Lesson 20: Body Eccentricity Disorders Course (Lessons 721-760) · Course Catalog

1. Understanding the Nature of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
   Understanding BDD as an excessive focus on physical "flaws," even if others perceive them as minor or nonexistent; often accompanied by anxiety, shame, repetitive checking, and social avoidance.
2. Identifying cognitive misconceptions about body dysmorphic disorder
   Focus on automatic beliefs such as "appearance equals value" and "only the perfect can be loved," and practice loosening them with evidence and alternative narratives.
3. Reduce body checking and comparison behaviors
   By gradually reducing confirmation rituals such as looking in the mirror, taking photos, and comparing oneself with others through time-based and quota-based systems, uncertainty tolerance can be improved.
4. Develop a positive body image and self-acceptance
   From “body neutrality” to “gentle acceptance”, shift the focus from appearance to function, feelings and life values.
5. Managing Social Anxiety and Body Dysmorphic Disorder
   Graded social exposure and safe language practice help repair the physical experience of "fear of being watched".
6. Long-term relapse prevention and mind-body balance program
   Develop a maintenance plan including daily routines, exercise, diet, and support network, and set up relapse warning and response cards.
7. The link between body dysmorphic disorder and perfectionism
   Understand how perfectionism amplifies feelings of physical imperfection, creating an internal judging system of "never being good enough," and learn to recognize these demanding standards.
8. Avoid compulsive checks on mirrors and selfies
   Break free from the compulsive cycle of mirror and self-examination, learn to gradually delay and reduce the frequency of self-examination, and decrease the anxiety caused by self-reflection.
9. Social media and appearance anxiety desensitization exercises
   Recognize the amplifying effect of social media on appearance anxiety, and practice maintaining a healthier distance from social platforms through tiered exposure and usage rules.
10. Body Focus Training: From Critique to Feeling
    Shift your focus from "judging your body" to "truly feeling your body," learn to practice sensation-centered focus exercises, and gradually loosen your self-attack.
11. Recognizing the mindset of "exaggerating form errors"
    Deconstruct how the brain magnifies minor local flaws into "overall defects," and practice identifying typical cognitive distortions such as extremism and generalization.
12. Establish realistic body awareness and goals
    Shift from unrealistic ideals to realistic goals based on health, function, and individual differences, and rebuild reasonable expectations of the body.
13. Attention training to avoid physical comparison
    Identify situations where you habitually compare yourself to others, and train yourself to shift your attention from the appearance of others back to your own life and present experience.
14. From "Defect Concern" to "Function Concern"“
    Practice shifting from "what doesn't look good" to "what can my body do for me," strengthening awareness of bodily functions and life support.
15. Application of cognitive behavioral therapy in BDD
    This paper introduces the core ideas of cognitive behavioral therapy in body dysmorphic disorder, including key steps such as cognitive restructuring and exposure and response prevention.
16. Reduce seeking comfort and validation from others
    Analyze the dependency pattern of repeatedly asking "Do I look good like this?", learn to delay and substitute for comfort seeking, and build a more stable self-esteem.
17. Accepting bodily fluctuations and imperfections
    Learn to view your physical state as a fluctuating process rather than a fixed label, and practice allowing yourself to be in a state where you are not "at your best".
18. Awareness of Aesthetic Pressure and Cultural Influence
    See how media, culture, and the times shape "standard beauty," and distinguish between external aesthetic discourse and one's own true feelings of pleasure and comfort.
19. Exposure practice in social situations
    By designing tiered social situation exposure tasks, students practice authentic appearances under the premise of "not hiding, not concealing, and not excessively pretending."
20. Breathing and relaxation techniques for dealing with body anxiety
    Learn several breathing and relaxation techniques that can be used immediately when appearance anxiety is high, helping your body return from tension to a more manageable state.
21. Understanding the connection between body image and emotions
    By exploring the two-way influence of body image on emotions such as shame, anxiety, and sadness, we can understand why we are more likely to dislike our appearance when our mood is fluctuating.
22. Identifying triggers for appearance anxiety
    List the environments and events that most often make you feel anxious about your appearance, and draw a personal trigger map to lay the foundation for subsequent exposure and adjustment.
23. From self-criticism to gentle dialogue practice
    Rewrite your habitually harsh inner monologues into supportive dialogues, and learn to use gentler language to connect with your body and appearance.
24. “"Photo Personality" and Integration with the True Self
    Examine the gap between your "photo image" on social media and your real self in daily life, and practice gradually narrowing the gap and reducing the anxiety caused by the distortion.
25. Sleep, eating and body sensation stability
    Understand how sleep and eating rhythms affect bodily sensitivity and emotional stability, and establish daily habits that support bodily awareness balance.
26. Balancing Exercise and Physical Acceptance
    Distinguish between exercise "to punish the body" and exercise "to take care of the body," and find ways that offer health benefits without exacerbating appearance anxiety.
27. Methods for communicating your BDD experience with family and friends
    It helps you explain the true feelings of body dysmorphic disorder to your family and friends, set boundaries and specific needs, and reduce misunderstandings and ineffective persuasion.
28. Reduce impulsive medical and cosmetic surgery decisions
    Learn to incorporate a cooling-off period and multiple reviews before making medical or cosmetic surgery decisions, distinguishing between genuine needs and impulsive choices driven by BDD.
29. Examining the Sources of the Belief in "Perfect Appearance"
    Reflect on how your childhood, family, peers, and the media shaped your imagination of the "perfect appearance" and begin to loosen these rigid beliefs.
30. Self-exposure training: Real photo exercises
    Design a gradual real-life photo exposure plan, starting with limited, self-controlled viewing, to practice alleviating the intense discomfort of seeing oneself.
31. Body experience log recording and review
    Create a daily body experience log to record feelings, triggers, responses, and changes, and use visualization to track the acceptance process.
32. Dealing with setbacks and fluctuations in self-worth
    Learn to stabilize your sense of self-worth when therapy is blocked or your appearance is negatively impacted, and stop reducing your entire self to "how good-looking you are".
33. Confidence Practice in Public Spaces
    Through graded exposure and posture, gait, and breathing training, students practice appearing stably in public spaces such as shopping malls, streets, and gatherings.
34. From avoiding being photographed to presenting naturally
    The transition from completely refusing to be photographed to controlled, limited, and natural appearances on camera rebuilds tolerance to being seen and recorded.
35. Aesthetic fatigue and training in diverse aesthetics
    Expand your aesthetic horizons, explore diverse bodies and styles, reduce the pressure caused by a single standard, and practice seeing that "difference is also beauty."
36. Mind-Body Connection Meditation and Breathing Techniques
    Restore a gentle connection with your body through simple breathing and body scan meditation, no longer defining it solely by its "looks."
37. Develop a recovery plan in collaboration with a psychologist
    Learn how to express your needs and set phased goals in therapy, and establish a collaborative working framework with your therapist to support BDD recovery.
38. Long-term relapse warning and stabilization strategy
    Recognize signs of relapse in your appearance and body anxiety, prepare support resources and coping plans in advance, and reduce the risk of worsening.
39. From focusing on defects to focusing on the whole life
    Training shifts attention away from a single "flaw" and repositions it towards the whole self, including interests, relationships, work, and daily experiences.
40. Integrated Review: Body Acceptance and Self Reconstruction
    Review all the exercises from 727 to 759, integrating cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes to build a more stable and gentler physical self.
41. Traditional Color Mandala (Supplementary Course)
    Traditional color mandala courses focus on the psychological impact of color and self-expression.
42. Lesson 20: Body Eccentricity Disorders (Lessons 701-740) Course Assessment
    Please complete the course evaluation to review your learning and provide suggestions. This will help you deepen your understanding and help us improve the course.