Do You Need Trauma-Informed Eating Disorder Therapy?

Any experience that left you feeling unsafe in or disconnected from your body can make it that much harder to overcome your eating disorder behaviors and treat your body with kindness and compassion. 

If you have experienced trauma before or during your eating disorder, it is likely that it has contributed to challenges in your recovery. While there is no single explanation for why someone may develop an eating disorder,  trauma can be one of many “why’s” behind eating disorder behaviors.

Trauma can be caused by:

• Single, isolated events such as an accident, injury, natural disaster, or act of violence.

• Ongoing, relentless stress, such as living in unsafe conditions, with constant discrimination and micro-aggressions (due to your race, sexuality, gender identity, disabilities, or size), neglect, emotional abuse, etc.

• Humiliation, relationship loss, early medical interventions, etc.

An event can lead to trauma if:

•  It happened unexpectedly.

• You were unprepared for it.

• You felt powerless to prevent it.

•  It happened repeatedly.

• Someone was intentionally cruel.

•  It happened in childhood

Victims of trauma are often the last people to label what happened to them as trauma. Gaslighting, whether from yourself or others, and the brain’s natural response of blocking adverse memories, can cause you to question whether or not you actually experienced a traumatic event. It is important to remember that trauma does not have one definition. “Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.” (Levine P., 2010)

If your past experiences align with anything in the lists above, trauma-informed care (TIC) for your eating disorder may be the best path for your recovery.

Trauma-informed eating disorder therapists aim to minimize the triggers that the client faces while in treatment, validate the client’s traumatic experiences, and practice consent every step of the way. 

Here is what you can expect from a trauma-informed therapist, based on the SAMHSA’s proposed TIC guidelines:

Safety: Throughout the organization, staff and the people they serve, whether children or adults, feel physically and psychologically safe; the physical setting is safe and interpersonal interactions promote a sense of safety.

Trustworthiness and Transparency: Organizational operations and decisions are conducted with transparency and the goal of building and maintaining trust among clients, family members, staff, and others involved with the organization. Peer support (peers refer to individuals with lived experiences of trauma, or in the case of children this may be family members of children who have experienced traumatic events and are key caregivers in their recovery) and mutual self help are key vehicles for establishing safety, building trust, enhancing collaboration, and maximizing a sense of empowerment.

Collaboration and Mutuality: Partnering and leveling of power differences between staff and clients and among organizational staff from direct care staff to administrators; demonstrates that healing happens in relationships and in the meaningful sharing of power and decision-making. The organization recognizes that everyone has a role to play in a trauma-informed approach; “one does not have to be a therapist to be therapeutic.”

Empowerment, Voice and Choice: Throughout the organization and among the clients served, individuals’ strengths and experiences are recognized and built upon; the experience of having a voice and choice is validated and new skills developed. The organization fosters a belief in resilience and in the ability of individuals, organizations, and communities to heal and promote recovery from trauma; building on strengths and not just addressing perceived deficits.

Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues: The organization actively moves past cultural stereotypes and biases (e.g. based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, size, geography, etc.), offers gender-responsive services, leverages the healing value of traditional cultural connections, and recognizes and addresses historical trauma.

If you are a California resident who is looking for online eating disorder therapy, Kindful Body offers trauma-informed eating disorder therapy over Zoom for all ages. We will also offer in-person eating disorder counseling in San Francisco once it is safe. Get in touch to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.