Therapy for Eating Disorders & Food Addiction In Pembroke Pines, FL and Online
Written by Karli Gallo, LMHC | EMDR-Certified Therapist | Pembroke Pines, FL
Eating disorders and struggles with food are often isolating and exhausting. Because food is necessary for survival, eating disorder behaviors or feeling addicted to food can become deeply conflicting and emotionally painful in a way most other struggles aren't.
Whether you're dealing with restriction, bingeing, emotional eating, or a compulsive relationship with food that's hard to name, you don't have to untangle it alone.
How do I know if I have an unhealthy relationship with food?
An unhealthy relationship with food can show up in many different ways. This often can feel like:
Constantly being preoccupied with food, eating, weight, or body image
Experiencing cycles of restriction, binge eating, emotional eating, guilt after eating, or feeling “out of control” around certain foods
Anxiety or fear before, during, or after eating
Anxiety or fear in food-related settings (restaurants, sitting at the dinner table, social events where you may be expected to eat, etc.)
Hiding food consumption from others due to embarrassment or shame
Food consuming a significant amount of mental energy or causing you to feel drained
If you experience any of these, or even stressors related to food not listed here, you may find therapy for eating disorder behaviors helpful.
Do I Have an Eating Disorder?
Many people wonder whether their struggles with food or eating are “serious enough” to be considered an eating disorder. Some minimize what they are experiencing because they are still functioning day-to-day, while others feel ashamed or uncertain about reaching out for help.
Eating disorders and disordered eating can look different from person to person. Signs may include:
Constant thoughts about food, eating, weight, or body image
Restricting food or avoiding certain foods out of fear or guilt
Binge eating or feeling out of control around food
Emotional eating tied to stress, anxiety, or loneliness
Feeling ashamed, anxious, or distressed after eating
Obsessive focus on weight, appearance, or body checking
Using food or eating behaviors to cope emotionally
Negative effects of these behaviors on your work or school performance, or in important relationships
You do not need to fit a specific stereotype or meet every symptom to deserve support. Many people struggle with eating behaviors privately for years before realizing how much emotional energy and distress these patterns are causing.
Whether or not you meet criteria for a formal diagnosis, therapy can help if your relationship with food, eating, or body image feels difficult to manage on your own.
What Is Food Addiction?
"Food addiction" is often described as feeling out of control around food, or experiencing intense urges to overeat despite negative consequences. Some people go through cycles of cravings, overeating, guilt and shame, and then attempts at restricting food. This can feel incredibly difficult to stop on your own. These struggles are rarely just about food itself.
Food often becomes more than nourishment. It becomes a way of coping with stress, anxiety, loneliness, or pain that hasn't found another outlet; sometimes trauma that's never been fully processed. When that's the case, EMDR can be a valuable part of treatment, working with the root cause rather than the eating behaviors alone.
People struggling with food addiction or compulsive eating often describe:
Constant thoughts about food
Feeling unable to stop eating once they start
Eating to cope emotionally rather than physical hunger
Shame or guilt after eating
Feeling emotionally dependent on food for comfort or relief
Continuing the behaviors even though they're distressing
While the term "food addiction" can mean different things to different people, the emotional distress connected to these experiences is very real. Therapy can help you better understand the underlying emotional patterns, stressors, or past experiences contributing to these behaviors while working toward a healthier relationship with food.
Is recovery possible?
Yes. Recovery from an eating disorder or food addiction is possible, even if you've struggled with these behaviors for a long time.
Recovery often involves developing a healthier, more compassionate, and less emotionally consuming relationship with food, your body, and yourself over time. Recovery does not mean perfection.
If you're looking for more than temporary symptom management, and you're in search of true healing, I encourage you to schedule an initial consultation call.
