Social Media and Mental Health: The Paradox of Needing to be Seen and Fearing Exposure – with Christiane Sanderson

In the Spotlight: Social Media and Mental Health – Navigating the Paradox of Seeking Validation and Fearing Exposure

The role of shame, commodification of the body and their clinical implications

Introduction: Discover the profound role social media plays in our lives and its effects on mental health. Dive into the paradox of seeking validation, the commodification of the body, and the clinical implications associated with the ever-growing influence of social platforms.

Validation and Seeking Approval: Uncover how social media has become a substitute for the primary caregiver’s validation and mirroring, as we seek approval from others. Explore how sharing aspects of ourselves on social media provides a sense of belongingness, yet exposes us to intense scrutiny, social comparison, and potential shame, impacting our physical and mental well-being.

Shame and Social Norms: Delve into the fear of not fitting societal norms regarding appearance, status, or lifestyle. Understand the pressure to curate and edit profiles, airbrush or filter photographs to conform to social desirability, and the consequent impact on self-esteem, body image, and mental health. Explore the links between shame, body dissatisfaction, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, extreme dieting, exercise, and body modification through cosmetic surgery.

Body Commodification: Uncover how social media commodifies the body, turning it into an object for commercial gain. Examine the detrimental effects of this process on body satisfaction, self-perception, and the rise of extreme measures such as body modification and cosmetic procedures. Gain insights into the correlation between body commodification and mental health struggles.

Clinical Implications: Delve into the severe consequences of the impact of Social Media on self-image.  The fear of being shamed for not fitting in or not being perfect enough can have severe consequences on mental health such as:

• social anxiety
• social exclusion or isolation
• failure to live up to expectation of others
• loneliness
• extreme body modification
• depression and increased risk of suicide
• self-objectification, self-disgust and lack of embodiment

Delegates will learn about:

• the impact of social media on shame-based anxieties
• the manifestations in the therapy room such as the scrutiny of the therapist’s gaze
• how to work therapeutically with the symptoms of shame as outlined above
• how to help clients reclaim their body as their own through embodiment and by developing an internal locus of evaluation, rather than relying on external validation

About Christiane Sanderson BSc, MSc.

Christiane Sanderson is a retired senior lecturer in Psychology at the University of Roehampton. With 35 years’ experience working in child sexual abuse, sexual violence, domestic abuse and complex trauma, she has run consultancy and training for parents, teachers, social workers, nurses, therapists, counsellors, solicitors, the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Committee, the Methodist Church, the Metropolitan Police Service, the NSPCC and the Refugee Council. She is the author of many books on trauma, shame, childhood sexual abuse, and dissociation, including Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma (JKP 2013).

This is an ONLINE EVENT via Zoom with PowerPoint presentation and live discussion.

Open to psychological therapists (including trainees) from all modalities and health professionals.

CPD certificates supplied.

The vast majority of our professional CPD events are led by psychotherapists. Each delegate is responsible for self-care should material during the event trigger difficult personal feelings.