Why Eating Disorders and Trauma Go Hand-in-Hand (And How to Recover)
The correlation between eating disorders and trauma is undeniable, reflecting a complex interaction between psychological distress and efforts to cope.
Let’s look at how eating disorders and trauma are deeply interconnected to better understand how to finally recover, despite your past trauma.
Understanding Trauma
Let’s start with understanding trauma. As with mental health in general, there are often misconceptions about what “qualifies” as trauma. Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that overwhelms an individual's ability to cope. A unifying principle of trauma is that it results from events or circumstances that pose a significant perceived threat to a person's physical or psychological well-being.
When we think of trauma, we often think about a highly major traumatic event like an assault, accident, loss of a loved one, or natural disaster. These acute scenarios are common causes of trauma reactions, but trauma can also come from longer-term, repetitive experiences like neglect, critical parenting, bullying, rejection, invalidation, family conflict, and other chronic childhood trauma.
The Impact of Trauma
Regardless of the source of trauma, these experiences profoundly impact our health, relationships, and how we see the world. Experiencing trauma is a complex and deeply personal ordeal influenced by various factors. The nature and severity of the traumatic event itself play a crucial role, as different events, whether natural disasters, accidents, violence, or abuse, can have distinct impacts on individuals.
Personal vulnerability also contributes significantly, encompassing factors such as age, gender, genetics, personality traits, mental health history, and previous exposure to trauma. Furthermore, the proximity to the event, whether one directly experiences it, witnesses it, or is exposed to its aftermath, significantly influences the trauma experience.
Social support, including familial, friendship, and community networks, serves as a critical buffer, aiding in coping and recovery. Cultural beliefs, values, and norms shape perceptions and responses to trauma, while access to resources such as mental health services, healthcare, and social support systems profoundly affects an individual's ability to navigate the aftermath.
Moreover, stigma and discrimination associated with trauma and mental health can compound distress and impede help-seeking behaviors.
How Trauma is manifested
The impact of trauma is as diverse as the cause of the trauma in the first place. From emotional to physical, the person impacted might suffer from a wide range of challenges as a result. Here are some of the many ways trauma is manifested in the mind and body.
Emotional Responses
Traumatic experiences can lead to a wide range of emotional responses, including fear, anxiety, depression, anger, shame, guilt, and sadness. Sufferers may experience mood swings, emotional numbness, or difficulty regulating their emotions.
Physical Manifestations
With trauma, we often see a range of physical manifestations, such as headaches, gastrointestinal issues, fatigue, insomnia, and chronic pain. Sufferers may also be at increased risk for health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and substance abuse.
Cognitive Impact
A traumatic experience can impact cognitive abilities such as concentration, memory, and decision-making. Sufferers may experience difficulties with attention, problem-solving, and learning new information.
Relationships
The impact of trauma on relationships with family, friends, romantic partners, and colleagues can be profound. Sufferers may have difficulties trusting others, forming intimate connections, or communicating their needs effectively.
Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
Self-esteem and self-worth are eroded by trauma, leading to feelings of shame, worthlessness, and inadequacy. Sufferers may struggle with their sense of identity, purpose, and meaning in life.
Coping and Behavioral Patterns
Behavioral patterns can be influenced by trauma in a wide range of ways. We can see problematic coping mechanisms such as avoidance, substance abuse, self-harm, or compulsive behaviors. Sufferers may also engage in risky or self-destructive behaviors as a way to cope with their emotional pain.
Overall, the impact of trauma on sufferers is complex and far-reaching, affecting every aspect of their lives. It's important to recognize that each individual's experience of trauma is unique, and recovery is a deeply personal journey that may require time, support, and specialized interventions.
Why Do Eating Disorders and Trauma Frequently Co-Occur?
In exploring the connection between eating disorders and trauma, it becomes apparent that their frequent co-occurrence is not coincidental but rather deeply intertwined. This symbiotic relationship between psychological distress and disordered eating behaviors sheds light on the complex interplay between trauma experiences and emotional coping.
Understanding why and how these two phenomena often intersect is crucial for unraveling the complexities of both conditions and for informing effective treatment approaches.
Coping Mechanism
Understandably, trauma can be so overwhelming that it challenges one’s internal resources and ability to cope. This overwhelm can trigger desperate and maladaptive coping strategies to manage distress. Disordered eating behaviors, such as restrictive eating, binge eating, purging, or compulsive exercising, are behaviors that can at least short term, can quiet distressing emotions and memories associated with trauma. Food and eating behaviors may be used as a way to numb emotional pain, gain a sense of control, or distract from intrusive thoughts or feelings.
Need for Control
It’s not uncommon for trauma survivors to develop a heightened need for control as a way to cope with the shock and powerlessness experienced during traumatic events. Restricting food intake, controlling body weight, purging… In the short term, these behaviors can feel stabilizing and distracting. Of course, in the bigger picture, they typically lead to many more problems.
Negative Body Image
Trauma can contribute to negative body image perceptions, self-esteem issues, and feelings of shame or self-loathing. Disordered eating behaviors may emerge as a way to alter or control one's body shape and weight in an attempt to meet societal standards of beauty or to cope with feelings of unworthiness or inadequacy. Survivors of sexual trauma in particular often struggle with body image issues, feeling shame, self-blame, and disconnection from their physical selves.
Self-Destructive Behaviors
Some individuals who have experienced trauma may engage in self-destructive behaviors, including disordered eating, as a form of self-punishment or self-harm. These behaviors may be driven by feelings of guilt, shame, or worthlessness resulting from the trauma.
How to Approach Eating Disorder Treatment With a History of Trauma
Approaching eating disorder recovery when there's a history of trauma requires trauma-informed care and a nuanced and compassionate approach. Recovery must address the interconnected nature of these experiences. It's essential to recognize all the ways that trauma can impact one's relationship with food, body image, and self-worth. As such, we must address those eating disorder behaviors, along with providing trauma support to allow for long-term recovery.
In navigating treatment, prioritizing safety, trust, and self-compassion is paramount. There are a range of evidence-based treatments (EBT’s) for trauma that can be delivered in coordination with targeted eating disorder treatments. EBTs for trauma typically involve approaches like:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Prolonged Exposure
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
These therapies aim to address the symptoms of trauma by helping individuals process traumatic memories, challenge negative beliefs about themselves and the world, and develop coping skills to manage distress. Research consistently supports the effectiveness of these interventions in reducing symptoms of trauma and improving overall well-being.
Recovery is Possible—Even With Trauma
Trauma is a deeply complex and multifaceted experience that can have profound and lasting effects on individuals' lives. Whether stemming from a single event or multiple events over time,, trauma challenges our sense of safety, trust, and well-being, impacting our emotional, cognitive, physiological, and relational functioning.
As we continue to destigmatize conversations around trauma and prioritize trauma-informed care, we can create a more compassionate and supportive world where survivors are validated, empowered, and embraced on their path to recovery. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, book a free consultation with Columbus Park.
