In the first line of his book, Awareness through Movement, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais states, "We act according to our self image." The development of the self is grounded in kinesthetic experience; movement, within brain and body, interwoven into the fabric of our self image from the beginning of our lives, plays an extensive role in how the nervous system coordinates a coherent sense of self and in how it can bring about change in that self-sense. According to Roger Russell, "It is around the concept of the core self that psychology crosses paths with the brain and with the body."

With eating disorders commonly accompanied by mind-based body image distortions/obsessions and body dysmorphic disturbances, the body-self provides an ideal opportunity to access healing neurological changes. The Feldenkrais Method © and Anat Baniel Method © based on the work of Moshe Feldenkrais incorporate gentle, slow and pleasurable movements leading to a reintegrated relationship and reconnection with the embodied self, making these methods particularly appropriate for the eating disorder patient. By stimulating a novel awareness and sensing of the self within real time, these methods give rise to new options for "moving forward in life," for a more versatile use of self in discerning options for choice-making and problem-solving, evoking a growing sense of wholeness, well-being and empowerment. By upgrading the structure and function of the brain and nervous system through embodied mindfulness, these methods return individuals in "emotional exile" back to themselves.