The Connection Between Trauma and Eating Disorders: How Therapy For Eating Disorders Can Help
If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, you might find that there’s more to it than just food and body image. Many people with eating disorders have experienced some form of trauma. Sometimes, eating disorders are deeply connected to such traumas. Things like childhood neglect, abuse, or even more subtle but still deeply painful experiences. Eating disorders themselves are complex, and understanding how trauma and eating disorders are tied together can help things make a little more sense.
In this post, we’re going to dig into how trauma can lead to disordered eating and how a trauma-informed approach to therapy for eating disorders can support you in recovery at Therapy With Lizzie.
What Is Trauma?
Trauma isn’t always the big, dramatic stuff we tend to think about, like a car accident or a natural disaster (although it very much can be ). Trauma can also come from emotional wounds. Like feeling neglected or unsafe in childhood, or from ongoing experiences like microaggressions or food insecurity. It can be something that happens just once, or it can be ongoing.
When we go through traumatic experiences, our brains and bodies often react in ways that help us survive in the moment. You might notice that you tend to shut down emotionally or withdraw from people to avoid the discomfort. Maybe you find yourself using food in a way that helps you block out those painful feelings. Or you end up trying to push your emotions away entirely. This is your body’s way of trying to protect you, but over time, these coping strategies can end up isolating you, not just from others but even from yourself. And sometimes, they lead to harmful behaviors that feel like the only way to manage the pain.
How Trauma Contributes to Eating Disorders
Trauma can play a significant role in the development of eating disorders. For many, eating disorders become a coping mechanism to manage overwhelming emotions that are difficult to process. Whether it’s using food to numb painful feelings, restricting food to feel in control, or bingeing to manage stress, these behaviors can stem from a need to protect oneself from the intensity of emotions linked to past trauma. Over time, these behaviors become ingrained. What starts as a way to cope with emotional pain can turn into a cycle that can feel hard to break out of.
Why Seek Trauma-Informed Care?
Working with a therapist who uses a trauma-informed lens can be so helpful in eating disorder recovery. A trauma-informed approach in therapy for eating disorders recognizes how past trauma might be influencing our current thoughts, emotions, and actions. By creating a safe and supportive space, we focus on reducing the risk of re-traumatization and helping you feel empowered in your healing journey. This means taking time to understand your unique experiences and coping strategies so you can begin to navigate your healing with more awareness and confidence.
For example, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a well-researched therapeutic approach designed to help people process and heal from traumatic memories. During an EMDR session, clients are guided through a series of eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation while recalling distressing memories. This helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories in a way that reduces their emotional charge, making them feel less intense and overwhelming. For people with eating disorders, EMDR can help reduce the emotional triggers that lead to disordered eating behaviors, offering relief from the patterns of numbing, controlling, and bingeing.
Taking the First Step Toward Healing With Therapy For Eating Disorders
Understanding the connection between trauma and eating disorders is an important step in your process of healing. If you’re reading this, you’ve already started to explore how your past experiences may be influencing the way you feel about food, your body, and yourself. Trauma can create patterns that might feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to define your path forward. With the right support and a trauma-informed approach to therapy, you can begin to make sense of your relationship with food and body image in a deeper, more compassionate way.
Healing from an eating disorder often involves addressing both the emotional and behavioral roots of your struggles. A trauma-informed therapist will help you navigate this process with sensitivity and understanding, ensuring you feel safe and supported at every step. Therapies like EMDR can offer significant relief by helping you process past traumatic memories, making them feel less intense and freeing you from the emotional triggers that fuel disordered eating behaviors.
Recovery doesn’t have to be faced alone. Taking the first step might feel overwhelming, but every small step moves you closer to a place of peace, where you feel more connected to yourself and at ease with food. If you’re ready to begin, reaching out to a trauma-informed eating disorder therapist can be a powerful way to start.
You deserve to heal, and you don’t have to do it by yourself.
Healing Trauma and Restoring Balance With Therapy For Eating Disorders in Burlington, VT
At Therapy With Lizzie, we provide compassionate, trauma-informed care to help you navigate the connection between past experiences and your relationship with food. Our specialized therapy for eating disorders in Burlington, VT, empowers you to heal from trauma while building a healthier, more balanced life. Together, we’ll create a safe space where you can find the support and tools needed for lasting change. Follow these three simple steps to get started:
Schedule a free consultation to take the first step.
Meet with me, Lizzie Werner-Gavrin, an experienced trauma-informed eating disorder therapist.
Begin healing from trauma and eating disorders in a compassionate and supportive space.
Additional Online Services I Provide Throughout Vermont
In addition to helping adults navigate trauma-related eating disorders through therapy for eating disorders, I offer EMDR therapy to support processing emotional pain and trauma. At Therapy With Lizzie, I also assist individuals in managing anxiety, coping with stress, and fostering resilience. My practice provides a supportive and affirming environment for adults exploring their gender and sexuality. Whether you’re working through trauma, addressing anxiety, or uncovering your authentic self, I’m here to offer guidance and unwavering support every step of the way.
