My eating disorder gives me a sense of control
So many of my clients tell me that their eating disorder started at a time when their life felt chaotic and unpredictable. Similarly, many recovering clients relapse when external circumstances make them feel inadequate, worthless and/or lacking control.
When life gets messy, controlling one’s food/weight/shape can 1) distract from the “real issue” and 2) provide an alternate sense of control.
After all, it’s so much easier to control what and how much we eat than to control what others think of us, how we perform at school or work, or whether our parents get a divorce or not.
Issues of control seem to be central in the development and maintenance of eating disorders. However, current treatment models rarely acknowledge them. Focusing solely on eating disorder symptoms and failing to address key underlying factors can leave our clients vulnerable to relapse. Indeed, previous research has found that recovering entails gaining a sense of control that does not include engaging in behaviours related to the eating disorder (Pathing & Lawler, 2009).
In this study I focused on deepening my understanding of what “control” actually means, how control relates to disordered eating behaviours, and how we can assess for and treat issues of control.
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