Holistic & Trauma-Informed Eating Disorder Therapy
For several of our therapists, our own eating disorder recovery is what brought us into the field of mental health.
With hard work and the support of family, friends and professionals, we each refilled our shell-of-a-person with a real, fully alive person again.
We learned what was fueling the disorder, and did the work of healing and skill-building to deal with painful thoughts and feelings in other ways.
We also happen to think that diet culture is a bunch of patriarchal, white-supremacist bullshit, and we’re determined to do our part in dismantling it— one “no carbs after 7pm” food rule at a time.
Oh, and we don’t distinguish who needs or “deserves” help based on how “sick” you are— in fact, being “not sick enough” for help is one of the insidious lies eating disorders and diet culture tell us.
We love supporting folks with ANY level of disordered eating or body image concerns that are appropriate for outpatient care.
So what's our approach to working with eating disorders & disordered eating?
It is about the food, and it's not about the food.
At The Gaia Center, we work with clients to address all the layers of their disordered eating patterns: the behaviors going on with food and exercise, the emotional layer (since hey, those behaviors were probably helping you cope with anxiety and other tough feelings), and whatever underlying beliefs or traumas might be connected with it.
We get that if you could just change your behaviors and do what you know you "should," you wouldn't be coming to us for help. We also know from our own experiences , and having worked with many clients who haven’t been helped by therapy in the past, that working with an eating disorder therapist who is a true specialist in this area can make all the difference in your recovery process.
We know you're sick of feeling this way, but you're also terrified about what it means to change.
While the medical complications of eating disorders are very real, the mental prison can often feel like the worst part. Obsessing when you are sick and tired of obsessing, feeling distant and even isolated from the people you care about the most, and not having the mental space or energy to think about much else. You just want it to STOP.
We know because we’ve been there— and while we won't say that it's easy or quick to get to the other side, we can promise you that there is another side.
Our therapists will work with you on learning ways to get some space between you and the loud and incessant food/body “noise” in your head, and how to cope with the anxiety that will come up as you're working toward challenging ingrained behaviors and patterns so you can get back in the driver's seat of your life.
Teamwork makes the dreamwork.
If you're already working with a dietitian, psychiatrist, or other healthcare providers, we are eager to collaborate with them so we can all be on the same page and give you the best care.
If you aren't yet working with any other providers, we can answer any questions you have about this and provide recommendations for people we know and trust to ensure you have the right kinds of support in place.
We also like to discuss with our clients whether it might be helpful to bring family members (or other close people in your support system) into session or phone calls as appropriate, to help give them the education and tools they need to be helpful without being in the role of the "food police."
We also offer experiential support services such as meal support and grocery/clothing shopping outings, which you can learn more about here. And make sure to check out the Eating Disorders section on our Resources page for tons of great books, podcasts, and more.
