eating disorder therapy
do you feel at war with your own body?
Do you feel uncomfortable in your own skin? Do you yo-yo diet? Do you obsess over food?
is your relationship with food unhealthy?
Does food seem to run your life? Do you structure your day around meals and exercise? Do you feel you’re too controlling when it comes to eating?
heal your relationship with food
are you rigid with your eating?
“I never felt I had an eating disorder, but I was so rigid with my eating and exercise and was perfectionistic. It was getting out of control and making me miserable. I wanted to go out with my friends and skip the gym if I felt like it. In therapy, I learned the roots of these patterns and I finally have a healthy relationship with food and exercise.” -Danielle, Denver
Are you stuck in a Binge and Purge cycle?
“I felt so ashamed of my bulimia and I hid it for a long time. It made me so depressed and anxious. In therapy, I healed from the shame of this disorder. I learned to stop the cycle and now I have coping tools that don’t have anything to do with food. I feel so much better now.” – Anne, Aurora
Do you use food as a comfort?
“After I moved out on my own I just didn’t cope well. It spiraled into using food to comfort myself when I got upset, disappointed or anxious. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. In therapy I found someone who listened, understood, didn’t judge me, and had insanely helpful tools. I got real help for the first time, and it was such a relief.” – Mark, Denver
eating disorder therapy works
Issues with food and body image come in many forms. Therapy can help with:
- Anorexia-a pattern of restrictive and rigid eat that often (but not always) result in an unhealthy weight.
- Bulimia– a cycle of bingeing (eating large amounts of food in a short time) and purging via vomiting, exercise, or food restriction.
- Binge Eating Disorder (BED)– a pattern of binge eating that feels out of control or compulsive.
- Orthorexia– a preoccupation with “healthy” food that leads to rigid eating patterns.
Therapy is an effective and long-lasting treatment for eating disorders. Therapy can prevent an eating disorder from becoming more severe.
Not treating eating disorders can lead to many physical problems like cardiovascular disease as well as mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and suicide.
signs and symptoms of Eating Disorders
Being overly restrictive in the types or amount of food you eat could be the sign of an eating disorder.
Labeling some foods (or food groups) as “bad” and becoming fearful of them is a hallmark of eating disorders. Prioritizing healthy foods is a good thing, but an overly rigid view of foods as being good or bad can lead to disordered eating.
If food is controlling your life (and not the other way around) this could be a sign of an eating disorder. One common way this happens is avoiding social situations because of the food that will be served, or the expectation to eat (such as at a holiday meal).
If you find yourself obsessively thinking about food, counting calories, or weight it could be a sign of an eating disorder.
Body image and health is a part of self-esteem for everyone. However, in eating disorders it becomes the sole focus and sole source of self-esteem.
Body dysmorphia is a compenent of eating disorders for some people. It’s an inaccurate perception of weight or body size. For example, you may feel bigger than you are, or believe a part of your body is malformed, even if it’s normal.
Binge eating is defined as a period of eating that feels out of control, where a large amount of food is consumed. Usually it’s junk food or sweets. It’s always accompanied by feeling of shame, embarrassment, or guilt.
Eating disorder can sometimes include periods of eating in secret, or hiding the amount of food eaten. It can also include a fear of eating in front of other people.
Exercise can get out of control if it’s unhealthy. Exercising too much or too rigidly can be a sign of an eating disorder. Using exercise to ‘purge’ food or being unable to skip exercise for some other activity is a warning sign.
We all have comfort foods or indulge from time to time, but a pattern of using food for coping can be unhealthy.
Purging means trying to get rid of food or calories through self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise. People that suffer from bulimia feel stuck in a cycle of binge eating and then purging.
When suffering from an eating disorder you focus so much on things related to eating there’s no room for anything else. There is a significant portion of your brain that is always thinking about food, your body. Planning what to eat, planning what not to eat, reflecting on what you did or didn’t eat, etc.