Therapy for Eating Disorders & Body Image

Learn more about therapy for Anorexia.

Signs You Might Be Struggling with Anorexia:

• Obsessive thoughts about food, calories, or body image

• Intense fear of gaining weight or being seen as "lazy"

• Rituals around food (cutting things small, eating slowly, hiding food)

• Feeling powerful or in control through restriction

• Withdrawal from social events involving food

• Denial of hunger, even when clearly undernourished

• Frequent self-criticism, shame, or perfectionism

• Binge eating and/or purging after meals (Anorexia, binge/purge subtype)

You may also experience fatigue, mood swings, hair loss, dizziness, or difficulty concentrating. These are not character flaws. They are signs that your body is struggling to survive.

Learn more about therapy for Atypical Anorexia.
What Is Atypical Anorexia?

Atypical anorexia meets all the psychological and behavioral criteria of anorexia nervosa, with one key difference: the person is not considered “underweight.” More about this in a second..

That difference, however, is often what delays or denies people the help they need. You may appear "fine" to others—maybe even praised for your discipline or weight loss—while secretly battling intense food restriction, fear of weight gain, and a harsh inner critic.

Atypical anorexia is not less serious than anorexia nervosa. In fact, the emotional and physical risks are just as severe, if not more, and the invisibility of the disorder often compounds the shame.

Signs of Atypical Anorexia

You may be struggling with atypical anorexia if:

• You follow strict food rules or severely restrict intake

• You feel intense guilt after eating

• You constantly think about calories, weight, or body image

• You experience anxiety or panic at the thought of gaining weight

• You feel safer or more in control when you're hungry

• You avoid social events that involve food

• You believe you aren’t "sick enough" for help

You might also experience fatigue, hormonal disruptions, obsessive thoughts, and deep emotional numbness—even if your body doesn’t show it on the outside.

What Is ARFID?

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder where food avoidance is not about weight or shape—but still seriously impacts health, growth, and quality of life. It may start as sensory sensitivity, fear of choking, low appetite, or intense pickiness. But over time, it becomes all-consuming.

This isn’t about being a “picky eater.” ARFID can shrink your world, create anxiety around meals, and make social events feel impossible. It often goes unnoticed because there’s no desire to be thin—just a deep-rooted fear or aversion around food.

Signs of ARFID
You may be struggling with ARFID if:

• You avoid certain foods due to texture, smell, or appearance

• You fear vomiting, choking, or other physical reactions to eating

• You have very low appetite or interest in food

• You eat an extremely limited variety of foods

• You experience anxiety or distress at mealtimes

• Your weight, growth, or nutrition are impacted—but you're not concerned about weight gain

• You avoid eating in front of others or need accommodations to eat

ARFID is just as real and serious as other eating disorders. It’s not something you “grow out of”—but it can be treated with the right support.

Learn more about therapy for binge eating and emotional eating.
What Is Binge Eating?

Binge eating involves eating large quantities of food in a short period—often in secret, with a sense of urgency, and accompanied by deep guilt or shame. Unlike bulimia, it doesn’t involve regular purging behaviors, though many people attempt to compensate in other ways, like dieting, fasting, or overexercising.

Binge eating is not about greed or lack of willpower. It’s often a response to unmet emotional needs, restriction, trauma, or chronic self-criticism. Most people with binge eating disorder have spent years in cycles of dieting and shame, blaming themselves for something that is not a moral failing.

Signs of Binge Eating

You may be struggling with binge eating if:

• You eat past fullness and feel unable to stop

• You eat quickly, secretly, or while dissociated

• You feel intense guilt, shame, or self-hatred after eating

• You use food to numb, reward, punish, or soothe

• You constantly think about food, your body, or your next plan to “fix” things

• You diet restrictively and then binge when you can no longer hold it together

• You feel like you’ve failed at every attempt to control your eating

These behaviors are often misunderstood, but they are deeply human. It is crucial they are met with compassion and love. You’re not out of control—you’re trying to cope.

Learn more about therapy for body image and body dysmorphia.
What is Body Dysmorphia?

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition where a person becomes obsessively focused on one or more perceived flaws in their appearance. These flaws are often invisible or minor to others, but they feel enormous and unacceptable to the person experiencing them.

Common features of BDD include:

• Obsessive thoughts about appearance

• Frequent mirror checking or avoidance

• Constant comparison to others

• Seeking reassurance about looks

• Excessive grooming, makeup, or changes in clothing

• Avoidance of social situations

• Feeling disgust, shame, or distress about your body or face

BDD often overlaps with other concerns like anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, and eating disorders. It is deeply tied to identity, self-worth, and safety.

Body Image Issues (Without BDD)

You don’t need to have full-blown BDD to struggle with body image. Many people experience:

• Preoccupation with size, shape, or features

• Comparing yourself to friends, influencers, or past versions of yourself

• Feeling ashamed in photos or public spaces

• Letting how you feel about your body dictate your mood, day, or choices

You might have grown up in a home or culture where weight and beauty were praised or punished. Maybe you learned early that being attractive kept you safe. Or maybe you just feel like your body has never really felt like yours.

Body image issues often start young and linger long after we realize how much they impact our confidence, relationships, and joy.

Learn more about therapy for Bulimia.
What Is Bulimia Nervosa?

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder marked by cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors like purging, over-exercising, fasting, or using laxatives. It often exists in secrecy, fueled by shame and the belief that you “should” have more control. More “willpower.”

But bulimia isn’t a failure of willpower. It’s a coping strategy—one that often emerges in response to emotional overwhelm, trauma, or a deep sense of unworthiness.
You probably appear high-functioning on the outside. You might look like you have it all together, but your inner world is consumed by self-judgment and chaos.

Signs of Bulimia

You may be struggling with bulimia if:

• You eat large amounts of food in a short time and feel out of control

• You purge through vomiting, laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise

• You feel intense shame or guilt after eating

• You follow a cycle of restriction → binge → purge

• You constantly think about food, weight, or how to “make up for” eating

• You isolate, cancel plans, or avoid eating with others

• You feel like your worth is tied to your body or what you eat

Bulimia can be physically dangerous—electrolyte imbalances, GI issues, and cardiac risks are common—but it’s often minimized because the person may not “look sick.”

What Is Exercise Addiction?

Exercise addiction is a lesser-known eating disorder behavior that often hides under the guise of “discipline” or being healthy. But when movement becomes compulsive—driven by fear, guilt, or shame instead of joy—it’s no longer healthy. It’s harmful.

You might feel like you have to exercise to “earn” food, avoid anxiety, or fix something about yourself. Rest days may fill you with panic. Injuries might not stop you. It’s not about fitness anymore—it’s about control.

Signs of Exercise Addiction
You may be struggling with exercise addiction if:

• You feel extreme guilt or anxiety when you miss a workout

• You work out even when sick, injured, or exhausted

• You plan your life around exercise, often canceling other plans

• You use exercise to compensate for eating

• You feel your worth is tied to how much or how intensely you work out

• You become distressed when rest is required

• You push through pain or warning signs from your body

Exercise addiction can lead to serious health issues like hormone imbalances, injuries, cardiac strain, and burnout—but it’s often praised in our culture, making it harder to recognize and treat.

What Is OSFED?

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) is the most common, yet most overlooked, eating disorder diagnosis. It describes eating struggles that don’t meet the full criteria for anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating—but are still just as dangerous.

OSFED isn’t a “less severe” eating disorder. It simply doesn’t fit neatly into a diagnostic box. People with OSFED often feel invalidated or like they’re “not sick enough” for help—which only deepens the shame.

Signs of OSFED
You may be struggling with OSFED if:

• You restrict food but don’t meet the weight criteria for anorexia

• You binge or purge but not frequently enough to be diagnosed with bulimia

• You obsess over food, weight, and body image

• You eat very little during the day and lose control at night

• You fast, use diet pills, or engage in dangerous behaviors in secret

• You feel like food rules your life—even if others can’t see it

• You minimize your symptoms because you "don’t fit the stereotype"

OSFED is real. It’s valid. And it deserves the same specialized care as any other eating disorder.

What Is Orthorexia Nervosa?

Orthorexia isn’t an official diagnosis yet—but its impact is real. It’s an obsession with eating “clean,” “pure,” or “healthy” that becomes rigid, isolating, and fear-driven. At first, it might look like wellness. Eventually, it becomes a prison.

You might feel intense fear around “bad” foods, guilt after eating anything not on your safe list, or socially avoidant because you can’t control what’s being served. It’s not about nourishment—it’s about perfection.

Signs of Orthorexia
You may be struggling with orthorexia if:

• You obsess over ingredients, food labels, or food purity

• You avoid entire food groups labeled as “unhealthy” or “unclean”

• You feel intense anxiety or guilt after eating something outside your plan

• You judge yourself or others based on food choices

• You struggle to eat socially or trust others to prepare food

• You feel your identity or morality is tied to how “clean” you eat

• You’ve lost weight, flexibility, or joy in eating

Orthorexia can lead to serious physical and emotional consequences—nutritional deficiencies, social isolation, and mental exhaustion. You deserve to feel free, not afraid, around food.