Eating Disorders Therapy and Treatment

Common Concerns for those with Eating Disorders:

• Pre-occupation with body image
• Pre-occupation with food issues (whether to eat or to not eat)
• Compulsive behaviors and/or obsessive thoughts around food, eating, and body image

Eating disorders usually begin with a preoccupation with weight and food and are marked by negative behaviors around them, such as restrictions on food intake, compulsive over-eating, feelings of deep distress about body weight, or concern about physical shape. Eating disorders are complex conditions that can have very serious, devastating consequences for health, productivity, and relationships.They arise from a variety of physical, emotional, social, and familial issues, all of which need to be addressed for effective prevention and treatment.

The two main types of eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN). A third type of eating disorder is Binge Eating Disorder (BED), which has received recent attention and increased research.

Anorexia Nervosa is a very serious, potentially life-threatening disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. Anorexia Nervosa has four primary symptoms:

• The refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height: minimal weight is considered to be 85% of the standard weight expectation for age and size.

• An intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though the person is underweight.

• Self-perception that is grossly distorted and weight loss that is not acknowledged.

• In women who have already begun their menstrual cycle, at least three consecutive periods are missed (amenorrhea), or menstrual periods occur only after a hormone is administered.

Bulimia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a cycle of binging and purging behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating. Bulimia Nervosa has five primary symptoms:

• Recurrent episodes of binge eating, rapid consumption of a large amount of food in a concentrated period of time.

• A feeling of lack of control over the eating behavior during the eating episode, or a feeling that one cannot stop eating.

• Use of compensatory or purging behaviors in order to prevent weight gain. These behaviors can include self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas or other medications, fasting or excessive exercise.

• A minimum average of two binge eating episodes a week for at least three months.

• Persistent over-concern with body shape and weight.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a type of eating disorder not otherwise specified and is characterized by recurrent binge eating without the regular use of compensatory or purging behaviors to counter the binge eating. It is estimated that approximately one-to-five percent of the general population has BED. People who struggle with BED can be of normal or heavier than normal weight. BED is often associated with symptoms of depression. Binge Eating Disorder has five primary symptoms:

• Recurrent episodes of binge eating, that is, rapid consumption of a large amount of food in a concentrated period of time.
• Binge eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:
• Binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate purging and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa.

• • Eating much more rapidly than normal.
  • Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
  • Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
  • Eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating.
  • Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed or very guilty after overeating.
• Marked distress over binge eating.
• A minimum average of two binge eating episodes a week for at least six months.

Integrating EMDR Therapy into Treatment for Eating Disorders

The goal in the beginning stage of treatment is “stabilization.” Creating a good, trusting therapeutic relationship is a key. A Certified EMDR Eating Disorders specialist will want to work together with you to stabilize you so you can learn to handle highly-distressing emotions or to come out of the emotional numbing first and then handle the distress. These powerful emotions are what drive ED sufferers into distorted, compulsive behaviors. Treatment involves learning the survival skills essential to developing internal resources, especially the confidence to envision “who I will be without the disorder.”

The middle stage of Eating Disorder treatment is devoted to “processing” traumas. The traumas were initially experiences that were too intense to handle. These could be major traumas (big T’s), such as the death of a loved one, surviving abuse, and so on; or they could be smaller traumas (small t’s) that go unnoticed by most onlookers. For example, getting teased/criticized about your appearance may seem harmless; however, it can very traumatic for someone with low self confidence and limited coping skills. This type of “small t” trauma can lead to the use of compulsive ED behaviors such as restricting, bingeing, and/or purging to numb feelings or change appearance.

The concluding stage of treatment is “reintegration.” This stage includes seeing oneself in a new way, freer of disordered eating behaviors, but watchful for them during times of stress. It includes seeing oneself armed with new skills and a new identity for the present and into the future. Though this sounds very positive and pleasant, it does take time to grow, adjust, and establish this newer, kinder understanding of oneself. Our EMDR Eating Disorder therapists provide the treatment, understanding, and support to get you there.