Online Therapy for Eating Disorders

Your eating disorder is getting worse.

You’re relapsing and not using the tools you learned in eating disorder therapy.

Social distancing is hard and you’re bored so you resort to emotional eating or compulsive overeating to fill the void.

Many people have been finding that the Coronavirus quarantine has been causing their eating disorders to get worse or they are relapsing and engaging in poor eating behaviors. Sometimes, you may think, there is not enough to do. Or, perhaps, you can’t be around the people who make up your usual support system. You have all day to think too much. And, to make matters worse, social media is full of unhealthy ideas about weight and body changes during the quarantine.

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia Can Help

Professional support is really necessary to combat eating disorders.  They can be quite complicated because they affect both the body and mind. Ultimately, an eating disorder has to do with so much more than just unhealthy eating behaviors. Ideally, a team including an eating disorders therapist, dietician, and primary care physician can help you to get back on track.

But, you may be wondering if it is possible to get this kind of help during the Coronavirus pandemic?  Not to fear, most eating disorders professionals, including Monarch Wellness, offer online eating disorder therapy.

Is online therapy for eating disorders recommended?

Online therapy for eating disorders is not typically recommended for eating disorders. This is because, it can be very important sometimes to be able to have a professional offer you “blind weights.”  A blind weigh-in is a method of measuring a client’s weight without the client seeing the scale. So, your eating disorders team can know what you weigh and see how you’re doing in treatment without disclosing information that can be harmful to the patient.

More importantly, eating issues have to do with your body and “embodiment.” This is the sense that you really live inside your body and aren’t just a head or brain being carried around. Embodiment makes people feel safe, whole, and complete. One way that embodiment happens when you spend time, in person, with other embodied people. When you are in person with an embodied therapist who is really listening to you, you can achieve limbic resonance. This is a neurological term for the state in which your right brain is very activated and you are able to access your emotions easily. This is a vital component of healing from eating disorders.

Online eating disorder therapy can help when in-person therapy is not an option

However, and this is a big, however, ONLINE EATING DISORDER THERAPY IS MUCH BETTER THAN NO TREATMENT AT ALL. Embodiment and limbic resonance should be a part of your eating disorder treatment at some point. However, online eating disorder treatment through virtual counseling sessions can be extremely useful in the meantime.  In fact, a great deal of healing can be done during online therapy.

First, you will receive support. So, you don’t have to feel like you are fighting your eating disorder on your own. Eating disorders can take over your headspace. So, it’s important to have people who can offer you outside and compassionate perspective. Friends and family can support you, but without training, it can be very difficult to say the right thing, and help, In fact, it can actually be pretty easy to say the wrong thing and accidentally make things worse. The amount of support needed to combat an eating disorder can put a strain on relationships. It takes away from the attention you have to give to your loved ones.

With a trained eating disorder team, you can begin to normalize your eating patterns online. You can learn about how eating disorders affect your body and brain. Together you will look at the thought patterns that affect your eating disorder. These thought include black and white thinking, self-criticism, and perfectionism. All of this is important foundational work can help you to hit the ground running when you are back to in-person therapy. At that time, you work with a team and able to experience the in-person support, embodiment, and limbic resonance that is so vital to fully heal.

You don’t have to battle your eating disorder alone just because you can’t access in-person therapy. Online therapy for eating disorders with an eating disorder therapist can help. To begin online therapy in Washington DC, Maryland, or Virginia, please follow these steps:

1. Contact our Washington DC therapy office to learn more about online therapy for eating disorders
2. Meet with an online therapist  who treats eating disorders and provides online therapy
3. Begin telehealth services until it’s safe to meet with your therapist for in-person eating disorder treatment.

Other Services offered at Monarch Wellness & Psychotherapy

Monarch Wellness and Psychotherapy offers several counseling services to help you find hope for a better tomorrow. We have made it our goal to create a safe online space so you can be real and honest about what’s bothering you. The counselors at Monarch Wellness currently offer all their therapy services online during the COVID-19 crisis. Our therapy team offers individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, and group therapy for adolescents, young adults, and adults in the D.C. area. Maryland, and Virginia. Monarch Wellness specializes in treating individuals with eating disorders including Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder/Compulsive Overeating. Our therapists also help clients manage and overcome their anxiety, depression, and trauma. If you have questions about therapy with our center, please visit our FAQ page or contact our office to talk about all the ways we can help you overcome your mental health issues and thrive!