Overview

The Magical Control of the Body is the result of the author's considerable experience of working as an art therapist treating patients suffering from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In the course of her work, certain themes became apparent, both in the content of the patients' art as well as in their associations to it. In particular, numerous images were portrayed of one person, or an animal, eating another, and the theme of being potentially 'swallowed up' in a relationship abounded. The book opens with an examination of the concept of magical thinking and its relationship to the wider concepts of magic. This type of thinking is then linked to ideas about eating in a variety of settings and cultures and considered in ultimate, magical, control of their own bodies. Why this should be necessary, what fears they experience in relation to their own bodies and those of other people, is sensitively explored through case histories and illustration. The last four chapters of the book explore ideas around art, psychic cannibalism and art therapy and the different ways of approaching the difficulties inherent in working with eating disordered patients. Eating Disorders and Magical Control of the Body has a predominantly psychoanalytic perspective, but also draws from areas of mythology, anthropology, religion and literature. It will be of interest to all those concerned with patients of clients who have troubled relationships, both with others and with their bodies.

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9780415122160

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