Heal from Food & Body Image Challenges with EMDR

Many people are surprised to learn that eating disorders and disordered eating can be effectively treated using EMDR therapy. Not sure if you are struggling with food and body image issues? Many of my clients report symptoms including constant thoughts about food, over-analyzing how they look in pictures and feelings of dread about shopping. If this sounds like you, then you are in the right place. Growing up, I always strove to be perfect in everything that I did - from getting perfect straight A’s to being the best on the tennis team. I took this same mentality when it came to food - I was either eating “perfectly” or I had “completely ruined my diet.” When I inevitably made mistakes, I felt like a complete failure.

In the thick of my eating disorder, I was barely eating throughout the day only to end up binging at night on all the foods I was not allowing myself to eat during the day. As I started to gain weight, I felt immense shame and guilt. I felt hopeless that things could ever get better. How was it so easy for other people?

At some point I decided, enough for enough. I can no longer live my life this way. I began researching all about disordered eating. Once I began to understand how diet culture and relational trauma (criticism, bullying, etc.) fueled my unhealthy relationship with food and my body, things began to click. I realized that I wasn’t crazy, I didn’t lack willpower or self-discipline and I was not alone in my struggle. My negative thoughts and behaviors with food began to make sense as effective (yet unhelpful) ways I had learned to cope with emotional distress, fit in with others and maintain a sense of safety and control.

Everything changed for me when I healed trauma that had been fueling my behaviors. When I finally accepted myself, the drive for thinness evaporated. And thanks to trauma-focused therapy, I no longer felt overwhelming shame or emotional distress and was finally able to learn new ways of coping with my emotions.

After struggling with an eating disorder for 10+ years, I can no proudly say I no longer feel the urge to binge or purge and feel unshakable confidence in my own skin. This exactly the work that I do with my clients. Regardless of how long you’ve struggled, what you have previously tried, how old you are, there is a way out. If you are ready to do the work, you can heal completely from food + body image struggles. You can have an easy and effortless relationship with food and feel confident in your skin.

The Connection Between Disordered Eating and Trauma

Eating disorders are very complex - however, when we look back, they often make sense in the context that you grew up in. While we often think of trauma as a single, life-shattering event (big "T" trauma), little "t" trauma—smaller, but still deeply impactful experiences—can also contribute significantly to developing an eating disorder. This includes things like emotional neglect, hearing negative comments about food and bodies, chronic stress, experiencing diet culture messaging, or consistent feelings of rejection, all of which might not be immediately recognized as "trauma" but can deeply affect one's mental health over time.

Eating disorders frequently emerge as a coping mechanism for managing this inner turmoil. Behaviors such as restriction, bingeing, purging, or compulsive exercise can serve as ways to:

• Some people find that binging can soothe symptoms of hyperarousal (feeling keyed up, irritable, or easily startled)

• Others discover that purging temporarily blunts the intense emotions like shame or sadness—and some do both.

• Eating disorders often begin with early negative body messages, making us feel that we are not good enough. EMDR helps reprocess those early memories and beliefs, replacing them with healthier ones—like “I am enough.” As these beliefs shift, eating disorder symptoms often decrease.

• Disordered eating behaviors provide a sense of control in an unpredictable world.

Relational Trauma and the Body

Relational trauma is commonly found in individuals who struggle with food and body image issues. Relational trauma—such as emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, abandonment, or inconsistent caregiving—often leads to distorted beliefs about self-worth, identity, and bodily autonomy. These beliefs can become deeply embedded and show up as:

• Body dysmorphia

• Self-punishment through food or exercise

• Difficulty trusting others, including treatment providers

• Deep-seated guilt or shame tied to eating or physical appearance

When the body was once a source of pain, fear, or vulnerability, it’s not uncommon for individuals to disconnect from it entirely. Rebuilding a safe relationship with the body becomes a foundational part of healing from both trauma and eating disorders.

The Role of Trauma-Informed Therapy

Traditional eating disorder treatment often focuses on symptom management, nutritional stabilization, and behavior change. While these are important parts of treatment, they do not address the root cause of symptoms and lead to lasting change.

Trauma-informed therapy looks deeper—acknowledging the protective role the eating disorder once played and working to resolve the underlying emotional pain and maintain connection. Modalities like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), parts work (such as IFS), and somatic approaches are especially effective in helping clients:

• Process traumatic memories without re-traumatization

• Heal inner wounds that fuel disordered eating

• Develop a more compassionate relationship with themselves and their bodies

• Break free from the cycle of shame, fear, and control

You Are Not Broken—You Are Coping

If you struggle with an eating disorder and have a history of trauma, it’s important to understand that your behaviors are not signs of failure or weakness—they are responses to pain. You’ve developed ways to survive. With the right support, you can also learn how to heal.

Get Support Now - Serving Tacoma, Gig Harbor & Seattle

You deserve to live in a body that feels safe, cared for, and connected—not controlled by fear or shame. Healing from trauma and eating disorders is absolutely possible, and you don’t have to do it alone. Get in-person support at our office located just outside of Tacoma, WA in Fircrest, WA.