Therapy for Eating Disorders

What you might be experiencing:

Physical + Body Experiences

• stomach pain, nausea, bloating

• digestive discomfort

• cold hands/feet, sensitivity to temperature

• fatigue or low energy

• disrupted hormones/menstrual cycle

• trouble sleeping or irregular sleep

• feeling disconnected from the body

• changes in hunger/fullness cues (or loss of them)
  
  

Thoughts + Cognitions

• preoccupation with weight, food, body, or exercise

• rigid “good/bad” food thinking

• perfectionism or high self-criticism

• comparing body/food habits to others

• fear or shame around eating

• catastrophizing weight changes

• feeling “out of control” vs. “overcontrolled”

Behaviors + Patterns

• restricting food, rigid rules, delayed eating

• emotional eating

• compensatory behaviors (overexercise, purging, fasting)

• calorie counting or macro tracking

• compulsive exercise or movement

Emotional Signs

• anxiety around food, meals, or weight

• shame, guilt, or panic after eating

• irritability or low frustration tolerance

• depression or numbing

• disconnect between emotions and body cues

Identity + Social

• feeling “safer” when in control of food/body

• withdrawal from social events involving eating

• difficulty trusting others with food-related decisions

• people-pleasing or perfectionism as coping

• identity confusion (e.g., “Who am I if not this?”)

• increased isolation or secrecy

Less Recognized Signs (but extremely common)

• fear of “normal” fluctuations in weight

• obsession with “healthy” or “clean” eating

• avoiding medical care due to weight concerns

• linking morality to food choices

• body detachment or dissociation

• identity reinforcement through illness/hardship narratives

• using food behaviors to soothe, numb, or cope