Spiritual Embodiment - A Reflection on Faith in Eating Disorder Recovery

I'm a fan of a whole-person approach to wellness - spirituality included. No matter your faith, diet culture can often seep in and steal the mental and emotional energy you deserve to be devoting to your spiritual well-being.

Personally, I identify as a non-denominational Christian and am lucky to be part of a progressive faith community here in Charlotte called Watershed. To my surprise, I had the absolute honor of hearing one of our co-pastors Taryn Hofert speak on spiritual embodiment this past Sunday (listen to the recording here).

Spiritual embodiment is the idea that in connecting with and responding to physical sensations of our bodies, we can find mental and emotional healing, and ultimately better spiritual health.

I was floored - never before have I heard even a whisper in church, let alone an entire sermon, on how disordered eating disconnects us from our bodies - which in turn can disconnect us from our innate spirituality. In fact, it's often the opposite message received: that through sacrifice of our desires and denial of our bodily needs we can grow closer to our higher purpose. This has been a topic I've discussed with friends and colleagues of various faith backgrounds struggling with these messages as they pursue healthier relationships with food and body. In many ways that go beyond my approach to nutrition, it was that message of deprivation that ultimately drove me away from the faith community I grew up with for a number of years. In my heart I knew that what was mentally and physically healthy for me must somehow align with what was spiritually healthy, but I had serious doubts that I would be able to find a community who had a deeper understanding of this than what I had come across in my early life.

The amount of relief I felt this past Sunday was immense. Not only for myself, but for each and every one of my clients. I spend 40+ hours every week working hard to battle diet culture alongside my clients, pouring into them messages that they are worthy, and that not only do they deserve to feel connected to their bodies, but that this is one of the healthiest things for them to pursue. I also strive to spread this message to family and friends, and continue my own inner work in therapy. However, to have that message unexpectedly and powerfully poured into me was energizing, reassuring, and gave me so much hope. There is hope for every person in recovery to feel physically, mentally, emotionally AND spiritually healthy with support from members of their own faith communities.

Now, I am no theologian, and this is definitely NOT an article trying to get you to convert to Christianity. I did grow up as a kid of evangelical Christian missionary parents, and had a pretty solid knack for memorizing Bible verses and picking up on biblical themes in my very Christian elementary through high school education. My views on evangelism have shifted quite a bit - I now jokingly tell my father that I preach Intuitive Eating like he preaches the gospel (but honestly this is pretty spot on). As I mentioned, I went through a number of years in college and graduate school where I felt very disconnected from my faith, and questioned whether Christianity was even for me at all. I only recently began attending church regularly again, as I felt it was time to tend to the part of my health I had been neglecting. I was incredibly surprised to so quickly find a church that made me feel totally at home. I still feel cautious, but am so glad I've found a place where I can flourish spiritually without having to dodge messages about deprivation. I know this is a blessing & privilege, and I hope that those who cannot find a community supportive of spiritual embodiment can build resilience and inner wisdom to come back to while they nurture their spiritual practice with the faith of their choosing.

That said, I sincerely believe that denying needs of the flesh is not God's will for our lives. We are beautifully designed to be in tune with our bodies' needs, and honoring those needs with nourishment, sleep, and connection can allow our minds and hearts to focus on a higher purpose. So often the church relays the twisted message, "treat your body as a temple" which is not rooted in grace or acknowledging of the power of our God to inhabit any and all places. Rather, it tells us that we are not good enough, clean enough, holy enough to allow Christ to work in and through us, when the truth is that God can make holy a mud puddle if He so chooses (or, it is innately holy & good, as God designed mud puddles in the first place). Yes, we should respect our bodies. They are biological masterpieces that have evolved to survive famine, drought, war, and so many other forms of trauma. But they do not need to be prepared for God. I believe we have a God who calls, "come as you are," who loves, and commands us to love as he does - practicing compassion not just for others but for ourselves as well.

We are the body of Christ, and in order to be present for the work set out for us to do, we must build up the body - our collective physical bodies and brains, as well as our spiritual selves - not tear it down through restriction and deprivation.

If you're battling with a difficult relationship with food and body, know that you're not alone, and that you can honor your spiritual self while recovering from disordered eating. I am currently accepting new clients online and at my office in Charlotte, NC - if this sounds like you, let's hop on a call and talk about how we can work together.

Additional resources:

One of my favorite resources for the intersection of Christian faith and recovery from diet culture is Kylie Mitchell, MPH, RDN. She's written some amazing blog posts which you can find here. Char-Lee Cassell, MS, RD also has a great blog for those interested.

For words on Jewish faith and intuitive eating, check out this podcast episode featuring Dina Cohen, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S and Rachel Goodman, RD, CDN.

For my Muslim readers wanting to pursue intuitive eating, check out this blog by Rahaf Al Bochi, RDN, LD.

I would love your thoughts, and if you have additional resources please leave them in the comments below!