Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating, & Body Image
Restrictive Eating
Dietary restriction is pervasive in our society. It is usually aimed at attempting to impact our appearance, such as losing weight or promoting a particular physique. The specific approach can vary depending on the current zeitgeist or trends and may masquerade as a lifestyle for well-being and health. There may even be merit in the science supporting the theory. And yet, with any rule-based framework, research indicates a predictable psychological toll, commonly with faltering in long-term adherence, setting up backlash, such as binge eating.
Moreover, the physical consequences can be dire, even life-threatening, the antithesis of health. Through a dialectical approach to mindfulness, you can learn a different way at Centered Ground. Radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO DBT) can also help address underlying rigidity in temperament and anorexia nervosa in particular.
Emotional Eating
There are many reasons to eat, not just physical hunger. Emotion is one of them. Indeed, it is normal to eat emotionally. And sometimes that is precisely what we need to take care of ourselves if we do so mindfully. This said emotional eating can be harmful if it is mindless and excessive. At Centered Ground, through a dialectical approach to mindfulness, as well as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), including radically open DBT, you can learn to nourish yourself truly beyond the plate.
Binge Eating & Purging
While dietary restriction is pervasive in our society, so is indulging in food. When this reaches the level of eating an extremely large amount of food that most people would not eat in a similar situation, accompanied by a sense of loss of control, this constitutes (objective) binge eating. Binge eating is often a response to dietary restrictions. Subjective binge eating consists of a sense of loss of control when eating what is not an extremely large amount, compared to what most people would eat in a similar situation. For example, feeling a loss of control eating carbs when you feel you should avoid them entirely. Binge eating can also be a way of coping. In turn, purging, including self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic abuse, and over-exercising, can develop as an attempt to compensate for and mitigate weight gain. At Centered Ground, we support you in creating balanced flexibility in both eating itself and coping. This approach includes mindful eating from the dialectical perspective, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), with coaching support between sessions.
Body Image
Body judgment is so prevalent. This can be focused on weight and shape or particular features. Often, there is a focus on a specific size or measurement expectation. There can also be concerns related to gender, ethnicity, and age. With mindfulness, it is possible to find relief from this harshness. You can also take steps towards your preferred lifestyle goals. The process is dialectical, meaning both can be true simultaneously - we can both retain preferences and initiative and fully accept ourselves in this moment. Indeed, acceptance is the first step to change. At Centered Ground, we focus on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) strategies, including radically open DBT, to guide you in this challenging work. In particular, we incorporate exposure therapy, including mirror practice and closet transformation.
