Eating Disorders & emotional Eating
What is emotional eating?
Although we may assume there is a clear distinction between eating disorders and emotional (or disordered) eating, that’s usually not the case. Emotional eating tends to refer to moments in which an individual overeats to self-soothe in moments in which their emotions feel overwhelming. These feelings may include boredom, stress, sadness, fear, exhaustion, or even peer pressure. As an example, if you’re feeling lonely or sad after work, you might order your favorite comfort food and eat an extra helping or two. The food may offer a moment of peace and calm as your body releases dopamine and you feel a sense of satiation; however, later that day, guilt or shame about your choice may set it, and the cycle may repeat itself.
Emotional eating may or may not involve body dysmorphia, which is when a person has a distorted perception of his or her body. For someone struggling with body dysmorphia, the individual often becomes consumed with negative feelings about his or her appearance, typically to a degree that it affects various aspects of life (e.g., not spending time with others or leaving home, constantly looking in a mirror, etc). Emotional eating is more common than an eating disorder, and the degree to which it affects your life can help you understand what kind of support may be most helpful.
What is an eating disorder?
An eating disorder is a more serious concern related to eating that affects various areas of of life, including physical health and mental health. The most common eating disorders are:
Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa
Binge-Eating Disorder (BED)
Some of the ways in which they can negatively impact one’s life include:
physical problems: malnutrition due to restriction or an inability for the body to absorb nutrients, damage to the throat from purging, disrupted GI functionality from excessive laxative or supplement use, injury from over-exercise, excessive weight gain or weight loss, long-term health problems, death, etc.
emotional toll: avoiding social activities or not leaving your home, preoccupation with one’s body and a need to look a certain way, self-loathing for missing a day of exercise or eating too much, feeling shame or guilt whenever you eat, irritability at self and others, relationship problems, depression, anxiety, and thoughts or behaviors involving self-harm or suicide, etc.
Although most eating disorders involve focusing on food, body image and weight gain or weight loss, the underlying reason for having an eating disorder is a lot more complicated. Behaviors related to eating disorders tend to be related to finding a way to feel a sense of certainty and control over one’s life. In other words, by very meticulously dictating exactly what is eaten and when it’s eaten, an individual may be able to feel a sense of control amidst other chaotic aspects of life.
Eating disorders can develop throughout the course of life, though many people notice they begin during the teenage and early adult years. Some people live with an eating disorders without respite, whereas other people may notice that they resurface or become more pronounced during more stressful or overwhelming periods in life.
how cAN integrative therapy, mindfulness, and HYPNOTHERAPY HELP WITH EMOTIONAL EATING AND EATING DISORDERS?
Eating disorders and emotional eating can be difficult mental health concerns to treat, because you cannot avoid the stimulus (i.e., food) in your recovery. Therefore, it takes a holistic and integrated approach to help with both the physical health and mental health aspects of these struggles. Research has demonstrated that a combination of hypnosis and mindfulness can be particularly helpful in regards to curbing food cravings, slowing or stopping binge eating, increasing self-compassion towards one’s body, combatting perfectionist tendencies, and shifting long-held negative beliefs about food, body image, and weight.
At SGS Practices, we use a combination of hypnotherapy, mindfulness techniques, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and interpersonal therapy to help change thoughts and behaviors related to food, body image, and weight. More importantly, we take an active approach to understand the origin of the disordered eating in order to target unconscious and conscious reasons for your need to feel in control and your desire to avoid negative emotions. Our approach will always take your specific needs into account, and together, we will devise a treatment plan to help you free yourself from the burdens of an endless battle with food.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder or emotional eating, please get in touch by email to schedule an appointment or learn more about how we can help.