Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in Fullerton, CA.

An eating disorder is never really about food. Struggles with eating, weight, or how you see your body usually carry something deeper: pain around control, worth, or feelings that have become too much to bear. Rather than focusing on the surface behavior, I work with compassion and without judgment to understand what your symptoms are trying to express. As that meaning comes into focus, food and body gradually loosen their grip on your life. You won't be rushed or shamed in treatment, only understood. This depth work pairs well with any medical or nutritional care you need. I've helped many people with eating disorders, and I'm confident that our work can resolve your issues.

All of us find ways to "take the edge off" of difficult feelings. Loneliness, anxiety, and stress can make us feel scared and out of control. We all search for comfort in these painful times. From infancy, being cared for and cared about has often meant being fed. Ideally, we are not only fed with food, but emotionally attended to as well. But for some of us, food has always been paired with feeling soothed and comforted. It makes sense that we would turn to food to calm ourselves even now. But it doesn't have to be this way. Together we can get to the heart of what hurts, and learn other ways to feel safe and comforted. It is possible to feel full, even when your stomach is empty.

Eating disorders are complex, complicated methods to cope with unworked feelings. Food can become a metaphor for hunger, control, a fear of needing and longing, a wish to be attractive and desired. Eating disorders are always healed in the context of a safe, reflective relationship with another. As a trained professional, I can help explore and heal the dynamics that helped develop these adaptive, but destructive methods to cope with distress.

An eating disorder is not a lifestyle choice. An eating disorder is a serious and often fatal illnesses that causes serious disturbances to a person’s eating behaviors, physical health, and relationships. Obsessions with food, body weight, and shape may also signal an eating disorder. The sooner someone struggling with this illness, or displaying behaviors and attitudes consistent with these disorders, can get connected to help, the better. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. As with any illness or psychological disorder, these problems will not go away on their own; without clinical support they often only escalate dangerously.

My approach to eating disorder therapy emphasizes a holistic understanding of the individual in the context of relationships, phase of life, and physical health. By integrating various therapeutic techniques tailored to the unique needs of each client, I aim to uncover the underlying emotional factors contributing to the eating dysregulation. Clients benefit from this personalized approach as it not only addresses the symptoms but also fosters resilience, self-awareness, and healing in a supportive environment. My approach encourages a sustainable recovery by empowering you to develop healthier relationships with food and yourself, promoting overall well-being.

While most eating disorder issues are treated by cognitive behavioral methodologies or specialized outpatient/inpatient programs, Grey Matters International and the work of Kevin J. Fleming, PhD provide relief first and foremost for the brain of one suffering from an eating disorder----without giving them medication. We believe that the neural circuitries responsible for the compulsive behaviors with eating are not necessarily only a neurotransmitter issue but of overused neural networks that affect the harmonization, balance, and decisions of the whole brain. Contact kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or 877-606-6161 to learn more about this safe and effective alternative