Common Eating Disorders:
Anorexia Nervosa:
Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by an individual’s extreme desire to lose weight and prevent weight gain. Oftentimes, a person with anorexia will go to extreme lengths to restrict the amount of food eaten or calories consumed. Anorexia can affect your physical health and, mental well-being, relationships, achievement and sense of self.
Bulimia Nervosa:
Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by cycles of binging and purging behaviors. People with Bulimia often end up eating large amounts of food (binging) and then try to get rid of the calories (purging). There are many behaviors people engage in to try to rid themselves of the calories, but purging is never an effective means of weight loss. So body image problems continue, and the cycle of feeling bad, binging and purging goes on.
Binge-Eating Disorder:
People with a Binge-Eating Disorder eat large quantities of food within a short period of time. They often feel a lack of control around food. An individual with a Binge-Eating Disorder may feel guilt and shame about their binge. They may try to hide it from other people. It is important to note that people who suffer from binge-eating disorders can be of any size. People with binge-eating disorder often report that their sense of worth is affected by feeling guilty about food and their body.
Compulsive Overeating/Emotional Eating
Compulsive overeating and emotional eating are terms for the same thing: eating in order to soothe your feelings. These conditions are fairly similar to Binge Eating Disorder. However, they don’t happen within a short period of time. Rather, a person with compulsive overeating or emotional eating turns to food throughout the day.
Disordered Eating:
Disordered eating describes the behavior of a person who does not meet the criteria to be diagnosed with an eating disorder, but has an unhealthy relationship with food. For example, extreme dieting, following fad diets, fasting, or eating a highly unbalanced diet can all be manifestations of disordered eating. Disordered eating might be seen as “normal” in some areas of society, but it takes a tremendous toll on the way a person feels about themselves.
Eating Disorder Treatment Gives You the Freedom to Achieve the Life You Truly Want
Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, emotional eating, and disordered eating can control your whole life. But you can take back control.
Monarch therapists help people struggling with these behaviors. We will work with work you to help you deeply understand what is causing your unhealthy relationship with food. Often, emotional factors such as low self-worth play a role in your relationship with food. Additionally, we will help you to empower yourself by offering you real-world tools to help you actively combat your eating disorder day by day.
We will help our clients feel more comfortable in their bodies. When people are really at ease in their skins they will experience less anxiety, depression, guilt, and stress around eating. To put it simply, nurturing your body and your mind is nurturing yourself.
The Therapists at Monarch Wellness are Committed to Helping Clients Heal from Their Eating Disorder
At Monarch Wellness, our goal goes beyond controlling the symptoms of an eating disorder. We want our clients to find true freedom from guilt and fear.
Monarch therapists are deeply committed to the idea that freedom from eating disorders is possible. Finding freedom from an eating disorder means finding greater peace of mind, connectedness with others, and the ability to contribute to the world in a genuinely meaningful way.
We believe that eating disorders develop in order to help you to meet emotional needs. Once you begin meeting your actual needs, the need for the eating disordered behavior can become much less intense. With tools and techniques for tackling the habits that have formed and the support of a good therapist, the symptoms can be tackled much more easily.
The Monarch Approach to Eating Disorder Treatment
Monarch Wellness therapists treat every client with an eating disorder differently.
Individual Therapy for Eating Disorders
During individual therapy, there is time to fully concentrate on you, your relationship with food and the emotional landscape that has supported the eating disorder. This means both understanding the factors that have led to your problems with food and outlining the path towards a healthier way of life. Many people report (and research backs up) that a therapy relationship makes real long-term change possible. Especially if the client is really engaged in the therapeutic process.
Eating Disorder Treatment for Youth and Adolescents
For some of our younger clients, systemic family therapy or Family-Based Treatment (also known as FBT or the Maudsley method) might be most effective. Monarch therapists can work with the entire family for healing and also offer supportive consultation to schools and coaches.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT for eating disorders helps individuals understand their negative thoughts or “cognitive distortions” regarding food and body image. Then, a therapist will help you to learn new tools to develop healthier and more realistic thought patterns.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT for eating disorders teaches clients to accept who you are while also teaching them the tools to change their negative thoughts and behaviors. A key component of DBT is learning mindfulness and “distress tolerance” skills.
Group Therapy for Eating Disorders
