<p> Eating disorders are one of the most prevalent and life threatening mental health disorders in the United States today. Most recent statistics estimate upwards of 24 million people in the United States alone are suffering with anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, among others. Recovery from the disorder is poorly defined and often focuses on physical and behavioral changes, however typically does not explore psychospiritual dimensions of recovery. This constructivist grounded theory study sought to uncover a psychospiritual dimension of recovery through exploring the nature of the experience of self-compassion in those who reported sustained recovery from an eating disorder for over 3 years. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 21 women, honoring the cocreative process of meaning-making, guided by the assumption that social reality is multiple, processual, and constructed between researcher and participant. The constructed theory, <i>Self-Compassion Spectrum of Recovery,</i> consists of 9 sequential categories: broken; outside in influence; power and independence; embodiment; self-compassion as action/core experience; recovery through the lens of self-compassion; worthy of healing; healing and wholeness; and self-love. The findings illuminate how the body and embodiment play a central role in recovery along with self-compassion by creating movement toward worthiness, self-integration, and self-love. This study seeks to further advance clinical knowledge in defining recovery beyond the focus on behavioral changes toward whole-person, transformational recovery that is inclusive of body, mind, and spirit.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3713987 |
| Date | 05 September 2015 |
| Creators | Saffi Biasetti, Ann |
| Publisher | Institute of Transpersonal Psychology |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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