If you are struggling with your relationship with food you might be thinking about eating disorder therapy. You might not be sure that what you have is an eating disorder but you know you would like to stop having so much anxiety around food and eating. Most of the women I work with aren’t convinced they have an eating disorder, and I’m not necessarily here to convince you that you have an eating disorder but I want to help you understand more about what your options are.
Whether you have an eating disorder or not, you can still make peace with food and stop waging the war on your body. I am here to help you decide if eating disorder therapy is something that might help you and know what to expect. I want you to be able to make the decision for yourself on whether treatment is right for you or now.
What is eating disorder therapy?
Eating disorder therapy is a therapy service provided by a licensed therapist for the treatment of eating disorder symptoms. The goal of eating disorder therapy is to decrease anxiety around food, eating, and the body. Successful eating disorder therapy entails elminating the symptoms of an eating disorder. Eating disorder therapy is uniquely tailored to you, and what you are struggling with specifically. Furthermore, this type of therapy utilizes an intuitive eating approach. Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach to changing eating habits. Intuitive eating helps you learn to trust your body and listen to what it wants rather than eating by rules you have created for yourself—eating disorder therapy involves focusing on healing from past experiences where you have learned that the size of your body is essential. Eating disorder treatment often requires a team approach with the help of a psychiatrist, registered dietitian, and medical provider.
What are the symptoms of an eating disorder?
There are many different symptoms of an eating disorder. These are just a few to consider:
Preoccupation with food and weight
Frequent dieting or weight loss tactics
Rules around food and eating
Anxiety around eating and food
Cutting out entire food groups
Restricting when you are allowed to eat
Discomfort with eating around others
Refusing to eat certain foods
Fluctuations in weight
Gastrointestinal problems
Feelings of guilt or disgust after eating
Eating food in secret or hiding food
What is eating disorder therapy like?
Eating disorder therapy involves meeting with a therapist on a weekly basis. As an eating disorder therapist, I tell my clients to plan on attending on a weekly basis for 12 months to 18 months on average. Honestly, it often takes longer. I know it can be discouraging to think about the timeframe, but keep in mind that during this period, you are making progress week by week and feeling better gradually. It doesn’t mean that you are in for 18 months of torture. You don’t have to expect to keep feeling the way you are feeling now through the entire process. Your eating disorder therapist might also recommend you see a registered dietitian who specializes in eating disorders. It’s important that both your dietitian and your therapist have specialized training in eating disorder treatment. Eating disorders are complex conditions and require the right type of support in order to recover. I have had several clients who have seen therapists without the right experience and training, and it has been detrimental to their recovery. I want you to have a good experience and be able to trust you are going to get good care.
How do you get over an eating disorder?
Recovering from an eating disorder involves focusing on working with your eating disorder treatment team to achieve the goals you have as well as goals they believe will help you recover. In order to really recover from an eating disorder, you have to really be invested in changing your attitudes and beliefs about yourself and food. This doesn’t mean you have to know how to do it but to be all in and committed is something necessary. Everyone’s needs and goals for their specific eating disorder will be a little different. Some people need to restore weight because they are medically compromised at their current weight. Everyone should be working with a therapist and a dietitian on how to manage anxiety around eating and to make sure you are eating enough and a variety of foods. A big part of recovery is to utilize help and support outside of therapy and dietary appointments. Your family, friends, and other supports can also benefit from learning and understanding your eating disorder and what they can do to support eating disorder recovery.
Is binge eating an eating disorder?
Binge eating disorder is an eating disorder, yes. Does everyone who binge eats have an eating disorder? No. Just like all eating disorders, there is a frequency of behaviors for it to be a diagnosable eating disorder. However, Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in the united states. To meet a binge eating disorder diagnosis, one has to have recurrent and persistent episodes of binge eating.
What are the symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder?
Some common symptoms of Binge Eating disorder include the following:
Feelings of disgust or guilt after overeating or binging
Distress around binge eating behaviors
Eating alone because of embarrassment around binge eating
Eating large amounts of food not due to physical hunger
Eating until uncomfortably full
What is disordered eating?
Disordered eating encompasses eating disorder behaviors but isn’t quite to the level of an eating disorder diagnosis. Disordered behavior is often the things people do with food that might be socially acceptable or even encouraged but are unhealthy. One example is intermittent fasting. This is a disordered behavior and can also progress to a full-blown eating disorder. Disordered eating involves frequent dieting, or cutting out certain food groups. People with disordered eating might have rules around food such as having to skip breakfast in order to feel like they can eat dinner. People that choose to stop drinking soda or have demonized sugar in hopes of manipulating weight or becoming thinner demonstrate signs of disordered eating. The list could go on forever but there are a lot of things that might seem normal behavior with food in our society that are actually on the spectrum of disordered eating.
What is the most successful treatment for an eating disorder?
The most successful treatment is the one that works best for you and helps encourage recovery. CBT is a commonly prescribed eating disorder therapy model to use but it’s also not sufficient to help someone recover. It’s one tool that people can use to help combat eating disorder thoughts. More important than a therapy model is that you are attending therapy every week and have a safe and trusting relationship with your eating disorder therapist. If you feel that you can work together to alter the approach so it fits you and your current needs then you will likely have more success in recovery. Along with working with a therapist is receiving nutrition education and nutrition therapy from an eating disorder dietitian. Acceptance and commitment therapy and EMDR are also used for eating disorder treatment.
EMDR for Eating Disorders
Eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma therapy model that can also be used to help with the treatment of eating disorders. EMDR alone definitely will not cure an eating disorder but it’s one tool to help. EMDR is used when a client is determined as medically stable and is eating consistently according to their dietary guidelines. Furthermore, this therapy model helps clients be able to challenge the negative beliefs they have about themselves and how they should eat or present that may not be helpful. Many people with eating disorders have negative experiences in their past that also contributed to their eating disorder. Full recovery from an eating disorder requires
What is the average time to overcome an eating disorder?
The answer to this is different for everyone but the answer probably is longer than you probably would have hoped. I know the answer can be discouraging because it’s not a quick process. Eating disorders are complex illnesses and a variety of factors need to be treated in order for you to be considered recovered. You can expect to be in therapy for several years and even when you finish therapy you won’t be fully recovered. You will have to focus on making sure you are following your meal plan and managing your triggers. Recovery is a gradual process and you have to work at it but one day you’ll wake up and realize you don’t feel the way you feel right now. You’ll realize you don’t have to put in so much work to maintaining recovery but it feels more natural. You won’t feel as triggered or overwhelmed with anxiety around food. It will happen but it’ll happen slowly.
Eating disorder therapy can help you get your life back
Working on eating disorder recovery will truly be the best thing you’ll ever do with your life. I have never met a person who fully recovered from their eating disorder that regretted it. It can be challenging and painful to do but your life will be better than you can ever imagine. You might not be able to see it now but one day you’ll be eating waffles for breakfast with the person you love, and you’ll be able to enjoy the moment and the food. You won’t have to calculate the calories that you are eating or figure out how to compensate for them later. Eating disorder therapy can help you get there. Working with an eating disorder therapist can give you the skills you need to fully recover.
Start eating disorder therapy in Utah
You don’t have to stay stuck in your eating disorder. You don’t have to feel like food consumes your every thought. You can stop thinking about food the moment you wake up until your head hits the pillow at night. Eating disorder therapy can help you make peace with food and your body. This Northern Utah Counseling Center has an eating disorder therapist who can help. To begin eating disorder therapy follow the steps below:
Meet with an eating disorder therapist in Utah
Begin eating disorder recovery
Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah
I know how important it is to work with a therapist that specializes in eating disorders to help you recover. Unfortunately, there are many parts of Utah that don’t have access to someone with eating disorder training and experience. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. This allows you to meet with an eating disorder therapist without having to commute or travel. It’s already a lot to try and heal from disordered eating and you shouldn’t have to worry about having access to a therapist. Online counseling is effective, safe, and convenient.
Telehealth therapy allows me to work with clients in Salt Lake City, Cedar City, Heber City, St. George, and Logan.
Other mental health services at Maple Canyon Therapy
Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service provided by this Utah Counseling Practice. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include anxiety therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, birth trauma, EMDR therapy, and body image therapy in Utah.
About the Author
Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and owner of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. Ashlee has a degree in psychology and a degree in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She received her masters in social work from Utah State University. Ashlee has wanted to work with eating disorders since she was a freshman in high school and had her first eating disorder client as a graduate student therapist. She loves helping women find peace and empowerment in their bodies. Ashlee believes eating disorder recovery is fully possible and has seen many women successfully recover. When Ashlee isn’t in therapy mode she is enjoying Utah landscape and most recently discovered Mirror Lake near Heber City, Utah.