Guide IV-096

Positive Body Experience protocol

Rekkers, Van Gullik2021Netherlands
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[source: …] where a claim comes from[uncertain] not confirmed in a primary source[synthesis] the writer's reconstruction

1. Introduction

Version followed: the Protocol for Positive Body Experience (PBE) as described in English by Rekkers, Scheffers, van Elburg and van Busschbach (2021, Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy) and as delivered in the outpatient pilot of Rekkers et al. (2022, IJERPH). The full Dutch manual, Rekkers & Van Gullik, Protocol positieve lichaamsbeleving (publisher preview located but scanned and unreadable here), was not read, and neither was the full text of the 2021 paper. Session-level wording and the exact exercise scripts are therefore not reproduced from the manual. Anything beyond what the sources state is tagged [synthesis] or [uncertain]. [source: Rekkers et al. 2021 abstract; Rekkers et al. 2022]

What it is. PBE is a manualised psychomotor therapy (PMT, the Dutch body- and movement-oriented profession) intervention for negative body image in eating disorders (EDs). It was developed over roughly ten years in Dutch outpatient ED care. Its core technique is positive body exposure: guided, structured confrontation with one's own body, where attention is deliberately steered towards body parts and body aspects the patient experiences positively. A distinctive feature is that it targets the functional (what the body can do) and tactile (how the body feels and is felt) dimensions of body experience as well as the aesthetic dimension (how the body looks). [source: Rekkers et al. 2021 abstract; Rekkers et al. 2022]

How change is thought to happen. The authors treat negative body experience as a core feature and a risk factor for ED onset, maintenance and relapse. Patients with EDs tend to base body satisfaction on attractiveness and to attend selectively to disliked parts. PBE aims to correct this attentional bias. Repeated, structured attention to positively experienced parts, plus a shift in focus from appearance to functionality, is expected to raise body satisfaction and improve body attitude. The authors argue that a positive functional perception of the body may protect against body dissatisfaction, and that structured, guided exposure works better than unguided mirror gazing. Experimental support comes from Jansen et al. (2016; Rekkers co-author): guided mirror exposure focused on attractive parts raised body satisfaction as much as focus on unattractive parts, and felt positive throughout, whereas negative-focus exposure first made patients feel worse. [source: Rekkers et al. 2021 abstract; Rekkers et al. 2022; Jansen et al. 2016 abstract]

2. Framework

Format. Individual or group delivery in outpatient ED treatment, by a psychomotor (body- and movement-oriented) therapist. In the pilot it was delivered alongside the patients' broader ED treatment. [source: Rekkers et al. 2022] Which format the pilot used, and how long each session lasted, were not reported. [uncertain]

Dose. 12–17 sessions in total, depending on how much psychoeducation and stabilisation a patient needs. Sessions were generally held once every two weeks. In the pilot the mean was about 14 sessions, about a quarter had 11 or fewer, and the maximum was 27. [source: Rekkers et al. 2022]

Four phases [source: Rekkers et al. 2022, phase names and goals; contents of each phase beyond these goals are not described in the sources]:

PhaseGoalSessions
1. InsightIncrease the patient's knowledge of their own dysfunctional body experienceNot specified [uncertain]
2. PsychoeducationTeach what a healthy body image is. The authors present this as a prerequisite for successful body exposureVariable, depending on need
3. Action (body exposure)Positive body exposure across aesthetic, functional and tactile aspects: self-confrontation and hetero-confrontationMaximum of eight sessions
4. StabilisationRepeat body exposure and prevent relapseVariable, depending on need

Criteria for moving between phases. The sources give no formal criteria. The following are inferred from the phase goals [synthesis]:

  • 1 → 2: the patient can name their main negative body-experience patterns, for example which parts they avoid or check, what they say to themselves, and which situations trigger it.
  • 2 → 3: the patient can explain in their own words why the focus will go to positively experienced parts and to function, and agrees to the exposure rules. The authors call psychoeducation a prerequisite, so do not start exposure before this.
  • 3 → 4: the patient can complete a positive self-description at the mirror without sliding into negative talk or avoidance, and their in-session ratings have improved, or the eight-session ceiling has been reached.
  • End: a personal relapse-prevention plan is written down and the exposure has been repeated outside sessions.

Assessment used around the protocol. The pilot measured body satisfaction, body attitude, eating pathology and depressive symptoms before and after treatment. In Dutch PMT practice body attitude is usually measured with the Body Attitude Test, and body satisfaction with instruments such as the Body Cathexis Scale. [source: Rekkers et al. 2022 title/abstract] Which instruments the pilot used is not confirmed. [uncertain]

3. Guiding principles

[source: Rekkers et al. 2021 abstract; Rekkers et al. 2022; Jansen et al. 2016; one-line practical meanings are synthesis]

  • Body experience, not only body image. Treat how the body is perceived, felt, used and valued, not just how it looks. → Every exposure session includes something the body does or feels, not only appearance.
  • Positive focus of attention. During exposure, direct attention to self-identified positively experienced parts. → Ask the patient to describe these parts and gently redirect attention whenever it drifts to disliked parts.
  • Positive language. Patients describe their bodies in positive terms. → Interrupt negative or loaded words and invite a neutral or positive rephrase.
  • Don't feed avoided parts (in this protocol). Patients are asked not to look at, or talk about, negatively experienced parts during exposure. → This is the opposite of classic negative-focus exposure; do not mix the two within PBE sessions.
  • Shift from appearance to functionality. Body satisfaction based on attractiveness is a vulnerability; valuing function is protective. → Steer evaluations towards capacity, sensation and use.
  • Structure over free mirror gazing. A detailed, guided protocol is preferred to unguided exposure. → Keep a fixed order, fixed instructions and ratings; do not let mirror time become open-ended self-scrutiny.
  • Psychoeducation before exposure. Understanding healthy body image is a prerequisite. → Do not skip phase 2 even with a motivated patient.
  • Dose fitted to need, with a ceiling on exposure. 12–17 sessions in total, at most eight exposure sessions. → Lengthen psychoeducation or stabilisation rather than prolonging the exposure phase.
  • Downward, not upward, comparison. When images of others are used, the comparison is steered positively. → Choose images and prompts that let the patient notice what they value in their own body; never use idealised media images as targets.
  • Consolidation and relapse prevention. Gains are repeated and rehearsed before ending. → Plan stabilisation sessions and write a relapse plan.
  • Embedded in ED treatment. PBE is a PMT module within multidisciplinary ED care, not a stand-alone ED treatment. → Coordinate with the treating team about medical status, weight-related work and timing [synthesis].

4. Intervention inventory

Coverage note. The sources name the phases, the self-confrontation and hetero-confrontation procedures, the rules on attention and language, and the three target dimensions: aesthetic, functional and tactile. They do not describe the protocol's specific functional or tactile exercises, its worksheets, or its session scripts. Those are in the Dutch manual and the full 2021 paper, which are not drawn on. For those items, the steps below are a clinically reasonable way to carry out the named component, labelled [synthesis]. They are not the manual's exercises. Check them against Rekkers & Van Gullik before formal protocol delivery. All example language is illustrative. Psychomotor therapy is a regulated profession in the Netherlands; clinicians elsewhere should have body-image/ED training and supervision. [source: Rekkers et al. 2021 abstract; Rekkers et al. 2022]

Medical and safety screening before any exposure (the sources do not list contraindications; all of the following is [synthesis] based on standard ED care):

  • Check with the treating team that the patient is medically stable. Seek medical clearance for low weight, electrolyte disturbance, cardiac symptoms, or fainting in sessions that involve movement.
  • Screen for acute suicidality, active self-harm, psychosis or severe dissociation, and stabilise these first.
  • Ask about trauma linked to the body, being looked at, or touch; for some patients mirror work or tactile work needs a slower, trauma-informed pace.
  • Ask about pregnancy, recent surgery or injury, and pain conditions before any movement task.
  • Never set or discuss calorie, weight or exercise-amount targets. Movement is for experience and enjoyment, not energy expenditure (this matches the PMT ED chapter's emphasis on enjoyment over calorie burning). [source: de Lange et al. 2019 preview, ch. 5 summary]

4.1 Mapping the dysfunctional body experience (Phase 1)

  • Purpose / when: Phase 1 goal: increase the patient's knowledge of their own dysfunctional body experience. [source: Rekkers et al. 2022] Use at the start of treatment.
  • Steps [synthesis]:
    1. Explain that the first sessions are about noticing, not changing.
    2. Ask the patient to list: the body parts they dislike, the parts they are neutral or positive about, and their typical body-related behaviours, such as checking (mirrors, pinching, measuring by clothes), avoidance (covering up, avoiding mirrors, swimming or photos) and comparison.
    3. Explore triggers (situations, times, people) and the typical inner commentary, in the patient's own words.
    4. Ask how much of their self-worth depends on appearance, compared with what the body can do and how it feels.
    5. Summarise this on one page as the patient's "body-experience map" and keep it for comparison at the end.
  • Example language (illustrative): "For now we're just charting what happens between you and your body: where your eyes go, what you avoid, what you say to yourself."
  • Watch for: the patient describing only disliked parts. Note it as part of the pattern rather than correcting it. Distress rising during listing is a cue to slow down. It's working when the patient can name their own checking and avoidance habits and the attentional bias.

4.2 Psychoeducation on healthy body image (Phase 2)

  • Purpose / when: Phase 2 goal: knowledge about healthy body image, which the authors call a prerequisite for successful exposure. [source: Rekkers et al. 2022] Use before any exposure. Extend it if the patient doubts the rationale.
  • Steps [synthesis; content headings inferred from the protocol's stated rationale]:
    1. Explain the components of body experience: aesthetic, functional and tactile.
    2. Explain selective attention. With an ED, attention gravitates to disliked parts, and this keeps dissatisfaction going. Mention the finding that guided positive-focus exposure can raise satisfaction (Jansen et al. 2016).
    3. Explain how checking, avoidance and comparison maintain the problem.
    4. Explain why the protocol shifts from appearance to function.
    5. Preview the exposure rules (4.4) and agree on them.
    6. Check understanding by asking the patient to explain the rationale back in their own words.
  • Example language (illustrative): "When you look in the mirror, your eyes go straight to the parts you dislike, and that keeps the picture negative. In this protocol we'll train your attention the other way."
  • Watch for: the patient agreeing politely but privately believing that only weight change will help. Ask directly. It's working when the patient can explain the rationale and agrees to try.

4.3 Selecting the positively experienced body parts and aspects (start of Phase 3)

  • Purpose / when: Builds the target list for positive exposure. In Jansen et al. (2016) the attractive parts were self-defined. [source: Jansen et al. 2016 abstract] Use at the first exposure session.
  • Steps [steps are synthesis]:
    1. Ask the patient to name body parts or features they find attractive, acceptable or neutral-to-positive. If they cannot name any, lower the bar to "not bothersome".
    2. Add functional aspects (what this part lets me do) and tactile aspects (how it feels, how being touched there feels), so the list covers all three dimensions.
    3. Rank the items from easiest to hardest to describe positively.
    4. Agree the order to work through over the exposure sessions, adding new items as they emerge.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Which parts of your body are at least OK for you? Small things count: your hands, your hair, your eyes."
  • Watch for: an empty list, or parts that are positive only because they are thin. Gently widen the list towards function and sensation instead of reinforcing thinness ideals [synthesis]. It's working when the list has items in all three dimensions.

4.4 Positive self-confrontation in the mirror (Phase 3, core)

  • Purpose / when: The core positive body exposure. The patient looks in a mirror and describes their positively experienced body parts in positive language, and is asked not to look at or talk about negatively experienced parts. [source: Rekkers et al. 2022] Use in each exposure session, up to eight sessions.
  • Setting [uncertain: mirror type, clothing and duration are not given in the sources]: a full-length mirror in a private room. In mirror-exposure research, patients often progress from ordinary clothes to more form-revealing clothing. In PBE, agree any clothing level with the patient beforehand, offer normal clothing as the starting option, and never pressure undressing [synthesis].
  • Steps [order and prompts are synthesis built on the sourced rules]:
    1. Before the mirror, rate current body satisfaction and emotional state (e.g. 0–10) and agree which list items are today's focus.
    2. Repeat the rules: describe what you see and value in positive or neutral words, stay with the chosen parts, and leave the disliked parts alone.
    3. The patient stands facing the mirror at a comfortable distance and describes each chosen part in turn: what it looks like (aesthetic), then what it does or enables (functional), then how it feels (tactile). The therapist asks prompting questions only.
    4. If attention drifts to a disliked part, or negative wording appears, redirect promptly and kindly back to the chosen part and invite a rephrase.
    5. End with a summary sentence the patient chooses about their body.
    6. Rate satisfaction and emotional state again, then debrief: what was it like, what did you notice, what was different?
  • Example language (illustrative): "Tell me about your shoulders: what you see, and what they let you do." / "I notice your eyes went to your stomach. Let's bring them back to your arms." / "You said 'not too fat'. How would you describe your arms if you just described them?"
  • Watch for: hidden checking (comparing, scanning disliked areas while talking), "yes-but" sentences, appearance-only descriptions, and rising distress. Per Jansen et al. (2016), positive-focus exposure tends to feel positive throughout, so marked distress is a cue to check for slipping into negative focus [synthesis]. It's working when the descriptions get richer, wording is spontaneously positive, ratings rise across sessions, and avoidance outside the session decreases.

4.5 Hetero-confrontation with images of others (Phase 3)

  • Purpose / when: The patient views images of other people and compares themselves positively with them (downward comparison). [source: Rekkers et al. 2022] Use within the exposure phase, after self-confrontation is established [synthesis on timing].
  • Steps [synthesis; image types and number not given]:
    1. Choose ordinary, unretouched images of varied real bodies, never idealised fashion or fitness images.
    2. Ask the patient to look at one image and name a feature of their own body they value in comparison, whether aesthetic, functional or tactile.
    3. Keep the comparison about the patient's own qualities rather than disparaging the other person.
    4. Close by asking what it was like to compare in this direction compared with how they usually compare.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Looking at this photo, what's something about your own body that you appreciate?"
  • Watch for: upward comparison sneaking back in, or weight-stigmatising remarks about the other person. Redirect both. Some patients feel guilty about downward comparison, so frame it as attention training, not ranking people [synthesis]. It's working when the patient can produce a positive self-statement in the presence of another body without spiralling.

4.6 Functional body experience work (Phase 3)

  • Purpose / when: PBE explicitly aims to improve functional body experience: appreciating what the body can do as a counterweight to appearance-based evaluation. [source: Rekkers et al. 2021 abstract; Rekkers et al. 2022] The specific exercises are not described in the sources. [uncertain] The procedure below is [synthesis] in the general PMT style of an experiential task followed by reflection.
  • Steps [synthesis]:
    1. Pick one body part from the list (4.3) and a simple, low-exertion action it performs, such as gripping, balancing on one foot, reaching, a few steps of walking, or breathing into the belly or chest.
    2. The patient does the action slowly for about a minute, attending to the sensation of the part working, not to how it looks.
    3. The therapist asks what the part made possible, how it felt, and what they noticed.
    4. Translate this into a positive functional sentence, such as "My legs carry me", and add it to the mirror description in 4.4.
    5. Choose low-intensity, non-competitive actions. Never count repetitions for exertion, and never link the task to burning energy [synthesis; consistent with the PMT ED chapter's emphasis on enjoyment].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Just notice your hands as they hold this ball: the grip, the warmth. What are these hands good at in your daily life?"
  • Watch for: compulsive exercise patterns, such as wanting to do more, faster or harder, or using movement to compensate. Keep tasks brief and calm and tell the treating team. Also watch for dizziness or fatigue in underweight patients: stop and sit. It's working when the patient spontaneously uses functional rather than aesthetic language about a body part.

4.7 Tactile body experience work (Phase 3)

  • Purpose / when: PBE also targets tactile body experience: how the body feels and how the patient experiences touch. [source: Rekkers et al. 2021 abstract; Rekkers et al. 2022] The concrete tactile exercises, and whether they involve therapist touch, self-touch or touch with materials, were not described in the sources. [uncertain] The version below uses self-touch and materials only, which is the most conservative option [synthesis].
  • Steps [synthesis]:
    1. Explain the aim ("to experience your body from the inside and through touch, not only through the eyes") and get explicit agreement. Offer a no-touch alternative, such as only noticing the contact of feet on the floor or back against the chair. Agree a stop signal.
    2. Starting position: seated or lying, whichever the patient prefers, clothed.
    3. The patient chooses a positively experienced part, such as the hands, forearms or neck. They place their own hand on it, or explore it with a material such as a soft cloth, ball or textured object, for about 1–2 minutes, attending to temperature, pressure and texture.
    4. Throughout, the therapist only gives verbal guidance and asks about comfort halfway through.
    5. Close: the patient removes their hand, sits up and names one tactile quality. Then talk through how it was and turn it into a tactile sentence for the mirror description.
  • If any therapist touch is considered: this is not confirmed as part of PBE. If it is used, follow the full consent sequence: explain exactly where and how, ask, offer the no-touch alternative, agree a stop signal, check in during and after, and record consent. Use only neutral areas (e.g. hands, shoulders) over clothing, and never touch areas of the body linked to shame, sexuality or ED concerns [synthesis]. Touch requires specific training and supervision, and you must check what your licence and jurisdiction allow.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Rest your hand on your forearm. What do you feel: warm, cool, soft? You can stop at any point by just lifting your hand."
  • Watch for: freezing, holding the breath, dissociation (a glazed look, delayed responses) or disgust. Stop, ground the patient (feet on floor, look around the room) and return to a no-touch option. A history of abuse or trauma calls for slower work and possibly trauma treatment first [synthesis]. It's working when the patient can stay with a sensation and describe it neutrally or positively.

4.8 Between-session exposure assignments

  • Purpose / when: To generalise exposure. In Jansen et al. (2016) exposure sessions were combined with homework. [source: Jansen et al. 2016 abstract] Whether PBE prescribes homework, and in what form, was not confirmed. [uncertain] Biweekly sessions make between-session practice clinically sensible [synthesis].
  • Steps [synthesis]:
    1. Agree a short positive self-description at home, a few minutes in a mirror the patient chooses, following the same rules as 4.4.
    2. Add one functional or tactile noticing moment per day.
    3. The patient notes before and after ratings and one sentence.
    4. Review at the next session.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Which day and time suits you for a short mirror practice, the same way we did it here?"
  • Watch for: homework turning into prolonged checking. Cap the time, and suggest stopping if the patient finds themselves scanning disliked parts. It's working when ratings are completed and avoidance or checking decreases outside sessions.

4.9 Repetition of body exposure (Phase 4)

  • Purpose / when: Stabilisation: repeat body exposure to consolidate gains. [source: Rekkers et al. 2022] Use after the action phase.
  • Steps [synthesis]:
    1. Repeat the mirror self-description (4.4) with fewer prompts, aiming for the patient to lead it independently.
    2. Include all three dimensions.
    3. Compare the current description and ratings with the Phase 1 map (4.1).
    4. Space sessions further apart if your setting allows.
  • Example language (illustrative): "This time you lead. Take me through your body the way we've practised."
  • Watch for: gains that hold only with therapist prompts. Lengthen stabilisation rather than ending. It's working when the patient can lead the exposure independently.

4.10 Relapse prevention (Phase 4)

  • Purpose / when: The second stabilisation goal. [source: Rekkers et al. 2022] Use in the final sessions.
  • Steps [synthesis]:
    1. Identify personal warning signs, such as more checking, avoiding mirrors again, more appearance talk, or comparison in specific situations.
    2. List high-risk situations, such as holidays, changes in clothing, illness, weight-related comments or life stressors.
    3. Write down the patient's own positive aesthetic, functional and tactile sentences, and a short self-guided exposure routine.
    4. Agree who to contact if body experience deteriorates or ED symptoms return.
  • Example language (illustrative): "What would be the first sign that the old way of looking at your body is coming back? And what will you do then?"
  • Watch for: a vague plan. Make it specific and written. It's working when the patient can name warning signs and the steps they will take.

5. Handling problems

The sources do not discuss problem-handling. Apart from the points explicitly sourced, everything in this section is [synthesis] grounded in the protocol's stated rules (positive focus, positive language, structure, psychoeducation first) and in standard ED and exposure practice.

  • The patient cannot name a single positive body part. Lower the threshold to "neutral" or "not bothersome", and start with function and sensation (hands that write, lungs that breathe) before appearance. If necessary, go back to Phase 2 psychoeducation. Phase length is flexible in the protocol. [source: Rekkers et al. 2022 on flexible phase length; rest synthesis]
  • Negative talk keeps breaking through at the mirror. Redirect promptly and without debate: name it, return to the chosen part, and invite a positive or neutral rephrase. If this happens repeatedly, shorten the mirror time, step back from the mirror, or describe the part with eyes closed (tactile or functional) before looking again.
  • Distress rises during positive exposure. Jansen et al. (2016) found that positive-focus exposure tends to feel positive throughout, whereas negative focus initially worsens mood. [source: Jansen et al. 2016 abstract] So high distress suggests attention has slipped to disliked parts, the step was too large (for example clothing), or a trauma link has been triggered. Pause, ground the patient, lower the step, and explore the trigger afterwards.
  • Overwhelm, dissociation or panic. Stop the exposure. Ground the patient: feet on the floor, name five things in the room, slow exhalation. Sit down away from the mirror. Debrief and resume at an easier step next time. Assess whether trauma stabilisation is needed before continuing.
  • The patient wants to work on the disliked parts ("this feels fake"). Explain again why PBE deliberately focuses on positive parts and function: to correct the attentional bias. Note that Jansen et al. (2016) found negative-focus exposure equally effective for satisfaction, more effective at reducing avoidance, but emotionally harder. [source: Jansen et al. 2016 abstract] If avoidance of disliked parts remains a major problem after PBE, discuss with the team whether a negative-focus or holistic mirror exposure protocol should follow. Do not mix the two within PBE sessions.
  • Resistance and ambivalence ("only losing weight will help"). Explore the belief without arguing. Link it to the Phase 1 map, and ask what body satisfaction based on appearance has cost them so far. Agree to a time-limited experiment with the protocol.
  • Non-adherence to between-session practice. Ask what got in the way (shame, no private mirror, fear of checking). Shrink the task, for example to one functional noticing moment a day, link it to an existing routine, and review without judgement.
  • Checking disguised as exposure. Watch for long, scanning mirror use, pinching or comparing. Set a fixed time and focus list, and explicitly separate PBE practice from checking.
  • Compensatory or compulsive movement in functional tasks. Keep tasks brief, slow and non-exertional. Stop if the patient pushes for more, and tell the treating team. Never use movement as compensation, or discuss exertion in terms of energy or weight. [consistent with de Lange et al. 2019 ch. 5 emphasis on enjoyment]
  • Touch-related difficulties (disgust, freezing, flashbacks). Switch to the no-touch alternative, respect the stop signal immediately, and do not return to touch until the patient has proposed it, consent has been renewed and it has been discussed in supervision.
  • Ruptures (the patient feels exposed, judged or pushed). Name it, take responsibility for the pace, ask what felt wrong, and agree together on what control the patient has: clothing level, distance from the mirror, stopping. The therapist's own comments on the patient's body should be descriptive and function-focused, never evaluative of shape or weight.
  • Group format problems (comparison between members, competition). Agree group rules beforehand: no comments on each other's bodies, and each person describes only their own body. Do mirror work individually or in pairs facing their own mirrors, and steer hetero-confrontation away from members' bodies. Group delivery is sourced; these rules are synthesis. [source: Rekkers et al. 2022 on individual or group format]
  • Medical deterioration or ED relapse during the protocol. Pause exposure, tell the treating team and prioritise medical and ED stabilisation. Body exposure is not a substitute for ED treatment.
  • Suicidal thoughts or self-harm emerging (body hatred can be intense). Assess risk using standard practice (ideation, intent, plan, history, protective factors), make a safety plan with the patient, involve the team, and pause exposure until the patient is stable.
  • Stuck after the eight-session exposure ceiling. Do not extend exposure beyond the protocol's maximum. Move to stabilisation, review the formulation with the team, and consider other body-image work (e.g. a CBT body-image module, or treatment for comorbid trauma or depression). [source: Rekkers et al. 2022 on the eight-session maximum; rest synthesis]

Sources

Sources:

Publications cited:

  • Rekkers, M., Scheffers, M., van Elburg, A. A., & van Busschbach, J. T. (2021). The protocol for positive body experience (PBE): introducing a psychomotor therapy intervention based on positive body exposure targeting negative body image in eating disorders. Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, 16(4), 252–266. doi:10.1080/17432979.2020.1863261 [uncertain]
  • Rekkers, M. E., Aardenburg, L., Scheffers, M., van Elburg, A. A., & van Busschbach, J. T. (2022). Shifting the focus: a pilot study on the effects of positive body exposure… IJERPH, 19(18), 11794. doi:10.3390/ijerph191811794
  • Rekkers, M., & Van Gullik, … Protocol positieve lichaamsbeleving (Dutch treatment manual; year, co-author's initials and publisher details not confirmed; not read) [uncertain]
  • Jansen, A., Voorwinde, V., Hoebink, Y., Rekkers, M., Martijn, C., & Mulkens, S. (2016). Mirror exposure to increase body satisfaction: should we guide the focus of attention towards positively or negatively evaluated body parts? Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 50, 90–96. doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.06.002
  • de Lange, J., Glas, O., van Busschbach, J., Emck, C., & Scheewe, T. (Eds.) (2019). Psychomotor interventions for mental health – Adults: a movement- and body-oriented approach. Boom. Ch. 5, Rekkers, Boerhout, Nieuwenhuijse & Bonekamp, "Eating disorders" (only the preview summary was read).