In this podcast episode Honouring the Body: Trauma-Informed Healing for Eating Disorders on Inside the Therapy Room, I delve into the complexities of defining eating disorders through both a medical and holistic lens. I discuss the limitations of a purely medical approach, which often fails to address trauma, and emphasize the multifaceted nature of eating disorders, including the significant impact of societal and familial factors. I also clarify the difference between eating disorders and disordered eating, and explain why I prefer to avoid pathologizing language that can impede healing.
Drawing from my personal journey with disordered eating, I highlight the importance of lived experience. I outline what therapy looks like for those struggling with eating disorders, particularly emotional eating, and explain the principles of depth psychotherapy, such as adopting a compassionate stance and incorporating parts work. I also challenge conventional views by advocating for therapists to love their clients, rejecting diet culture and fatphobia, and supporting the Health at Every Size (HAES) approach.
Finally, I call for the removal of moral value from food and dispel myths surrounding eating disorders and narcissistic wounds.
