The exact mechanism for why trauma contributes to the development of an eating disorder is unclear. What we do know is that trauma can disrupt the nervous system, often making our clients turn to eating disorders or other addictions as a way to cope with these uncomfortable emotions. Sexual trauma, for instance, may evoke feelings of self-blame or shame that need to be soothed or numbed. Survivors may become anorexic to reclaim a sense of power and control over their bodies or use bingeing to build a protective shield that defends against subsequent violation.

This workshop with globally acclaimed trauma expert Lisa Ferentz, is aimed at both beginner and advanced psychotherapists and counsellors. It offers a mindset change: re-framing eating disorders as clients’ attempts to enact, re-story and resolve traumatic experiences that they can’t verbally articulate.

Using case studies, clients’ journal entries and artwork, we will:

• Process the meta-communication of eating disorders within the context of trauma re-enactment syndrome
• We will identify the specific ways in which anorexia, bulimia, bingeing, and other eating disordered behaviours serve as a re-enactment, perpetuation of, and response to prior traumatization including physical, sexual, emotional abuse, and neglect
• We will de-pathologize the behaviours and view them instead as metaphors. Also, we will process common psychosocial triggers and cultural influences, as well as the diagnostic red flags and potential complications

The workshop will then explore specific therapeutic strategies designed to take the focus off traditional interventions and focus, instead, on offering clients alternative, safe ways to articulate and re-story their trauma experiences. A variety of creative interventions will be discussed including:

• Incorporating psychoeducation, journaling, and using art therapeutically
• parts work, re-grounding for dissociation, and implementing CARESS, an alternative to a standard safety contract

These strategies will help psychotherapists and counsellors address both symptoms and long-term healing for clients presenting with ‘disordered eating’ manifestations.

Specifically we will:

• Identify at least five behavioural and psycho-social triggers that promote eating-disordered behaviours
• Define and explain the clinical red flags that indicate anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating behaviours
• Define and explain exercise bulimia, orthorexia, and diabulimia as additional manifestations of eating disordered behaviour
• Describe the meta-communication of eating-disordered behaviour and its relationship to the re-enactment and perpetuation of prior trauma, abuse, neglect, or unresolved pain
• Identify at least four complications related to anorexia, binge eating and bulimia
• Explain and implement at least five creative interventions designed to treat eating disordered behaviours
• Describe and implement the strategy called CARESS when clients get the urge to engage in self-destructive behaviour
• Identify at least three reasons why CARESS differs from standard safety contracts
• Explain and implement at least four open-ended questions when helping clients explore the meta-communication of their eating disordered behaviour through their artwork

References:

• Brown,Zoe and Tiggemann, Marika (2020) Celebrity Influence on Body Image and Eating Disorders: A Review. Journal of Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105320988312
• Groth, T, Hilsenroth, M, Boccio, D and Gold, J. (2019) Relationship between Trauma History and Eating Disorders in Adolescents. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma. Volume 13, 443-453
• Gry Kjaersdam Telleus, Marlene Briciet Lauritsen et al, (2021) Prevalence of Various Traumatic Events Including Sexual Trauma in a Clinical Sample of Patients with an Eating Disorder. Frontiers in Pscyhology

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.687452

• Regev, D and Cohen-Yatziv, L. (2018) Effectiveness of art therapy with adult clients in 2018- what progress has been made? Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01531
• Solarska, D. (2020) The Philosophy of Expressive Arts Therapy. Journal of Applied Arts and Health. 11(3) 354-357

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