Three ways that trauma and binge eating are connected
Binge Eating can feel very distressing to the person who struggles with it.
Our culture depicts binge eating as a result of laziness, being out of control and self indulgent. Most people would assume binge eaters are always fat and usually pathetic in one way or another. Would you be surprised to know that those diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder (BED) as well as those that struggle with binge eating behavior come in all shapes in sizes? That they are often high achieving and hard working and are baffled by their own behavior?
Research shows a connection between binge eating and trauma.
A variety of different sources have all concluded that people who experience trauma have higher incidences of binge eating behaviors and diagnosed BED. In fact, in a previous post I encouraged anyone who struggles with binge eating to thank it for it’s ongoing help as a survival tool.
Why do binge eating and trauma go hand in hand so often? Here are three reasons why:
Binge eating helps regulate the body. Very often, people who experience trauma, especially prolonged trauma in childhood, can be triggered by people, situations, emotions and other stimuli. Trauma reactions happen in response to triggers and cause a person to experience the “fight or flight” response in their body. This looks different for everyone but is usually characterized with some level of increased heart rate, breathing, muscle tension, etc. As a child with few other resources, eating can become a tool to regulate these responses and feel better. A binge can bring about feelings of euphoria, tension release and fullness that distracts from the stress. It’s no wonder that so many people use binge eating to cope with symptoms of trauma as it may have been the only tool that they had until they reached adulthood.
Binge eating often results from food restriction. BED is characterized by a cycle of food restriction, followed by binge eating. When the body perceives itself as starving it will send messages to the brain that cause intense food cravings that can be impossible to ignore. If a child was forced to diet or denied food by an abusive parent, the result can be a feeling of food insecurity in adulthood. The body never learned that it would be fed when it was hungry and therefore continues to cause cravings and a high desire to eat beyond fullness for self preservation.
Fatphobia is traumatic and can cause binge eating. A person in a larger body often struggles in relationships with family, peers, employers and medical providers. Facing criticism, ridicule, discrimination and sub par medical care is traumatizing. This becomes exponentially worse when a person is in a marginalized group and faces other forms of oppression in addition to fatphobia. The trauma from fatphobia can lead to attempts at weight loss and/or trauma reactions, which in turn can lead to binge eating.
How can we manage binge eating behaviors and BED?
The way you learn to have a safe and supportive relationship with food comes down to trust and safety. You need to learn that you are safe now and have tools to manage feelings of being in danger. You need to learn to trust your mind and body to tell you when, what and how much to eat. You need to have access to a variety of foods at all times so that you can accomplish this. A provider that practices from a Health at Every Size (HAES) and Intuitive Eating perspective can help you with this.
Be careful with the providers you choose.
When you are looking for help with binge eating behaviors, you should verify that the provider is HAES oriented or you might run into providers who focus on meal planning and restriction which can ultimately trigger an increase in your binge eating. Look for providers (therapists, dietitians) who advertise themselves as HAES aligned and ask if they take a non diet approach to treating binge eating.