Are you or your loved ones struggling with complicated feelings towards food, are preoccupied with calories, or obsess over getting in your daily movement? Are you noticing that your life, thinking, and behaviors are controlled by your relationship with food and your body? Perhaps you’re feeling anxious and depressed because you can’t seem to take back control of your life. 

If you’re struggling with an eating disorder and can’t seem to break the harsh thoughts and behaviors that accompany disordered eating, our team of trained therapists in Massachusetts is here for you. 

By working with a mental health professional at Handel Behavioral Health, you will learn to address and recover from the underlying issues that prevent you from enjoying a healthy relationship with your body and mind. 

Our therapists have worked with countless individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and identities struggling with their relationship with food and their body. Through a combination of treatment therapy that focuses on mental health recovery and physical stability, you will learn to identify and replace disordered thoughts into adaptive solutions towards healing your body and mind. 

You deserve to reach a place of healing, connection, understanding, and growth. 

To start working with one of our eating disorder therapists online in Massachusetts or in-person from our Amherst, Natick, Franklin, West Springfield, or Wilbraham offices, contact us today at (413) 343-4357 or request an appointment online.

 

What is an Eating Disorder?

Eating disorders are a serious, biologically influenced mental health condition marked by a preoccupation with food and weight. 

While many people may be concerned about their health, weight, and image from time to time, people with eating disorders fixate or obsess with weight loss, body image or shape, and controlling their food or caloric intake. 

Eating disorders are not a choice. Underlying feelings of shame, low self-worth, and often repressed trauma yield to maladaptive thoughts and behaviors to avoid dealing with uncomfortable emotions and unsafe environments. 

Eating disorders disrupt an individual’s ability to function both socially and psychologically, and can result in serious physical health problems. In some cases, eating disorders can be life threatening.

What are the Common Types of Eating Disorders?

Binge eating disorder (BED), bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID are among the most common types of eating disorders. Each type of eating disorder has its own behavioral patterns and symptoms.

Binge Eating Disorder: 

A condition where people lose control of their eating and repeatedly eat abnormally large quantities of food. Episodes of binge-eating are not followed by purging, excessive exercise, or fasting.

Symptoms of BED:

• Weekly episodes of binge eating for three months or more
• Weight gain
• Decreased or absent sex drive
• Eating large quantities of food in the absence of hunger
• Eating to the point of physical discomfort
• Feelings of shame after binge eating 
• Low self-worth
• Depression

Bulimia Nervosa:

A condition where people have recurrent episodes of eating abnormal quantities of food and feeling a lack of control over their eating. Binge eating might be followed by behaviors to rid themselves of the food and prevent weight gain: forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors.

Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa:

• Cycles of binge eating and purging
• Low self-worth
• Negative body image
• Shame and guilt over disordered eating
• Withdrawal and isolation from family and friends
• Depression
• Weight fluctuations
• Obsessive thinking about food and weight

Anorexia Nervosa:

A condition where people avoid food, severely restrict food, or eat very small quantities of only certain foods. Individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa may weigh themselves repeatedly. Even when severely underweight, they may see themselves as overweight.

Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa:

• Denial of hunger
• Refusal to eat
• Overwhelming fear of gaining weight 
• Refusal to eat in public and desire to eat alone
• Withdrawal and isolation from loved ones
• Irritability
• Depression
• Obsession with diet and exercise
• Abuse of diet pills and diuretics
• “Off limits” food categories, such as carbohydrates or fats

Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): 

A condition where people limit the amount or type of food consumed. Unlike anorexia nervosa, people with ARFID do not have a distorted body image or extreme fear of weight gain. When a child goes through ARFID they do not consume enough calories to grow and develop properly; an adult who goes through ARFID does not consume enough calories to maintain basic body function.

Symptoms of ARFID:

• Extreme pickiness in food 
• Anxiety when presented with “fear foods”
• Avoidance of particular foods based on texture, taste, color, smell, food groups, etc. 
• For adults; weight loss, for children; failure to gain weight 
• Dependence on nutritional supplements, a feeding tube, or both
• Frequent gagging or vomiting after exposure to certain foods
• Difficulty digesting certain foods
• Eating extremely small portions of food
• Social isolation
• Depression

Therapy For Eating Disorders at Handel Behavioral Health:

Mental health counselors play a vital role in helping individuals recover from eating disorders. Therapists trained in eating disorders work with individuals at every stage of recovery, teach them skills to manage obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors and replace them with healthy and empowering ones. Some of the evidence-based modalities offered for treating eating disorders include:

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the leading evidence-based treatment for eating disorders in adult populations. Therapists will work with clients to explore their daily habits, thoughts, and emotions. Clients will learn to identify maladaptive thoughts which result in compulsive or unhealthy behaviors, and eventually, place them with healthier thoughts. Clients will learn new, healthier coping skills to better manage their emotions and emotional triggers moving forward. 

Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is based on CBT, with the technique used to identify and change disordered thinking and behavioral patterns, as they relate to eating behaviors. But the overarching belief of DBT is that the person deserves love and self-acceptance, and can still work to change their disordered behavior. 

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is especially helpful for individuals living with eating disorders who’ve experienced trauma. The therapist will help individuals safely process thoughts, feelings, and memories that may be unresolved or unwanted to think about. The process involves learning mindfulness techniques, such as breathing exercises, to tune into the present moment and accept self despite the distressing thoughts, memories, or sensations that come up. Eventually, by learning to accept negative thoughts and feelings rather than avoid them, the individual can learn to let go of maladaptive coping behaviors that no longer serve them. 

Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) helps individuals overcome deep-seated fears by using repeated interactions with the object, thought, or situation to desensitize the individual to certain triggers. It may involve exposure to certain fear foods, or potentially triggering social situations, like eating out in public. 

Our therapists at Handel Behavioral Health know that eating disorder therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your therapist will work with you to develop a treatment plan that safely supports your needs and goals.

Goals of Eating Disorder Therapy May Involve:

Developing skills to manage food distress such as mindfulness practices, writing down negative thoughts, listening to soothing music, connecting with nature, using cold water or an ice pack, among others. These skills can be learned and practiced before sitting down for meals to help soothe the nervous system. 

Tuning into emotions, mood, and how they impact eating habits. Clients will learn to tune into the relationship between eating and their mental state. They might notice that anxiety encourages them to restrict, and their awareness can help them make mindful choices. 

Recognize unhealthy habits and learn to replace them with adaptive habits. Therapists can help clients recognize the patterns that are perpetuating eating disorder habits, such as scrolling on social media or fixating on what others are eating. Clients will learn to build healthier alternatives to deal with difficult emotions and situations. 

Improving relationships. Therapists can help clients build interpersonal skills, such as communication skills to improve their relationships and build a stronger support network. While relationships are not the cause of eating disorders, difficult interpersonal relationships can trigger disordered thinking and eating.

Exploring causes of eating disorders: Therapists will work with clients to identify some of the underlying causes of eating disorders. Psychological and environmental factors such as experiencing trauma, emotional or physical abuse, sexual abuse, suffering from low self-esteem, anxiety, or depression may be discussed and treated with evidence-based modalities. 

Treating co-occurring mental health conditions: Eating disorders often come with one or more co-occurring disorders, such as anxiety or depression. Therapists will work with clients to recover from these conditions alongside the eating disorder.

Start Working With an Eating Disorder Therapist in Massachusetts:

Lasting recovery from an eating disorder is not easy, but it is possible for everyone. 

Our therapists at Handel Behavioral Health are here to support you every step of the way. 

To start working with one of our eating disorder therapists online in Massachusetts or in-person from our Amherst, Natick, Franklin, West Springfield, or Wilbraham offices, contact us today at (413) 343-4357 or request an appointment online.

 

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