Eating Disorders Support Group
Eating disorders are marked by an obsessive need to control the intake and/or purging of food. This community is dedicated to those struggling on the road to recovery. Join to discuss your experience with others and find support. Get advice, ask questions, and meet others who are going through similar struggles.
Hello everyone, I'm new here. I found this website after google searching 'support groups for people with eating disorders'. I have been aware that I have an eating disorder for a good while now, but didn't take it that seriously until recently. I binge & purge. And then binge again. I feel like I have no control over what I eat, some days I will be doing really well and then get the uncontrollable urge to binge. After I've eaten a ridiculous amount, I'll purge. Sometimes afterwards I'll repeat the cycle again lots of times until my glands are that swollen I can't do it anymore!!!
It started off nowhere near as bad but now it has escalated and I feel like I need help to establish a good relationship with food again. Does anybody have any advice for me? Thank you!
I have learned that ED's are coping mechanisms we use when we start to feel strong feelings. For many of us this began in childhood when we received the message that it was not safe to show or express our feelings. So we stopped ourselves from expressing feelings and, in order to keep them inside, we started eating/starving/purging/etc. Basically we have an ED so we don't have to feel. ED's can also develop from traumas such as abuse (sexual, emotional, physical etc.).
Once you make the decision you want to heal the ED you make a commitment to start feeling again. I would urge you to work with a therapist because the world of feelings, especially after not allowing yourself to feel them for so long, can be quite confusing and overwhelming. For some, we have had to re-learn what each feeling feels like. Once you learn to feel again then you learn to express those feelings in a safe way instead of eating/purging them. For example: if you binge/purge when you feel angry you would instead release your anger by punching a punching bag or pillow. Kicking a cardboard box around and screaming whatever it is you want to scream (I do a lot of release screaming in my car). The more often you practice releasing/expressing your feelings the less you will need the binge/purge.
If you also have a trauma in your past you may want to work on healing that. Everyone approaches their healing a little different. Some, like myself, worked on healing their past first and then work on the ED. Others work on the ED first and then their past and others work on them in tandem. It is whatever works for you. Maybe start with a therapist who specializes in ED's and then take it from there to see what works for you. And don't be afraid to move from one therapist to another if it's not working out for you. It's trial and error and a process to find which therapist fits with your personality and your needs. Please be patient with yourself and your process. Healing is possible but it takes time and patience. ((Hugs))