help for Binge Eating Disorder
Binge Eating Disorder is popularly defined as regular episodes of eating an excessive amount of food in a short period of time with an inability to stop.
A key word is regular; eating a large volume of food, every now and then is not BED.
Generally, BED is viewed as a lack of self control, of willpower.
Which is unfortunate and unhelpful.
Quite the contrary, because viewed from another standpoint, the body is doing precisely what it should be doing.
BED is not a breakdown in self-control, but a pointer to particular types of stressors.
Overcoming BED occurs when these underlying factors are addressed, not learning techniques that attempt to over-ride bodily mechanisms.
In my experience having worked with a number of clients, there are two main categories of stressors.
Firstly, BED can occur when drastically restrictive or calorically deficient diets are adhered to.
Or, when a person has a history of dieting, and then yo-yoing on and off.
Secondly, binge eating can occur in response to an extended period of stress.
Or, stress that continues to occur, driven by an unresolved trauma, or traumas.
Sometimes, the above scenarios overlap.
In both instances, the body's solution is to mitigate against the stress with nervous system regulation, which manifests as eating large volumes of food over short periods. And continues in this same dynamic for as long as the stressor remains.
But, attend to the underlying issue and the internal dynamic of the body shifts, resulting in a marked reduction in episodic binge eating.
Therapy, that addresses the above dynamic is key to overcoming BED.