Many survivors of physical or sexual abuse struggle with this. I am not a researcher, just a therapist that treats trauma survivors. I would estimate that most women in particular who are +50 pounds overweight have an untreated trauma. For many, attempting to exercise can trigger some physical "sense memories" from the original event and effectively pull off the scab. I also agree that yoga can definitely trigger this as well- directing that much awareness to the body in the present moment can be overwhelming for many.

I am not at all suggesting that this is what OP is experiencing, but I am offering that this is my clinical anecdotal experience, FWIW.

My close friend has a brother who is married and has 3 kids. They had an accidental fire in their attic that required significant restoration to their home. The wife began an affair with the general contractor on the project and left her husband over it.

The general contractor, I might add, is a woman.

I highly recommend that you start with Carol Werlinich. She is excellent and runs the Marriage and Family therapy program at UMD, and has a private practice in Silver Spring. She is great referral source for family therapy, even if she isn't available.

http://sph.umd.edu/fmsc/people/fac/cwerlinich.html

I would also suggest ask you MIL if she would be willing to pick three therapists that appeal to her and you all try to agree on one together. I would be curious what she says. She can browse profiles on psychologytoday.com.

I won't send you many more referrals as I suspect she will go her own way. Nevertheless, show up for the appointment and determine afterwards if it's going to help improve things.

And to the PP who had the terrible experience as a teen, I am glad you didn't let your negative experience get in the way of trying therapy again later. Unfortunately, many therapists have had no personal therapy themselves and this does a great disservice to the consumer.

I hope your experience in family therapy goes well, OP.

OP, it depends on the theoretical training of the therapist you see. In general, the ideal scenario is to have you all together so that no one in the family feels that the therapist favors one person over the over. The key element in gaining momentum is developing a positive trusting space for everyone involved. Yes, you all sit in a room together. The first session will likely be some family history, an an opportunity to describe the issues that brought you into therapy. If your MIL starts going off and dominating the whole session and the therapist doesn't reel her in firmly but respectfully, consider switching therapists. The bottom line is that most families have an "identified patient", who is often the one who manifests the obvious negative symptoms, and is generally the reason that the family begins counseling. Anyone working from a family systems approach believes that your family is just this, a social system that tries to maintain a homeostasis, and your MIL's behavior serves a purpose in maintaining it. The goal is to upset the status quo. If there is too much fighting and bickering going on, I might opt to see your husband alone as he is clearly in the middle.

Family therapy is always enlightening, even if it appears to not be going well. The fact that you MIL is willing to participate and risk being challenged speaks volumes and is positive. Give it a try, OP. If you find someone you all can trust to tolerate your feelings, you will find it very helpful. In my opinion, this is the most productive type of therapy there is.

-Marriage and Family Therapist