[emmaleemochizuki]

I have an eating disorder myself.

And the current T I'm seeing is quite skinny herself.

It does bother me especially when we are speaking about my eating issues.

I find myself comparing to her, and it bothers me.

Is it weird if I bring it up to her how it effects me?

[stopdog]

Bring it up -it is your time -you pay for it.
I never paid that much attention to the ones I hired. But most if not all therapists have mental health issues and eating disorders are not uncommon for those people.

[SlumberKitty]

If it bothers you then it is certainly worth bringing it up, in fact your T probably wants to know. I agree with stopdog, it's your time, you pay for it, you get to decide what you want to talk about. If it is something that is making you uncomfortable or is hindering your therapy, then it is worth bringing up. Now, that said, it might not be something the therapist can change. But she might have ways and techniques of helping you deal with it. HUGS if wanted, Kit

[Omers]

I would bring it up with her, she should at least sort of expect it.

My T’s weight/body condition definitely impacts me and our work. I am not struggling with body image or an eating disorder though. My T does get really uneasy when I try to talk to him about it but then I don’t think it is a common thing for his clients to notice or comment on.

I want mine to be fatter and taller. I don't like her seeming frail because it makes me think she will die.

[Gettingitsoon]

Interesting question.
Im overweight but still active walking, gym, biking. I overeat if stressed, like right now in covid lockdown.
So i am happy that T is not a tiny petite person either. Not a big topic for me but just feels more comfortable.

[thesnowqueen]

I had one who was really skinny who mentioned she was worried about my weight. (I sometimes lose appetite and weight when very depressed/anxious). I pointed out she was pretty thin herself and she told me it was entirely genetic. She was not at all surprised that I mentioned it. She was also a smoker so I'm sure that played into it too. I had another who appeared utterly wasted (emaciated). He too was a smoker. I quit with him for a few reasons but like comrademoomoo it made me afraid - a therapist I had seen for 8 years had died some months before. The T I had been seeing for 8 years died (unexpectedly) from some lung issue so I was not comfortable with the fact that the others smoked either...

[MissUdy]

I don’t think it would be weird at all if you brought it up. Might be quite healing considering the circumstances around the eating disorder as well?

I don’t currently have an eating disorder, but if I did, I can imagine other peoples weight would affect me too.

My Ts weight doesn’t affect me, I wouldn’t mind what weight he was...as long as he’s healthy and happy.

[Flinders40]

Originally Posted by stopdog

But most if not all therapists have mental health issues and eating disorders are not uncommon for those people.

According to whom?

[emmaleemochizuki]

Would it be weird if I say to her something like this.

'As you know that people with eating disorders can be very competitive, and we compare ourselves to others. Sometimes when we talk about my eating problems, I find it inevitable but to notice that you are very thin yourself, and it does bother me.'

Or how else better can I phrase this?

[Mountaindewed]

I’ve always been curious as to what my therapy weighs. She mentioned one time needing to lose weight, and my mom mentioned it too. But she looks fine to me. She seems like one of those people that yeah, 15 pounds would be ok to lose but 15 pounds doesn’t look bad either. I rarely see her standing up though.

She’s obsessed with my weight though and is constantly asking what I’ve been eating and stuff. Has thrown out the words ED a handful of times.

[thesnowqueen]

Originally Posted by emmaleemochizuki

Would it be weird if I say to her something like this.

'As you know that people with eating disorders can be very competitive, and we compare ourselves to others. Sometimes when we talk about my eating problems, I find it inevitable but to notice that you are very thin yourself, and it does bother me.'

Or how else better can I phrase this?

I think however you raise the issue would be fine. You COULD say something like:

'I struggle because I'm always comparing myself to others - for example - I notice how thin you are and sometimes that's an issue for me...'

In other words, speaking from your own perspective rather than all those with an eating disorder would be fine and maybe more to the point. By the way - I don't have an eating disorder (I don't think...) but I compulsively compare myself, sometimes on an unconscious level, to others. I think social animals of any kind do this but it does become a pathological tendency in some of us.

The weight of my first therapist affected me greatly. I was severly anorexic. She had had bulimia, and even though she was recovered she was still quite thin.