(Good for the L.A. TImes in opening the binge eating discussion and allowing many perspectives) Below is my letter the Times posted on their website.)
I am relieved to see in print the genuine experience of a binge eating person and a description of the in-depth psychological work necessary to heal beyond the need to mindlessly devour food.
I’ve been working as a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorder recovery for over 25 years. I am still sad, frustrated and amazed at the lack of public appreciation for the anguish people with these disorders experience. The eating or non-eating is not about vanity, greed, weak moral fiber, lack of willpower, desire for attention or any cause that the public and some professionals in the healing professions believe can be resolved with fast answers, diets and willpower.
As you rightly say in your article, “Overwhelming feelings of sadness, anger or stress trigger episodes of eating unusually large quantities of food, often when she’s not at all hungry.”
So diets, diet pills and food focus are not the issues. The issue is overwhelming feelings.
Binge eaters may not get the healing attention they need because they are more likely to hurt themselves than others. They are not using alcohol and crashing cars. They are not using drugs and killing, robbing or creating public mayhem.
I’m especially glad to see you give the binge-eating person a name and a story. You help the binge-eating person gather understanding and, I hope, evoke some compassion that will disperse the harsh judgments.
Yet your article about the problems binge eaters face in the holidays doesn’t address the real people trapped in binge behaviors. Although the article begins with a description of emotional triggers for binge eating, it goes on to focus on food control as the primary answer: “Most patients can learn to control binge eating with cognitive behavioral therapy” and “We know that a pattern of regular eating is important” for binge eaters. In other words, if the problem looks like it’s about a hand bringing food to a mouth, then the answer must be how to stop the hand.
I can’t argue with these statements. But binge eaters have a compelling need to binge. They can find real freedom from the binge eating behavior if they develop from within, so that they can function well in situations that would formerly send them to the food cupboards.
This development can come from in-depth psychotherapy, regular and committed mindfulness practices or a major life challenge that forces them to grow or die.
Accurate but limited information that focuses on eating habits and weight interventions neglect this important point.
Joanna Poppink, MFT Los Angeles
More Los Angeles Times article on this subject,
written by Melissa Healy
Is binge eating a psychiatric disorder?
Trying to define binge eating disorder
Binge eating: is it a form of addiction?
Holidays can feed binge eaters’ problems
Thats always the risk when one particular strategy is favoured over others..that other aspects get missed. They all work together dont they? Focusing on regulating eating patterns is difficult when your feelings and emotions are going through a rollercoaster – but then, focusing on your emotional issues can be virtually impossible if your bloodsugars and other neurochemicals are similarly all over the place because of the way they impact on us psychologically.
So hopefully, in time, more sufferers wil be have access to treatment programme that take a ‘holistic’ approach, which addresses the habitual, cognitive and behavioural aspects, as well as optimising nutritional stability, at the same time as working on improving self worth, body image and whatever psychological problems the individual is battling with.
Matt C
Well stated, Matt!
What I find is that when a person who binge eats first enters my practice she is distraught and well into the roller coaster of emotions you describe.
If we can establish a degree of connection in our new relationship where she can feel some trust and some safety we can gently being to address a little bit of all areas.
The holistic approach, I agree, is essential. It’s my job to be prepared for just about anything and let her take the lead in what we address first and to what depth.
The first hurdle is to move through the desire for a quick fix so we can move solidly on her genuine recovery path.
Thank you for writing.
best regards,
Joanna