We provide Therapy & Nutrition Therapy in Austin, Texas
Austin Center for Eating Disorders provides out-patient, virtual & in-person, specialized treatment for kids, teens, adults, and families.
Our Specialties Include:
Binge Eating Disorder Treatment
See Binge Eating Disorder treatment FAQs here.
You can’t stop bingeing, and you feel out of control. The pain of loneliness and shame is consuming.
You find yourself eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, whether it’s planned or compulsive, and you have tried everything to stop. Perhaps you’re eating in secret, stashing snacks or hiding evidence of your eating habits out of shame and guilt.
The cycle of dieting and binge eating is shame-inducing and painful, leaving you feeling exhausted, and with a hateful inner voice. The powerlessness you feel is isolating and lonely, and you feel desperate to feel better. Even through you may understand that you turn to food for relief from intense emotions or stress, the cycle persists.
At Austin Center for Eating Disorders (ACED), we understand how distressed and frustrated you are. Eating disorders are debilitating illnesses that thrive in secrecy and shame.
Binge Eating Disorder, or any type of eating issue, can make you feel shameful and worthless, and occurs across all body sizes.
We’re Here to Help
Binge Eating is a Complex Issue
Eating issues are complicated, multifaceted disorders, which is why they typically require specialized treatment for relief. Understanding why you are stuck in the pattern of bingeing and body shame and/or dieting is a first step towards reclaiming your life. Disordered eating is about so much more than the pursuit of weight loss and health.
For example, you may feel overwhelmed by the urge to binge in the evening after a long day, or when your emotions are too intense, which then leads to the binge and shame spiral with promises to “do better” tomorrow. You’re here because you feel ready to face this issue and get support to speed up the process of recovery.
Contributing Factors in Binge Eating Disorder
Suffering with an eating disorder can be all-encompassing, and effects everything in your life— your relationships, your work or school, your body and physical health, your emotions, your mental health, your capacity to be fully present, and your identity. Complicating matters is the ubiquitous cultural pressure to be thin and attractive based upon narrow and oppressive beauty standards. These beauty and fitness standards are everywhere and convince all of us that if we want love, care, and respect in this world, we must conform (read: lose weight).
On top of all of this, we might guess that someone in your family also struggles with food and body image. Eating disorders have a strong genetic component and tend to run in families. If you grew up in an environment of moralized eating, body shame, and dieting, you are more likely to struggle in these ways as an adult, especially if you have the genetic predisposition. We’re not here to blame your family, even though they may have accidentally contributed to the development of your eating disorder. Your parents’ parents likely passed these things down as well, and so goes the cyclical nature of trans-generational food and body image issues. That is, until someone finally heals it. We hope that person is you.
We often hear about the shaming doctors visits our clients endure as children and adults. Having a doctor tell you that there is something wrong with your body shape or weight as a child (or adult) can spur body image distress and disordered eating, and contribute to having an eating disorder later in life. We are doing everything we can to educate doctors about eating disorders and the harms of fat phobia in medical treatments. We want you to know that it’s not ok that you were shamed as a child, and told that your body was somehow defective.
Many People Struggle With Eating Disorders
No matter where you are in the process of recovery, you deserve to be heard and get support. Struggling with an eating disorder does not mean that you are inferior in any way, and you are certainly not alone. Having this issue is not your fault. Eating disorders are treatable mental and physical disorders that affect people of every age, sex, ethnicity, gender, race, and socioeconomic group. National surveys estimate that 20 million women and 10 million men in the USA will, at some point in their lives, have an eating disorder. Learn about more statistics here.
Eating disorders can negatively affect every organ system throughout your body, and seeking professional help is important. The earlier you seek treatment, the greater the likelihood you have to fully recover physically, mentally, and emotionally. Oftentimes, full recovery from an eating disorder takes multiple attempts, and this is not your fault. We live in a culture that reinforces disordered eating and unrealistic beauty standards, which infinitely complicates the process of recovery.
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Let Us Help
With the help of a skilled, specialized therapist and/or dietitian, you can develop the insight and compassionate self-care needed to sustain the long journey of healing. We can provide the support you need:
You will receive a personalized treatment plan that is highly specific and aligned with your unique needs and goals
Tools and skills to manage and diminish eating disorder behaviors
Support in developing insight and understanding in your relationships with food and your body, and about yourself in general
Education about the science behind eating disorders and trauma
Help learning to regulate and soothe your intense emotions
Coping skills to advocate for yourself, especially when it comes to difficult relationships and diet culture
Nutrition support, education, and guidance
Tools and guidance in dismantling the restrictive food rules and obsessions that take over your life
A meal plan, if necessary, with a specialized Registered Dietitian
Inspiration, motivation, and accountability
So much love and compassion
See eating disorder treatment FAQs here
Binge Eating Treatment Can Repair Your Relationship With Food and Body
Psychotherapy can be an extremely effective method to heal your relationship with food, your body, and your life. Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder, although complex and commonly long-term, can guide you toward developing insight into your dysfunctional patterns of thinking and coping by giving you the skills and space necessary for authentic growth.
Therapy can give you a refuge, a place where you can be vulnerable, and trust that you will be unconditionally accepted, respected, and loved. Working at your own pace, you can find your voice, reconcile unaddressed emotions, and summon the power and courage required to take charge of your life.
Our Collaborative Approach Toward Eating Disorder Recovery
Depending on your symptoms and needs, we will refer you to a registered dietician and/or therapist specializing in eating disorders to assist us on our journey together. Working with a specialized dietitian can be very important, and we will collaborate to make sure that you are getting the best care possible.
We will also refer you to a specialized medical doctor to check in about your physical health. Again, we want to do our best make sure that you have everything you need to recover from your eating disorder.
Another option and recommendation we’ll likely provide is to join a therapy group that focuses on eating disorder recovery, so that you can connect with others who share your goals and struggles.
We’ll also look for other possible mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, or trauma, that may be complicating or intensifying your need to cope using eating disorder behaviors.
We utilize a number of therapeutic modalities to aid in your unique recovery process:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Family Based Therapy (FBT)
Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Psychodynamic Theory
Feminist Theory
Health at Every Size® and Intuitive Eating
Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Parts Work
Relational Cultural Theory
Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
We Cherish Your Autonomy
You and you alone (given that you are an adult) are in charge of your body. You make decisions based upon what you believe is best for you. We will have plenty of recommendations (see above) to aid your recovery process, and if your symptoms are more severe, we may be more directive in nature. However, you are always free to agree or disagree, to come and go as you please, and do what you believe is the best thing for you.
We believe that you must make your own decisions to get the most out of therapy, and we support you in doing so. We cannot make you do anything, and you simply will not change unless you want to. We unconditionally accept you for who you are, right now.
You may be considering Binge Eating Disorder Treatment but still have some questions or concerns…
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Investing in your physical and mental health is one of the most valuable and important investments you could possibly make. Anorexia typically involves immense feelings of loneliness, shame, and feeling like a failure, and this can destroy the quality of your everyday life. We realize that treatment is expensive, but the costs to your wellbeing if you don’t get help can be even greater. If you simply cannot afford treatment, please reach out anyway, and we can look at alternatives through other programs.
If you are noticing worrisome physical symptoms, improving your relationship with food now might prevent costly medical treatments down the line. Furthermore, compensatory behaviors (e.g., compulsive overexercise, unprescribed medications, laxative use, etc.) can damage the health and functioning of your body in multiple ways. By engaging in therapy for Anorexia, it’s possible to learn to better care for yourself, cope with challenges successfully without resorting to eating disorder behaviors, and create the life that you truly want to live. The benefits of seeking treatment are infinite and although it looks different for everyone, recovery is possible.
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It can be incredibly scary to face the unknown or hidden parts of yourself, especially when it comes to food and your body. Your eating disorder serves a beneficial purpose in your life, and understanding that purpose is essential to evolving the way you think about food and feel toward yourself. We want you to find better ways to deal with anxiety, emotional pain, and body shame that don't cause you harm. Whatever your situation may be, we will proceed as slowly as needed, and we will be there for you as a loving support, a source of strength, and a compassionate voice of reason.
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We understand that you're really busy. The demands of work, family, and life in general can make it seem as if there is no time left in the week just for you. However, restricting self care and time for yourself might play a role in maintaining your eating disorder. We encourage you to make time for yourself, and make your healing a priority in your week. Your mental health and the quality of your life matters so much. We can help you to develop healthy coping skills to deal with stress, and guide you toward creating a life that you can truly love.
Help Is Available for Binge Eating.
We’re here for you. Schedule a complimentary phone consultation to ask all of your questions, and see if we might be a good fit for you.
