Podcast: Float Therapy for Body Image and Anxiety in Anorexia Nervosa

In this article, Dr. Choquette and colleagues (Choquette et al., 2023) study a mind-body intervention called Floatation-REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy via floatation), which involves floating in a quiet, dark pool filled with warm water highly concentrated with Epsom Salt. The goal is to reduce external stimuli (i.e., sound, light, etc.) and enhance one's attention to their internal body signals. In this study, women and adolescent girls were recruited from a residential eating disorder program and received either their usual treatment or usual treatment plus eight one-hour float sessions.

Two clinical features of anorexia nervosa are body image dissatisfaction and increased anxiety. The researchers found that after each float session, participants reported large and immediate reductions in anxiety and body dissatisfaction. These improvements did not occur in the group receiving usual care alone. Even more encouraging, six months later, the group who completed the float sessions continued to show lower body image dissatisfaction compared to the usual care group. Because body image dissatisfaction is linked to poorer long-term recovery, these findings suggest that Floatation-REST may be a promising tool for reducing anxiety and improving body image in people with anorexia nervosa.

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Read the full study here

EMILY CHOQUETTE,
​Associate Investigator