Eating Disorders

There are several different kinds of food addiction, and all are characterized by a obsession with food, weight, and body image. Food addictions are similar to other addictions in that they are all obsessional (thinking about something over and over) and compulsional (doing the same behavior over and over). Food addictions involve more complex mind-body interactions, however, than other types of addictions, since we all need to eat to exist. Food addictions are very common in our society, especially since foods are used by so many for emotional comfort and to connect with others. Since our society places such a high value on thinness, especially for women, it makes sense that so many people would be extremely conscious of their weight.

With all addictions, including food addictions, fear is at the root. The person who is struggling with the addiction, however, may or may not be aware that they are afraid, or if they are, know exactly what they are afraid of, the source of the fear, or how to resolve it without using their addiction. All addictions, including food, give the person a sense of relief from an emotional pressure, but do not give them release. As a result, the person struggles with the addiction, for example, binging, or binging and purging (bulimia) or not eating much, or not eating at all for periods of time (anorexia) but never gets to resolve the complex of emotions that create the need for relief. The person is then caught in the endless repetitive cycle of repeating the behavior, feeling better for a short time, and then suffering a buildup of emotion (fear, sadness, guilt, shame, anger) which leads them back to the repetitive cycle. If the person attempts to change the behavior without resolving the emotional complex that causes it, there may be temporary success, but the addictive cycle will start again, lowering self-esteem, and increasing a sense of helplessness and hopelessness.

To break this cycle, effective psychotherapy addresses three things simultaneously.

These are:

1. A person's thinking patterns, which include long-held beliefs that the person has about body image and relationships. (See "Addictions" "Adults with Troubled Childhoods").

2. A person's way of recognizing, tolerating, and expressing their emotions, which include control issues

3. A person's habitual ways of using food and body image as a main vehicle for creating relief of tension and gaining a temporary feeling of satisfaction. As these things are addressed, the person starts to gain a new sense of what their true motivations are, a greater feeling of control over thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and a new freedom to pursue personal goals. For many people this involves a brand new sense of identity and priorities, which has been hidden from them since childhood.