Narrative therapy for anorexia nervosa: using documents of resistance

Abstract

Treating anorexia nervosa is one of the greatest challenges faced by current health policies. This paper reflects on the social and cultural aspects of this type of eating disorder and proposes an intervention approach based on narrative therapy as a complement to existing treatments. This type of therapy requires a holistic and coordinated vision of the socio-cultural and community aspects that surround both the person dealing with anorexia and their closest social circle of friends and family. The effects of anorexia, when it becomes the dominant voice in a person's narrative, need to be understood within a broader and more inclusive social context without putting all the responsibility on the person who is being bullied by anorexia. Based on the qualitative results of the Archive of Resistance presented by the Anti-Anorexia League, narrative therapy is shown to have great potential for transforming the current approach to treating anorexia in English. This paper recommends use of the poststructuralist approach of narrative therapy to collaborate with the person affected by anorexia in Spanish-speaking cultures. At the same time, it opens a discussion on the need to establish a document database, an Archive of Resistance, in Spanish, to help mitigate the effects of anorexia.