PTSD & Eating Disorders
“Approximately 1 in 4 people with an eating disorder have symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).”
Trauma specialist Gabor Maté, MD says, “Trauma, from the Greek for “wound”, “is not what happens to you; it is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you … It is not the blow on the head, but the concussion I get.” A wide variety of experiences can be traumatic. It is often described as anything that is overwhelms our nervous system beyond its ability to cope, it can be something that was either too fast, too much, too soon - or not enough for too long..
It is not always the event that’s traumatic, it can be what happened after - or rather, what didn’t happen but should have. Trauma can happen to anyone and seeking care as soon as possible is recommended. At Molly Bahr Counseling, LLC, we use Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) to heal trauma.
Eating disorders are incredibly complex and unique to each person. They tend to come into our lives at a time when we really “needed” them to cope with something. After experiencing trauma, eating disorders can often develop to numb, avoid, and/or re-gain a sense of control. For some, it can help feel positive emotions they are otherwise unable to experience, even if only for a short time. It’s also important to note that what maintains the eating disorder is not always the same reason why it started.
Healing from both PTSD and eating disorders is possible! There can be a lot of factors that make it difficult to “just stop dieting/bingeing/purging/over exercising/counting macros/weighing yourself/etc.” If you’re struggling, it’s “enough” to ask for help.
Finding the right treatment team for you can be really tough and frustrating. Maybe you find a Health At Every Size (HAES) aligned therapist but they aren’t trained in any trauma modalities. Or you find a trauma specialist who isn’t HAES aligned or experienced with eating disorders. It can feel like finding a needle in a haystack and sometimes we need to piece together a treatment team that addresses each component. Financially it can be difficult to meet consistently with a therapist, registered dietitian, and medical doctor. Treatment for eating disorders is often long term (2+ years) and maintenance sessions may be necessary. There are programs like Project HEAL or Open Path Collective that can help connect you to affordable treatment options.
*I’m happy to share HAES aligned trauma providers licensed in your state, feel for to e-mail me.
*Stat found from the NEDA website if you want to read the study.
