What are body dissatisfaction, body shame and body surveillance?

Definitions for Personal Trainers - What are body dissatisfaction, body shame and body surveillance? 

by Kathleen Lisson

Certified Lymphedema Therapist

ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Self compassion is a good intervention to reduce the severity of body image concerns 

in women with body image issues. As Personal Trainers or other healthcare professionals helping clients with a lipedema diagnosis, body image issues are an inevitable result of living with lipedema adipose tissue in today's image-obsessed Western society. We must be empathetic and have an understanding of what our clients are experiencing. Simply put, what are we dealing with here?

Kristin Neff is a meditation expert and researcher in self-compassion. Neff defines self-compassion as three intertwined elements - "mindfulness, self-kindness, and common humanity"

• Mindfulness is important so the meditator can notice her suffering in a balanced way 

• Self-kindness involves "care and understanding" versus "harsh judgment or criticism" 

• Common humanity allows the meditator to understand that "imperfections are part of being human and that flaws and inadequacies make one more (rather than less) connected to others." 

Body image concerns include body dissatisfaction, body shame and body surveillance.

• Body dissatisfaction happens when we evaluate ourselves in a negative light.

• Body shame is when we judge ourselves as a person negatively because our body does not conform to society's standards.

• Body surveillance is when we are endlessly concerned with how our bodies appear to others. 

These definitions came from the study 'Brief self-compassion meditation training for body image distress in young adult women' by Aubrey M. Toole, Linda W. Craighead

 http://self-compassion.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Toole2016.pdf

In this video, Dr. Karen Dill-Shackleford, Media & Social Psychologist from the Fielding Graduate Institute shares information on what body image interventions DON'T work:

In this video, a lady with lipedema speaks about how she feels versus what she sees in the mirror: 

What Does Lipedema Pain Feel Like?

What does Lipedema Pain Feel Like? 

by Kathleen Lisson
Certified Lymphedema Therapist
ACE Certified Personal Trainer

A study published in 2008 and conducted in Germany sought to gain a better idea of exactly what 'pain' with lipedema feels like. In 'Pain with lipoedema Attempt to approximate' researchers W. Schmeller, I. Meier-Vollrath Capio from the Hanse-Klinik, Department of Liposuction and Operational-Aesthetic Dermatology, Lübeck, Germany asked 50 patients with stage 2 lipoedema to complete a questionnaire.

The results? Pain was described as "pressing and dull," as well as "severe, tearing, nagging, unnerving, fierce, unbearable, exhausting, and sharp." A very interesting finding was that when allowed to use their own descriptions of pain, "the complaints were often described as being very pronounced." This may mean that we as health professionals are not getting the best idea of how pain is affecting our clients with lipedema if we rely on pre-selected words to describe pain. We may do a better job at getting an accurate picture of the pain of lipedema if we let out clients describe the pain in their own words and phrases.

The study document also has a list of words and terms that the lipedema clients used to describe their pain to help us get a better idea of what the experience may be for our clients.

Read more about the study here:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5775899ac534a5e813c050db/t/58d3d673b8a79b27eb30aa26/1490278004395/LymphForsch_12_2008_EN+revised+2.pdf

Here is a doctor's advice on speaking to clients with lipedema about their pain.