Holistic Disordered Eating Treatment

I believe in treating the whole person, not just the eating disorder (ED) symptoms. In the holistic treatment of disordered eating, my focus is on understanding the origins of the symptoms, the role that the symptoms play, and the underlying conflicts that fuel the symptoms. My aim is to eradicate the symptoms at their source rather than simply controlling them. This kind of treatment is only possible when the individual is in a stable medical condition. 

UNDERNEATH THE IDEALIZATION OF THINNESS: CONFLICTS, NEEDS, DESIRES

There are many possible intrapsychic conflicts at the core of eating disturbances, and these conflicts are accompanied by unmet needs or desires that are buried beneath the idealization of being thin. For some, the attainment of thinness represents the accomplishment of a difficult feat. Many individuals who idealize thinness harbor the desire to excel at something, to cultivate self-discipline, to prove worthiness and/or specialness. For others, striving to be thin may be a way of attempting to communicate that one feels weak and unwell and needs care. It can also be useful to consider one's life history during the process of working through these conflicts. Individuals may deprive themselves of nurturance in the form of self-starvation because they have not received adequate nurturance in the past. Additionally, ED symptoms often co-occur with other disorders and related symptoms, such as PTSD, OCD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It is most effective to treat the ED symptoms in the larger context in which they occur. 

USING SYSTEMS THEORY TO UNDERSTAND EATING DISORDERS

I view the ED symptoms themselves as being just the tip of the iceberg. The development of eating disorders is thought to result from the complex interaction of many different factors, such as genetics, parental child-rearing patterns and other family dynamics, individual personality traits, messages from peers/the immediate social circle, messages from society at large, and more. When I approach treatment, I consider all factors that could have played a role in the development of ED symptoms.