Posted 15th February 2025
Posted 1 day ago
By Jennie Penkul
Why would your mind lie to you?
In this text I consider why and how our brain distorts what we see reflected in the mirror.
Email us at support@bddclinic.org or message us on +44 7956577755 to book a free 15-minute conversation about how we can help you.
Welcome to The Thorndon Centre
BDD Clinic
We're here to support people who have appearance concerns or a body image disorder that impacts their day-to-day life. We understand the challenges and complexity of BDD, and so where possible we also support the families of our clients.
The BDD Programme is written and led by therapists who have a personal history of serious and enduring body dysmorphia themselves. Here you will be part of a family of people who share the same aim: to make sense of their body image issues and take substantial steps towards recovery.
We also provide services to professionals and organisations who support people who live with the challenges of BDD.
Does appearance anxiety get in the way of your life, your relationships and work? Are you tired of feeling hopeless, and overwhelmed?
As lived experience psychotherapists and coaches we have personal experience of the impact of Body Dysmorphia. We want to help you to feel better, so we've created an innovative, holistic programme for people just like you. Our team is dedicated to reducing delays in assessment, diagnosis and treatment and to set people on an effective and supported path to recovery. We focus on raising awareness so that people can get help as soon as possible.
The BDD Programme is designed to support people who suffer with body image concerns BDD to take steps towards getting unstuck and starting to live life to the full. This is a compassionate approach where participants are encouraged to immerse themselves in a culture of self-understanding and acceptance- helping them to care for themselves better. It is also about finding equanimity, meaning and connection.
People who have appearance anxiety or BDD experience a great deal of distress: they see themselves as having defects that make them ugly, abnormal, or disgusting. They are often dominated by a preoccupation with an aspect of their face or body and compelled to resolve this.
The person's concern is usually about a feature that other people believe is part of the normal variations in appearance we humans have, or about a 'defect' which simply can't be seen by others. This disparity between what the person sees reflected in the mirror and what his or her loved ones tell them causes a huge amount of distress.
Go here to read about BDD and see our Resources page for further information and resources.
Our therapists relate to you because they have lived with BDD themselves and they've had years of training and clinical experience.
Supporting your recovery and wellbeing through our BDD Programme, Live Events and Retreats for people who suffer with appearance concerns.
Training for therapists, schools and other professionals working with people who have BDD. We also offer supervision for therapists working with clients who have body image concerns.
In this text I consider why and how our brain distorts what we see reflected in the mirror.
This article explores the challengs of being a carer and how we can use the practice of mindfulness to support us.
We believe that in some circumstances it’s important to consider having a full assessment, possibly also a formal psychiatric diagnosis.