This day is an opportunity for participants to come together, form community, know they are not alone and take another step on their recovery journey
This Retreat day will be held on Saturday 6th August 11am – 4pm in Westcliff on Sea
The day is hosted by Dr Nicole Schackenberg and Minnie Iris
A day to come together in a relaxed, peaceful and supportive atmosphere where we will share and explore our unique experiences of living with BDD.
We will look at recovery principles for BDD through a variety of compassion informed approaches including a session with Dr. Sarah Silvers on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in relation to BDD.
This is a non-profit event and it is dedicated to the memory of Karin Hildebrandt.
Tickets are £30 (bursaries available)
To inquire or register, please contact Minnie before the 22nd July: minnieiris@clara.co.uk
This day is an opportunity for participants to come together, form community, know they are not alone and take another step on their recovery journey
Nightrider is a 50 or 100km bike ride through London at night. Our team will be cycling through the night, with an expected finish at around 2am! No small feat and we are incredibly proud to have them cycling for such an important cause. Not only are they raising funds, but they are raising awareness too!
The ride takes place this Saturday, 11th June.
Meet our team and sponsor them:
Professor David Veale: Long standing trustee of the BDD Foundation and a leading specialist in BDD. He is the Consultant Psychiatrist in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and Nightingale Hospital London in Marylebone. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Department of Psychology, King’s College London.
As a passionate cyclist, it was David’s idea to get a team together to ride Nightrider. Please consider sponsoring David via his Just Giving page.
Emily Bell is the most recent addition to the BDD Foundation trustee board. She worked for over 15 years for international development and humanitarian organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières and Pact. Emily relocated to the UK from Zambia in 2020, and she now works as a Family Worker for Cornwall Council, following a long-standing ambition to work in frontline social services.
Emily has clinically diagnosed OCD and BDD and feels strongly that both conditions are widely misunderstood, and is delighted to now be a trustee for the BDD Foundation.
Helene and Wayne are taking part in Nightrider together on a tandem bike!
They met as housemates during lockdown and began cycling around Sheffield and the Peak District on the tandem. As a couple they continue to enjoy racking up the scenic miles, including trips to Scotland, Liverpool, Wales and now London!
“BDD has reared its unwanted head personally within my family and we are proud to be taking the tandem on tour to raise money for the Foundation and acknowledge the courage of anyone who has been affected by BDD.”
You can learn more of their story and training on Youtube and can sponsor them on their Just Giving page.
Anna has recently joined the volunteer team at the BDD Foundation and is training to become a support group facilitator.
Anna is raising money for the BDD Foundation because many people with BDD go undiagnosed and so never get the treatment or support they need. The BDD Foundation is the only charity in the world exclusively dedicated to raising awareness and alleviating the suffering caused by BDD.
This day is an opportunity for participants to come together, form community, know they are not alone and take another step on their recovery journey
‘Celebrating Effective Action and Enduring Recovery’
As patron, Tracy Northampton, is kindly donating all the proceeds from the lunch to the BDD Foundation. Also on the panel there will be Dr Nicole Schnackenberg, trustee of the BDD Foundation and Alanah Bagwell who is a long standing charity volunteer and spokesperson.
The experts on the panel are:
Dr Barbara Rooney – Consultant Psychiatrist
Lou Lebentz – Founder at Trauma Thrivers, a psychotherapist, Speaker, EMDR and Trauma clinician
Dr Nicole Schnackenberg – Child, Community and Educational Psychologist. Yoga Therapist and BDD Foundation Trustee
We are excited to announce Charlie King as an ambassador for the BDD Foundation, alongside the launch of a ‘By Charles King’ t-shirt with proceeds going directly to the BDD Foundation.
Meet our new Ambassador – Charlie King:
In 2021 media personality Charlie King announced on national television his struggle with BDD. From the start of his career in reality TV to a celebrity fitness trainer he has felt personal struggle increase due to media pressure. During the pandemic this intensified resulting in him undergoing cosmetic surgery (rhinoplasty) which incurred complications causing his BDD to spiral. The response to this interview on Channel 4 was overwhelming and highlighting that this is a condition which a lot of people are still naive to, especially men. The BDD Foundation continue to support Charlie and many others without government funding, so using his platform and story Charlie wants to assist in raising awareness and money for the charity.
By Charles King x BDDF
Charlie has his own clothing line: By Charles King and he has kindly designed and produced an exclusive t-shirt with all proceeds going to the BDD Foundation.
By Charles King began with the intention to create pieces that you can wear and feel happy and proud to simply be yourself. With social media hashtags such as #ownyourcrown and #sharethelove we have seen customers relate and purchase all over the globe.
The design :
With the pressures of looking perfect on social media and with the use of filters it is very easy to lose sight of self-love. The t-shirt was designed by a 12 year old girl who was starting to question and not identify with what is looking back at her in the mirror. This was her first impression of what BDD Foundation does for this condition, cleverly using the logo with a heart felt image.
100% of profits on all t-shirts sold will go to BDD Foundation.
Raising awareness and understanding of the condition is extremely important to Charlie, due to his own experiences. This collaboration is very much aligned with the brand ethos. Through the sale of this t-shirt, we want people to learn about the condition as well as the help and support available to anyone affected by BDD through the work that the Foundation does.
Charlie is very aware that social media and reality TV photo editing can create a false idea of reality which can be very unhealthy. From Charlie’s own experience and feeling the pressures himself, this is exactly why By Charles King was founded. By Charles King is a fashion brand which is inclusive, celebrates all walks of life, and is transparent with their customers. All we want is to make people feel empowered while wearing our pieces, and our duty of care as a brand is to make conscious decisions when it comes to photography, marketing, representation, and even product. We want to create accessible aspiration, not unobtainable aspirations.
This day is an opportunity for participants to come together, form community, know they are not alone and take another step on their recovery journey
King’s College London aims to find out whether people with BDD think using Virtual Reality (VR) in treatment would be useful, whether they have concerns with such methods, and the effects of specific VR features on treatment. The information gathered will go towards investigating new treatment pathways and improving existing treatments for BDD.
You can take part in this study if:
You have had CBT for BDD
You are over the age of 18
You are fluent in English
What will you be asked to do?
If you choose to take part in this study, King’s College will invite you to a focus group with a small number of people who have BDD. You will be asked to discuss your thoughts and opinions with other participants on questions asked by the research team. The focus group session will last up to an hour and will be online on Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
If you are interested in participating and would like to find out more about the study, please contact the team using the contact form:
This day is an opportunity for participants to come together, form community, know they are not alone and take another step on their recovery journey
The article covers the signs and symptoms of BDD, the experience of living with the condition, treatment, recovery and how to access help via the Foundation.
Dr Rob Willson, Chairman of the BDD Foundation shares his expertise:
Explaining the first signs and symptoms of BDD to look out for, Dr Willson tells us they usually see the “person spending more and more time thinking about, being distressed about and carrying out behaviours related to their appearance.”
Kitty Wallace, Head of Operations, shares her experiences:
From the moment I woke up, to the moment I went to sleep, my mind whirred with the same thoughts over and over. I worried that people would judge me for how I looked, but I was equally as worried that they were judging me because I cared about how I looked. I really couldn’t win. Some days the thoughts were so overpowering, I couldn’t leave the house. Everyone around me just thought I was going through a phase. Something I’d grow out of. I didn’t.”
This day is an opportunity for participants to come together, form community, know they are not alone and take another step on their recovery journey
Nightrider gives you the rare chance to explore the capital in the dark, on two wheels! You have the choice of a 50km or 100km route which will take you past the best sights in London, including Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace. There’s full support along the route and regular breaks are provided. You’ll also be rewarded with a well-earned breakfast and medal at the finish.
Professor David Veale has signed up to cycle the 100km through London on Saturday 11th -12th June. Will you cycle with him to raise money for the BDD Foundation?
You can choose to cycle either 50km (takes about 3-4 hours with stops) or 100km (6 to 8 hours).
It will cost you £58 to register. For this you will receive free water and snack stops, mechanical support and marshals along the route. You’ll also be rewarded with a well-earned breakfast and medal at the finish. You’ll make friends and hopefully lifelong memories. It begins and ends in the Velo Park in Stratford. Highlights include cycling through Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, the Royal Opera House and the London Eye.
The charity will help you make a fundraising page and agree minimum target for you to raise with lots of tips. A lightweight road or hybrid bike is recommended. The minimum age for participants is 16. Those under 18 will need to provide a letter of consent from a parent or guardian.
This day is an opportunity for participants to come together, form community, know they are not alone and take another step on their recovery journey
Ben McLaughlin is a filmmaker from Philadelphia who has experienced body dysmorphia for 5 years now, and who now hopes to make a difference within the BDD community. He believes that the best way to do that is through a PSA campaign, titled ‘Strength in Numbers’, that shows the daily experiences of individuals that also deal with this condition.
“I have suffered from a hyperfixation on my body for years and it’s something that, at points, has dominated the state of my mental health. My goal with this project is to tell individual stories to broaden our communities’ knowledge on Body Dysmorphia and how it affects specific people. Your experience is unique to who you are, but you are not alone.”
McLaughlin and his crew of filmmakers are currently crowdfunding for the first PSA that showcases the stories of individuals with body dysmorphia. The film will tell John’s story- Ben’s best friend who inspired the campaign. It will follow his journey with muscle dysmorphia and the obsessive tendencies that come with it.
Not only are Ben and his team crowdfunding for the production of the piece, they are also donating 20% of each donation to the BDD Foundation.
This production is through Typo Film House, a start-up production company based in Philadelphia that McLaughlin has co-founded with four other passionate creatives. They need your help to share this important message with the world!
Please support the PSA by following this link and donating.
You can also stay up to date with the PSA and their other upcoming projects on Typo’s Instagram @typofilmhouse
This day is an opportunity for participants to come together, form community, know they are not alone and take another step on their recovery journey
MPs are examining the relationship between people’s perception of their body image and their physical and mental health. They will consider how far people’s perception of body image can hinder access to NHS services and whether NHS training and Government messaging should be altered.
As a charity we are incredibly supportiveof this inquiry and we believe it could be the start of real change.
We are proud to say that four individuals associated with the BDD Foundation provided witness evidence for this inquiry.
KimBooker has bravely shared her experience of Body Dysmorphic Disorder and how idealised images in the media as well as cosmetic treatments have played a part in the development and maintenance of her BDD
Dr Georgina Krebs, who is an Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor of Young People’s Mental Health and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, at University College London. She speaks on eating disorders and Body Dysmorphic Disorder including Muscle Dysmorphia in her evidence.
Watch her evidence here (go to around 10:47 minutes)
Nyome Nicholas who was involved in our Monki campaign on Selfie Love and petition calling for transparency on altered images online, James McVey from the band the Vamps and others also gave evidence on this.
Charlie King, an ambassador for the BDD Foundation gave evidence on his experience of BDD, bullying in childhood and plastic surgery that went wrong. You can watch his evidence here.
