lost all sight of ever getting to a better place.
I will do everything I can to support you to move as quickly as possible to be as well as you can.
I love nature, music and art and I care very deeply about the health of our planet. The simple things in life bring me the most pleasure and the people in my life are what I value the most.
If you are suffering with anxiety or body image concerns that are getting in the way of you leading a fulfilling life and that impact your relationships, or are simply looking for someone to reflect with through personal challenges then please get in touch and we can talk.
MY APPROACH
My approach is to therapy for BDD is tailored to each individual, but typically it includes psycho-education, introducing transformative new perspectives on the mechanisms that underly BDD. We will often look at the origins of the persons BDD, their history and life experience and how this has impacted their vision of self, others, the world and life. Counselling individuals through their journey of recovery is a process of deep listening, to cultivate true understanding and coaching the person to step forward and meet the challenges which are necessary in taking a new path and a fresh start.
I draw primarily from my own experience and the insights which helped me to recover. These insights have been honed and developed through my psychology training. Much of what has helped me has been drawn from years exploring Dharma, or Buddhist teachings, which offer us a path of healing. I usually present this influence in a secular, non Buddhist way.
Contact me
If you would like to find out more about Body Dysmorphia Therapy or book a session. It's best to contact me by text. Please leave your phone number and email address and I'll respond as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can send a message below.
Thank you.
Email: adam@penkul.com
Tel: 07956577755
I currently work near to Brentwood in Essex., although sessions can be run online, meaning wherever you are in the world I can work with you.
If we are meeting in person I will give you the exact location as we negotiate an initial meeting.
I want to reiterate, that for those who are suffering in such a way that prohibits them from leaving home, other arrangements can possibly be made by negotiation. Arrangements can also be made for support via Skype or phone when needed. I can be flexible to meet your requirements.