Therapy for Eating Disorders:

I have both training and personal experience providing therapy to clients who are struggling with eating disorders and negative body image.

What is an eating disorder?

Eating disorders are medical illnesses characterized by irregular eating habits and severe distress or concern about body weight or shape. Eating disturbances may include inadequate or excessive food intake, which can ultimately damage an individual’s physical and emotional well-being. Eating disorders affect all genders and can develop during any stage in life, but typically appear during adolescence or young adulthood. In the United States, up to 30 million people are diagnosed with some form of an eating disorder. Eating disorders commonly coexist with other conditions, such as anxiety disorders, substance abuse or depression.

My therapeutic approach:

My goal is to help you regain and restore control of your body and your life, while helping you see that your eating disorder is not more powerful than you are. I will aim to assist you in discovering and reconnecting with your healthy self, in order to help you determine and understand the purpose your eating disorder and its related behaviors are currently serving you. Throughout our time together, you will begin to identify and pay attention to the painful thoughts and feelings that are the foundation of your eating disorder, and develop the tools to respond to these thoughts and feelings in a way your body and mind needs. I will help you to challenge the way that your eating disorder tells you to think and behave, while you discover healthier replacement behaviors. It is my hope that you will develop and strengthen your healthy self as we heal your emotional wounds.

Definitions and more information:

• Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by self-starvation, excessive weight loss, fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image.

• Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by the ingestion of an abnormally large amount of food in short periods of time, followed by an attempt to avoid gaining weight by purging what was consumed. The amount of food consumed varies and methods of purging include forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, and extreme or prolonged periods of exercising.

• Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food (often quickly and to the point of discomfort) with a sense of loss of control during a binge, followed by shame, distress or guilt afterwards. Usually, compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting or extreme exercising after binge eating are not utilized.

• Individuals with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) have developed some type of problem with eating, resulting in not getting adequate calories or nutrition through their diet. This results in significant weight loss and nutritional deficiencies. There are many types of eating problems that may arise such as: difficulty digesting certain foods, avoiding certain colors or textures of food, eating only small portions, having no appetite or being afraid to eat after a frightening episode of choking, vomiting or stomach pain. Individuals with ARFID typically don’t fear gaining weight nor have a distorted body image. It predominantly affects children and teens; however, some adults also struggle with the disorder.

• Orthorexia is characterized by a fixation or obsession to eat only “healthy” foods or to avoid entire food groups. The most common form of Orthorexia is an obsession with healthy foods and planning one’s diet to the extreme to make sure that undesired foods and food groups are not consumed. Anxiety results when they deviate from their diet. Orthorexia is not currently recognized as a clinical diagnosis, yet many people struggle with symptoms associated with this term.

Atlanta Therapy for Eating Disorders

Therapy for eating disorders provides a support system for people struggling with low self-esteem from having a negative image of their body. This is a common problem with women, but it also affects men as well. The therapist’s role is to apply specialized training along with personal insights to empower clients with the tools that reduce suffering and increase self-esteem.

Overview of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are relatively common in the United States. Around 30 million people experience an eating disorder at some point, and it often combines with other conditions to affect the person’s quality of life. All age groups and genders can be affected by an eating disorder, but adolescents and young adults tend to be at the highest risk due to social pressures. Intervention is one of the main components of successful treatment. This disorder can affect the person's long-term health, so access to an effective mental health therapist is essential.

These disorders can cause extreme levels of distress, and they can interfere with normal activities. Some cases are severe enough to warrant a medical diagnosis. Other cases of eating disorders are relatively mild. The role of the eating disorder therapist is to determine what underlying causes exist that make the eating disorder harmful. Various therapeutic techniques can then be applied to address the situation at the root.

Eating Disorder Therapy

The role of the therapist is to enable the client to regain control over the situation. This includes improving the person’s self-esteem while enabling positive changes in daily life. Each person is more powerful than the disorder itself, so cultivating this view is central to the success of the therapy. Healthy self-image is natural, and there are many ways to restore this view in your daily life.

Therapist for Eating Disorders, Anorexia, Body Issues, Self Esteem in Atlanta, GA

Examples of eating disorders treated at this clinic include the following:

• Anorexia: This disorder includes extreme weight loss accompanied by a fear of eating and weight gain of even small amounts.

• Bulimia: This eating disorder involves binge eating followed by an attempt to purge the food in order to avoid weight gain. Large quantities of food are often purged through self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, diuretics and excessive amounts of exercise.

• Binge eating disorder: People exhibiting this disorder will periodically indulge in rapid eating of large amounts of food until there is physical discomfort. There is a sensation of having no control, which is followed by powerful emotions of shame and guilt. Purging activities might be done as well.

• ARFID: This acronym stands for Avoidant or Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. This condition includes excessive avoiding food to the point of developing deficiencies in the person’s nutritional intake. Common signs include digestion problems, small-portion eating, loss of appetite, or fear of eating. However, this behavior isn’t motivated by poor body image. The fear of food has other origins, which must be uncovered in therapy.

The Healing Journey

The process of healing can take time, but it is possible to live a full and healthy life through the therapeutic process. This can involve self-education, regular therapy sessions and supplemental activities. Wellness is a process that should be adapted to the individual’s interests and proclivities. The therapist is a professional with the tools and understanding necessary to help clients take this inner journey of healing.