Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in Dranesville, VA.

Self/Body image is often at the root of eating disorders. Our culture provides many impossible beauty exceptions. Food can become our friend, or enemy in coping with our perceived fears and insecurities. Sometimes food is used to comfort us, we become overweight in a cycle of "trying to feeling good enough". Sometimes, we fear food and restrict, or eliminate food due to fears of gaining weight, and our body image becomes distorted. Learning to love and care for our body and self takes vulnerability and trust. I am here for you, as a safe person, to assist you in stopping the process of self shame, blame, and judgement that keeps you in a hurtful, unhealthy relationship with food.

Although different eating disorders spring from different issues, food is a basic emotional as well as physical need from the day you were born. We can use it to satisfy, temporarily, many other needs. Or we can pridefully deny ourselves. In addition, we live in a culture that can have very harsh, judgmental attitudes about bodies, attitudes that we internalize without noticing. You may have been told that your body image is distorted, that other people do not see you the way you do. Self-acceptance is the beginning. It is not your fault you are in this condition, although it is your responsibility to get past it. The second step is self-observance, then self-love. I can help.

Food is a wonderful thing, but when there are parts of us that are not doing well emotionally we can end up with a unhealthy relationship with food as a way of coping. The good news is that we can change that if we work through the underlying struggles. This is something we can't do alone--the way our brains work we need the help of another person. I would be honored to help you do the growing and healing you are needing in order that you can have a better relationship food, yourself and others.