Trauma can come in all forms, from witnessing someone die, having experienced physical abuse, being involved in a war or a natural disaster, having a traumatic medical complication or being the victim in an emotionally and psychologically abusive relationship. Some trauma is related to the lack of secure attachments in childhood with caregivers or parental figures. These traumatic experiences can create a sense of turmoil and isolation in individuals, affecting them in many ways. Traumatic experiences lead to isolation, automatic recoil, blocking and dissociation. This means that individuals will learn to avoid triggers, block negative thoughts, seek solitude and break away from their relationships. They may potentially engage in self-destructive behaviors as unhealthy defense mechanisms as a result of their traumatic experience. Individuals who experience any form of trauma have a higher likelihood of developing an eating disorder compared to those who did not suffer a traumatic event.
Eating Disorders as an Unhealthy Coping Method in Response to Trauma
Avoiding meals, extreme overeating, purging or vomiting after meals are coping behaviors intended to control overwhelming emotions that are developing due to past traumatic events. Eating disorders are not just about food, but also about using food as a way to manage and hide feelings.
The trauma behind the eating disorder must be addressed before the nutritional or behavioral practices will be effective. Often, this trauma is kept alive by self-criticism that develops at a very young age. This voice can lead to guilt and shame, and to silence it, one leans on the controllable factors in emotional life, such as the relationship with food.
When the eating disorder takes center stage, feelings of hopelessness ensue. As a result, one’s identity becomes synonymous with the eating disorder. These individuals may bury their emotions through their eating habits to the point that they may completely forget why their eating disorder began in the first place. Recognizing the underlying trauma, identifying the unhealthy patterns and developing coping strategies to deal with the unwanted thoughts associated with the traumatic events must be introduced during eating disorder treatment for healing. As a result, many eating disorder treatment centers offer a trauma track where eating disorder treatment specialists specialized in treating trauma play an integral role in the individual’s treatment plan.
Dissociation and Eating disorders
A typical adaptive response to experiencing trauma is splitting off from the self, which is known as dissociation. The function of dissociation concerning trauma is to separate oneself from any thoughts or emotions associated with the pain caused by the traumatic event. Individuals with eating disorders often will have “out of body” experiences in the context of a traumatic event in such a way that the traumatic act is happening, but the individual is observing the act being done to some other body rather than their own. This can affect how they view their physical appearances in terms of body image and weight. They may see themselves different compared to how someone else views them. They may not notice how underweight they are, that their dental enamel is eroding from their teeth, that their hair is falling out or that they have scabs on the back of their knuckles.
Loneliness and Eating Disorders
Loneliness is a universal symptom that nearly everyone struggling with an eating disorder experiences. Loneliness is strongly connected with past traumatic experiences, and can occur regardless of if individuals have little interaction with others or are physically around many other people. Oftentimes, in people who feel lonely, an eating disorder is a way to escape the pain of trauma. Eating disorders are a disease of disconnection. To engage in eating disorder behaviors, whether it’s through restricting, purging or bingeing, one has to disconnect from what the body wants and needs. The eating disorder unintentionally perpetuates the loneliness and eventually becomes the individual’s companion.
Treating Trauma and an Eating Disorder
Help for treating your eating disorder and its relationship to trauma is here. Discovery Mood & Anxiety Program has programs to help you process your trauma and live a life of peace in your mental health. Contact us today.
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