What Is Body Autonomy, and Why Does It Matter for Eating Disorder Healing?

“Body autonomy” is a phrase that’s become more popular in recent years. But what does it mean in the context of healing from an eating disorder?

In the simplest terms, body autonomy is self-determination. It refers to each person’s intrinsic right to make decisions about their own body, free of external pressures, coercion, policies, or control. This is an important concept for all of us to understand and apply in our lives, whether you’re healing from an eating disorder or supporting others in healing as a practitioner. 

Body autonomy is a way to reclaim your authentic self, free of input from diet culture and social expectations, and empower yourself in the healing process. 

Body Autonomy and Eating Disorder Healing 

Body autonomy affirms that all of us should be able to choose the practices and interventions that align with our unique needs, values, experiences, or identities. 

When healing from an eating disorder, reclaiming body autonomy can be a source of freedom, healing, and empowerment. It can teach you to stop outsourcing decisions to the illness or diet culture, creating more space for choices that nourish—instead of harm—your well-being.

Because eating disorder behaviors disconnect folks from the ability to care for their own bodies, coercive, trauma-blind treatment regimens can reinforce that sense of disconnection, explains the Journal of Eating Disorders – which is where body autonomy comes in. 

When a treatment framework provides structure while also allowing patients to use their voices, maintain their agency, and take an active role in decisions about their health, it becomes easier to choose healing for themselves, the research continues. This human-centered approach also fosters more trust, safety, and collaboration in the treatment process. 

According to the Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy Journal, body autonomy nurtures a deeper feeling of embodiment, too. That’s because it helps you frame treatment protocols and self-care practices through the lens of your core values, desires, personal identity markers, and intrinsic motivations. In other words, you’re learning how to take ownership of eating disorder healing as a means to reconnect with your most authentic self, in a way that feels most aligned for you.

Why does this matter? Embodiment has been shown to increase self-compassion, body image acceptance, emotional regulation, and interoceptive awareness (the ability to tune into hunger and fullness cues). These traits can lead to a healthier relationship with how you perceive—and ultimately respond to—what your body might need at any given time.

The Connection Between Body Autonomy and Body Liberation

Project HEAL firmly believes in body liberation. This refers to the unconditional inclusion of all bodies and the intentional dismantling of systems (i.e., racism, ableism, sexism, transphobia, or anti-fatness) that force some bodies to the societal margins. Body autonomy shares numerous parallels with body liberation. 

In a recent interview with Chrissy King on my podcast, Nope, That’s Not Normal, Chrissy helps us understand this connection. As King explains, the freedom to make unapologetic choices about our food, movement, clothes, presentation, and consent defies the cultural expectations that tell us how we “should” look or behave.

Not only does it feel liberating to reject those norms, but it also opens the door to autonomy-centered healing. The podcast continues:    

“We can see this play out in numerous areas of healing. For example, when a dietitian teaches someone how to listen to their internal hunger and fullness cues and then nourish themselves with a flexible, intuitive eating mindset, this instills both embodiment and self-determination.” 

Another example is when a therapist uses an inclusive, weight-neutral approach that centers the needs of each patient and affirms the inherent worth of all bodies. This can help you, as the patient, combat harmful diet culture narratives or social constructs that are fueling your disordered behaviors (i.e., “the thin ideal”).  

The Intersection of Body Autonomy and Body Liberation

This intersection of body autonomy and body liberation invites you to ask questions such as: “Which rules have I internalized about my body?” and “Whose voice am I following as I make decisions on how to heal?”

For folks healing from an eating disorder, these questions can lead to actions that honor your boundaries, scrap beliefs that no longer serve you, and reclaim the power to boldly exist in your own skin, with no apologies, just as you are.