Eating Disorder Therapy
Do You Struggle With Guilt, Shame, Or Embarrassment Around Eating?
Are you exhausted from spending more and more of your time counting calories, food planning or judging your appearance, instead of feeling energized and engaged in life? Do you avoid social gatherings or try to hide your eating patterns from your friends and family? Despite your best efforts, do you find yourself falling back into your old patterns—and then blaming yourself for your “failure”?
Living with an eating disorder can feel cyclical, frustrating and discouraging. It can seem as though you lack agency in your own life.
Is Disordered Eating Consuming Your Life And Sapping Your Energy?
Perhaps you no longer consider food a source of pleasure and nourishment. Instead, watching your weight, hiding your eating disorder, and dealing with your ongoing anxiety about food can start to feel like a full-time job. You might track the calories in every bite of food, exercise excessively, or make excuses to your loved ones about why you can’t attend gatherings where you’ll be expected to eat.
Additionally, you may try to eat in secret because you’re ashamed of your food rituals. Physical symptoms like fatigue, dental problems, and gastrointestinal issues can take an additional toll on your overall energy level and your wellbeing.
Engaging in binge eating, purging, or food restricting can make you feel like you’re losing control, especially if you’ve tried to change these patterns in the past. By working with an eating disorder specialist who understands the intricacies and nuances of effective eating disorder therapy, you can learn how to honor your own needs, improve your connections with others, and transform your relationship with food from a “foe” to a “friend”.
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Causes Of Eating Disorders Are Complex
The cause of an eating issue is often multifactorial—it is not due to a lack of resolve. Influences by family, culture and social media can be contributing factors. Many families instill norms, such as “everyone must clean their plate” and “it’s not dinner without dessert.” Fast foods and highly-processed foods are prevalent in American society and serving sizes are quite large.
American culture has placed a major emphasis on appearance, enforcing unrealistic expectations around weight, food and body image. In addition, digital technology has super-charged our cultural beauty standards, making people want to look their best “on camera.”
Many People Hesitate To Seek Help For Eating Disorders
People are often ashamed to admit they are struggling with an eating disorder, and if they can’t overcome their symptoms on their own, they blame themselves for not having enough willpower. Historically, society has framed eating disorders as a “women’s issue,” which often discourages men from reaching out for help.
Furthermore, lots of people develop eating disorders in order to survive challenging periods in life, as well as painful emotions. Their eating disorder has been a life-raft, and although it has served them for many years, it has outlived its usefulness. An individual might fear that working with an eating disorder counselor automatically means giving up this survival mechanism, and they may worry about how they’ll cope with life’s stressors without their life-raft. But this process is actually the essence of beneficial eating disorder therapy—I help my clients “let go” of their eating disorder in their own time, when they are ready to say “goodbye.”
You do not have to tackle eating disorder recovery by yourself. As an eating disorder specialist, I can help you develop a healthier relationship with food, live authentically, and learn to trust your inner wisdom and instincts so that you can navigate life’s challenges independently in the future.
No Shame, No Judgment—There Is Hope For Eating Disorder Recovery Through Counseling
You might be reluctant to work with an eating disorder therapist because you’ve tried to hide your symptoms for so long that even the thought of opening up is overwhelming. In my practice, I provide a judgment-free space where you will not be expected to follow a specific food plan or report everything you eat. Instead, we’ll work together to identify what factors might have contributed to your eating disorder and focus on embracing every part of yourself, building fulfilling relationships, and learning to enjoy food again.
What To Expect In Eating Disorder Therapy Sessions
When you begin therapy, I’ll meet you where you are. We’ll discuss what motivated you to start counseling, what you hope to gain by working together, and which symptoms are holding you back from creating the life you really desire
Rather than requiring you to “say goodbye” to your eating disorder immediately, we’ll explore what purpose your eating patterns have served in your life so far. I’ll support you in shifting away from these patterns over time and replacing them with healthy lifestyle practices that will better serve you over the long-term.
During a typical session, you’ll share what’s troubling you in the present day, and what you would like to work on. We’ll explore any unexpressed emotions, unfinished business that may need attention, or any old negative core beliefs that might need challenging.
Experiential exercises can be instrumental to help you integrate your insights and help you move forward. At the end of each session, we’ll go over what you learned about yourself, anything you found meaningful, and how these lessons can be applied in your everyday life.
Treatment Approaches For Eating Disorder Therapy
In my practice, I emphasize Gestalt therapy, which honors that we each have many parts that make up our whole “self”. Gestalt therapy recognizes that each part of yourself is important, has intrinsic value, and should have a voice in your healing process. Through parts work, you can find relief from the inner conflicts that may be exacerbating your eating disorder.
Many clients have early, embedded messages from growing up that do not serve them present-day and need to be challenged or replaced. Additionally, we can delve into any attachment issues that may be keeping you stuck in codependent, enmeshed relationships, or discouraging you from opening up to others and forming genuine connections.
I also apply the following techniques catered to fit your individual needs and goals in therapy:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help you rewrite negative core beliefs and broaden your perceptions beyond your eating disorder.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) teaches you how to build mindfulness skills and strengthen your distress tolerance, which aids you in practicing radical acceptance.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) enables you to live in alignment with your core values while processing painful emotions with grace.
An eating disorder does not have to be a lifelong condition. In therapy, you can gain a sense of empowerment and ownership over your life, heal your mind-body connection, and start to feel comfortable in your own skin.
But You May Still Have Questions About Eating Disorder Therapy…
How do I know if I actually have an eating disorder?
If you’re concerned that something is “off” when it comes to your relationship with food and your eating patterns, you do not need a specific diagnosis to work with a therapist. Many people seek therapy for eating issues that do not fit the criteria for a particular diagnosis, and some people deal with symptoms reminiscent of anorexia, bulimia, food addiction, and binge eating disorder at various times. I offer a free consultation to discuss your situation since eating disorders can present differently from person to person.
I’ve tried therapy before, and nothing changed. How will this time be different?
My approach to eating disorder therapy is centered around transforming your relationship with food, with yourself, and with others, rather than putting you on diets or a specific food plan. You’ll learn about setting boundaries, expressing yourself freely, and enhancing your relationship to vitality in life. I’ll prepare you to handle life’s stresses on your own so that you can cope with challenges outside of sessions, without returning to disordered eating patterns.
Do I have to report everything I eat, and will you take my eating disorder away?
In my practice, I do not force you to “quit” your eating disorder or keep a food journal. I trust that you’ll gradually be able to let go of your unhealthy eating habits as you learn effective coping skills, and we’ll move through treatment at a pace that works for you. Since people in eating disorder therapy find that maintaining a food journal brings up shameful feelings, I don’t require it, but you’re welcome to write in a food journal if you find it helpful.
Discover That There Is More To Life Beyond Food And Fear
With support, you can embrace a new chapter of your life that is not defined by anxiety around food. To begin your journey to transform your relationship with food and eating, I encourage you to call to learn more about eating disorder therapy at our office at (303) 483-8253. I am happy to answer any questions, schedule a free initial consultation, or book your first session.
