Eating Disorders and Body Concerns
Have you been feeling stuck in a food cycle you have been unable to break? Are you finding it increasingly hard to enjoy things around you because your mind keeps returning to thoughts of food, weight, and body? Do you find yourself reaching for food at the end of the day because you are ravenous and feel out of control, or reaching for food because it helps you feel comfort, feel something, or feel nothing at all? Are you tired of how much time you spend thinking about food, anxiety about when and what you eat, and the shame that comes after? Do you feel powerless to change?
How it feels
Being in the midst of an eating disorder can feel out of control and no amount of willpower seems to help. Having an eating disorder is like having a best friend and an enemy all wrapped up in one; like living with a monster in your head. The monster is confusing because it is abusive, controlling, and critical, but also promises you the world (happiness, worthiness, love, calm) if you just do what it says.
Having an eating disorder feels like being stuck…
Stuck in a body you don’t like.
Stuck obsessing about food day in and day out.
Stuck in a cycle of shame, guilt, and self-loathing.
Stuck in despair; a fear the cycle will never end.
Having an eating disorder feels like being stuck in a never-ending dream to change your body… but maybe, recently, or even a while back, you realized that you have become stuck chasing a dream that is not the answer. Now the dream hurts, both mentally and physically; the dream has stripped you of happiness and relationships, and the dream with all of its promises, has become a nightmare.
Eating disorders happen to people of all ages, shapes, and sizes. You are not alone. Eating disorders thrive in secrecy, they make you feel like you are never enough and that you are not worthy of self-care, love, and connection. My goal is to help you out of that isolation and start to claim your worth. It is never too late to ask for help, and it is never too late to emerge from a nightmare.
What to Expect of Therapy
We will start with a thorough assessment of your history, to understand your specific struggles, triggers, and underlying issues. During the first few therapy sessions, we will work toward establishing a good therapeutic alliance built on mutual trust, honesty, and empathy. I am here to listen non-judgmentally and work toward an understanding of your specific needs and experiences. Together, we will establish a treatment plan tailored to your needs and preferences. If you feel like I am not a good fit for you, please do not hesitate to share this. Not all clients and therapists work well together. It is very important that you feel comfortable with me. Also, know that therapy is hard. It requires a significant investment of effort, energy, patience, and perseverance. I am here to guide and support you but ultimately it is your openness and willingness to implement changes that will guide your journey in recovery.
In general, therapy for eating disorders aims to help you understand and change unhealthy thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors related to food, body image, and self-esteem. Pending your individual needs, we will spend time focusing on a variety of relevant topics, including but not limited to food, body-image, self-esteem, maladaptive thoughts and related feelings, emotion regulation, intrinsic and extrinsic pressures, core beliefs, relationships, family and generational habits, communication patterns, interpersonal skills, and avenues of change.
In therapy, we will rely heavily on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help challenge distorted thoughts and beliefs, and learn coping strategies to manage cravings, regulate emotions, and develop healthier behaviors around eating and body image. In line with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we will acknowledge your full range of emotions, work toward changing the way you react toward distressing thoughts and feelings, and explore your personal values so that you may start making choices to live according to your principles.
We will pull from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to combine CBT, ACT and mindfulness practices to help improve emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance. This is particularly beneficial for persons who struggle with emotional or binge eating. We may also discuss mindfulness techniques to cultivate awareness of the present-moment with nonjudgmental acceptance of thoughts, emotions and sensations.
We will likely utilize Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) to address interpersonal issues that can contribute to and maintain an eating disorder. Identifying and communicating feelings, needs, and boundaries is integral to reducing the need for eating disorder behaviors.
Body Image therapy focuses on helping you develop a more positive and accepting relationship with your body; it involves challenging societal standards of beauty, exploring the origins of negative body image beliefs, and practicing self-compassion and body acceptance. I operate from a Health at Every Size perspective, focusing on your health and well-being rather than weight loss, body shape, or size.
Making lifestyle changes may also become relevant. Developing a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity, adequate sleep, and stress management techniques supports long-term eating disorder recovery.
Learning strategies to prevent relapse will be discussed. Knowing how to identify and cope with triggers that may lead to relapse is essential to treatment. When the time comes, we will develop a relapse prevention plan to help you stay on track in your recovery journey.
Lastly, here may be a time when you are referred for nutritional counseling, medication management, and/or medical assessment or intervention. During those times, I will explain why a referral is clinically indicated, what type of information and intervention will most likely be helpful, and how to find a provider. Eating disorder treatment is often a team effort, and making sure that you are both medically well and are working towards healthy eating habits, are both integral parts of therapy for eating disorders.
The Goals of Therapy
Ultimately, the goals of eating disorder psychotherapy are to empower you to break free from the cycle of disordered eating, cultivate a positive and fulfilling life beyond the constraints of the eating disorder, heal your relationship with your body, and achieve lasting physical, emotional, and psychological well-being.
