Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are conditions in which eating becomes a way of coping with internal tension, anxiety, guilt, shame, or emotional devastation.

This is not always a clinical disorder, but even at the level of stable behavioral and emotional patterns, such conditions require attention and psychotherapy..

The most common forms include:

• compulsive overeating
• hard limit and disruption cycles
• emotional jamming
• obsessive weight and body control
• disruption-guilt — a new round of restrictions

Eating disorders can form:

• as a result of chronic anxiety
• against the background of perfectionism and internal self-criticism
• as a response to a destructive or traumatic experience
• in case of loss of stability, sense of control and security
• under pressure from the environment or your own body image

Possible manifestations

Physical properties:

• episodes of overeating, heaviness in the body, abdominal pain
• weight fluctuations
• sleep and digestive disorders
• reduced energy, fatigue
• disordered appetite (alternating gain and loss)

Emotional ones:

• pronounced feelings of guilt and shame after eating
• body and food-related anxiety
• annoyance, self-loathing, a sense of loss of control
• fixation on weight, body, and food
• feeling dependent: ‘like it’s stronger than me’

Behavioral issues:

• cycles of restrictions and disruptions
• reticence in eating behavior
• avoiding food-related social situations
• rituals and rules related to food control
• obsessive weighing, comparing yourself to others, excessive self-control

How to work with it

Psychotherapy work includes:

• analysis and awareness of the psychological causes of impaired eating behavior
• reconnect with your body, feelings, and real needs
• forming an internal caring part that can support and regulate without self-punishment
• reducing anxiety and self-criticism, working with control mechanisms
• gradually build a sustainable, flexible and respectful attitude towards yourself and your food

Important: working with eating disorders requires a multi-professional approach. If necessary, I recommend additional consultation with doctors (psychiatrist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist), as well as a nutritionist to provide comprehensive support — physiological, emotional and behavioral. In this approach, therapy is not limited to ‘controlling food’ — it becomes a process of restoring internal stability, care and self-respect.