Course Description

    This course examines anorexia nervosa (AN) as a disorder rooted not only in body image and weight concerns but in a deeper loss of emotional self-awareness. Integrating neuroscience, attachment theory, and experiential psychotherapy, the course proposes that emotional disconnection, manifested through alexithymia, interoceptive deficits, and identity fusion, serves as both a cause and a maintaining factor in AN.   The course explores how restoring emotional literacy, embodied awareness, and relational trust becomes the cornerstone of true recovery. Clinical emphasis is placed on Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Schema Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and integrative use of CBT-E and DBT for emotional reintegration. Ethical, cultural, and professional considerations are discussed in alignment with APA, NASW, ACA, and AAMFT standards. This is a NBCC and Florida Board Approved course for 1 CE hour.

Please review the course materials prior to purchasing the course. Often, individuals will print a copy of the course worksheet to complete while they view the course material. Once you are ready to complete the course, please enroll in the course and complete the course requirements, including the course post-test and course survey. You will receive your certificate automatically for printing or downloading after achieving an 85% or higher on the post-test and completing the course survey. 

The Emotional Self in Anorexia Course Text.pdf

The Emotional Self in Anorexia Course Worksheet.pdf

Course Author:  Bryan Glazier, PhD, LMFT, LMHC,, FL Qualified MHC/MFT Supervisor 

Course Time/Location: 1 CE Hour, Location: www.directceu.com (web-based, asynchronous/home study) 

Course Text: The Emotional Self in Anorexia

Course Board Approval Statement(s): NBCC, Florida Board Approved

Directceu, llc has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7411. directceu, llc maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

directceu, llc (BAP # 50-17578) is approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling. directceu, llc maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

 Financial Disclosure Statement

directceu, llc is committed to providing our professional colleagues with unbiased information. directceu does not accept commercial support and our course authors have no significant financial interests or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.

Learning Objectives:

Through the completion of this course, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the multidimensional etiology of AN (biological, psychological, sociocultural).
  2. Explain how emotional processing and self-representation contribute to AN maintenance.
  3. Apply experiential models (EFT, Schema Therapy) to clinical conceptualization and treatment planning.
  4. Evaluate clinical and ethical implications for recovery through emotional self-integration

 Course Syllabus:

Introduction and Overview

  • Reframing Anorexia Nervosa: Beyond weight and body image
  • Epidemiology and Comorbidity: Depression, anxiety, and obsessive–compulsive traits
  • The Lost Emotional Self Concept: Linking emotional processing, interoception, and identity

Theoretical Foundations: The Lost Emotional Self

  • Historical Context: Bruch’s identity model and psychodynamic roots
  • Cognitive-Behavioral and Sociocultural Models: Control and perfectionism
  • Neuroscientific Integration: Self-referential networks and emotional regulation

Etiological and Maintenance Factors

  • Biological and Genetic Vulnerability: Heritability and neurocircuitry
  • Psychological Risk Factors: Perfectionism, trauma, and emotional neglect
  • Socio-Environmental Influences: Family enmeshment and media ideals
  • Maintenance Mechanisms: Starvation, control, and identity fusion

Neuroscientific Perspectives on the Emotional Self

  • Interoceptive Processing: Insular dysfunction and emotional unawareness
  • Self-Referential Networks: DMN connectivity and autobiographical memory
  • Emotion Regulation Systems: Limbic–prefrontal decoupling and avoidance
  • Neuroplasticity and Recovery: Reconnection through nourishment and therapy

Clinical Presentation and the “Anorexic Self”

  • Identity Fusion and Ego-Syntonicity: “Anorexia is who I am.”
  • Emotional Avoidance and Control: Restriction as affect regulation
  • Therapeutic Challenges: Alliance ruptures, transference, and countertransference

Treatment Implications: Emerging an Emotional Self

  • Guiding Principles: Safety, collaboration, and autonomy
  • Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT): Awareness, acceptance, and transformation
  • Schema Therapy: Reparenting and reclaiming the Healthy Adult self
  • Integrating CBT-E and DBT: Structure with emotional depth
  • Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT): Cultivating warmth and undoing shame
  • Experiential Interventions: Mindful eating, interoceptive exposure, and expressive writing
  • Case Integration: Stage-wise emergence of emotional awareness

Measurement and Outcomes

  • Assessment Tools: EDE, TAS-20, LEAS, and interoceptive tasks
  • Outcome Domains: Emotional awareness, self-compassion, and neural normalization
  • Measurement-Based Care: Tracking progress through PHQ-9, GAD-7, and functional anchors

Ethical and Professional Considerations

  • Informed Consent and Transparency: Explaining emotional exposure
  • Boundaries and Role Clarity: Avoiding rescuing or collusion
  • Cultural and Gender Sensitivity: Adapting interventions for diverse populations
  • Supervision and Reflective Practice: Managing countertransference and burnout

Future Directions

  • Neuroscience of Recovery: Neural markers of emotional reintegration
  • Technological Innovations: VR interoceptive and biofeedback training
  • Integrative Care Models: Multidisciplinary and trauma-informed practice
  • Training Implications: Building emotional-processing competencies in clinician