Eating Disorders Therapy: A Journey Toward Healing
Eating Disorders Therapy for Recovery and Self-Understanding
Feeling Trapped by an Eating Disorder?
Eating disorders can affect people of any gender, age, cultural background, or body type. Many live in silence, feeling trapped in cycles of restrictive eating, bingeing, purging, or obsessive thoughts about food and body image. Life may feel like a constant struggle between what the mind tells them to do and what the body needs.
Clients may experience:
Anxiety about meals or social eating situations
Shame or guilt after eating
Pressure to maintain a certain body shape or conform to cultural ideals
Difficulty concentrating at work, school, or home because of preoccupation with food
Strained relationships due to secrecy, irritability, or isolation
Eating disorders can touch anyone - men, women, non-binary individuals, and people of all cultural backgrounds. They often develop as a coping mechanism for stress, perfectionism, trauma, or societal pressures - but over time, they can take over daily life.
How Therapy Supports Recovery
Therapy provides a safe, affirming space to regain control and develop a healthy relationship with food, body, and self. It addresses the emotional patterns that contribute to the disorder while honoring each person’s identity and cultural background.
Clients often experience improvements in:
⦁ Emotional regulation and stress management
⦁ Self-esteem and confidence
⦁ Relationships with family, friends, and community
⦁ Daily functioning, work, or academic performance
⦁ Overall mental and physical health
Understanding the Roots
Eating disorders are rarely caused by a single factor. Therapy helps clients explore the emotional, psychological, cultural, and relational influences that contribute to disordered eating:
Emotional and Psychological Factors: Anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, trauma, or coping with identity stress
Environmental and Cultural Influences: Media messages, societal and cultural beauty ideals, diet culture, or pressure to conform
Family Dynamics: Critical feedback, modeling of behaviors, or complex family expectations
Biological and Genetic Predispositions: Family history of eating disorders or other mental health conditions
Life Stressors and Transitions: Major life changes, career or academic pressure, relationships, or emotional upheaval
Understanding the roots of an eating disorder—including the unique cultural and gendered pressures someone may face—is key to lasting recovery.
Psychodynamic Therapy: Exploring the Emotional Core
Psychodynamic therapy is especially valuable for eating disorders because it explores emotional and relational patterns underlying disordered eating. This approach helps clients:
Identify unconscious conflicts and emotional triggers
Understand how early experiences, family dynamics, and cultural or gendered expectations impact self-image and coping strategies
Develop emotional insight, bridging awareness and behavioral change
Build long-term resilience and self-compassion
Psychodynamic therapy addresses the whole person, considering the complex intersections of identity, culture, and life experiences that may contribute to an eating disorder.
Other Effective Therapy Approaches
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Challenges unhelpful thoughts about food, body, and identity
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Builds emotional regulation and coping skills
Family-Based Therapy (FBT): Supports adolescents, young adults, and their families
Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Therapies: Promote self-compassion, body awareness, and stress reduction
Taking the First Step
Recovery begins with reaching out. Inclusive therapy at PBA Psychology supports clients in:
Rebuilding a healthy relationship with food and body image
Understanding and addressing emotional, cultural, and gendered triggers
Improving relationships, daily functioning, and overall well-being
Developing resilience, self-compassion, and sustainable recovery skills
Working with an experienced PBA therapist experienced in culturally and gender-inclusive care ensures empathy, expertise, and validation throughout the recovery journey.
WE CAN HELP.
REACH OUT TODAY.
Phone: 310.271.2275
BEVERLY HILLS LOCATION
9350 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 212
Beverly Hills, CA 90212