📓 What My Clients Have Taught ME About Binge Eating Recovery

#bingeeatingrecovery #eatingpsychology #psychotherapy
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Disclaimer: This video is for information purposes only and my content should not be used as a substitute for seeking treatment from a healthcare provider. My content is not going to be suitable for everyone, so please use your self discernment before applying any video content in your own life.
As a psychotherapist specializing in binge eating recovery, I’ve noticed recurring patterns among my clients that influence their progress. In my weekly groups and individual sessions, I’ve worked with people who experience binge eating as a form of coping, often tied to avoidant or hypervigilant tendencies. These two ends of the spectrum, avoidance and hypervigilance, shape how individuals relate to food. Some are avoidant, detaching from thoughts about food and emotions, while others are hyper-aware, obsessing over both. Recognizing where you fall on this spectrum can be key to navigating binge eating recovery more effectively.
Recovery from binge eating requires self-awareness and open curiosity. The binge cycle often follows a familiar pattern of bingeing, feeling guilty, and promising to do better, but real change starts when clients approach their behavior with curiosity rather than judgment. I encourage clients to examine what triggers their binge episodes and how these might tie to their emotional state. Breaking this cycle requires acknowledging past experiences, such as childhood conditioning, and how these shape one's identity and relationship with food today. Through compassionate self-inquiry and curiosity, clients begin to rewrite their personal narratives and move forward in their recovery.
The ultimate goal of therapy is self-empowerment, enabling clients to trust themselves in moments of challenge. Trust is built by learning to respond rather than react, and through therapy, clients gain tools to navigate their binge eating patterns. Over time, they no longer need constant external support but instead develop confidence in their ability to handle setbacks. This process can be slow and steady, but it fosters lasting transformation. Hope plays a vital role in this journey, and even moments of hopelessness can provide space for significant breakthroughs. Recovery is possible, and it starts with understanding and trusting yourself.

[@AaliyaKhan]

Can't thank you enough. I have reclaimed my brain from the top of the croissant. I'm in the middle of finding out about my own narcisstic abuse and am bringing up two toddlers as i go through divorce. I'm anxious but still not bingeing. Thanks so much for doing so much for people like us. ❤

[@brookelowe5147]

I've struggled with binge eating for many years, to the point of gluttony. Is there anything that can help with food noise & OCD intrusive thoughts? I struggle with thinking about food 24/7 and fear that I'm eating myself to death. I just started therapy and hoping to see some positive change. In my area, central Illinois, there isn't much help or resources for people with eating disorders.

[@berritandersen288]

❤

[@AaliyaKhan]

Read her book It's amazing..there's also am audiobook she narrated on this channel

[@brookelowe5147]

@@AaliyaKhan I will definitely check it out! Thank you!

[@melitapavlinic7302]

Maybe you need to see your own family doctor or a psychiatrist to rule out other conditions that might be contributing to obsessive throughts. Any problems with blood sugar, thryroid? Sometimes these thoughts are also related to depression and generalized anxiety, talking from my own experience

[@brookelowe5147]

@@melitapavlinic7302 I've already discussed this with my family doctor to no avail. I do have issues with blood sugar, thyroid, depression, and anxiety. My doctor seems to think the Mediterranean diet is the answer to everything. She all but dismissed me when I told her I struggle with binge eating and have had this eating disorder for years. She seems to have no empathy for mental health struggles.

[@karinekmk9293]

I genuinely appreciate that you see your mission as letting your clients acquire their autonomy. It's the same goal as PT, but for the brain and behavior. We see PT after a surgery or an injury, to re-learn how to function again by ourselves (how to walk again, how to bend this joint again, etc). When I was younger, i was forced to see psychiatrists for A.N., but my impression was that they just wanted to make me come back every week, not to let me make some progress. I never felt as I felt with my PT (with her, I really noticed that she wanted to make me gain my mobility and physical autonomy) ! Thank you Sarah for thinking about your clients before thinking about filling your schedule !

[@nsh2764]

This spoke to my soul. I swing between the 2 extremes, leaning 75/25 towards avoidance.

[@FemEngAT]

Dear Sarah, this one had me tear up (and I am all but the type for tearing up). I will watch this video again in the evening, in order to do some journalling. My first thought was, yes, I'm blocking it out, only to realize then that I'm actually overthinking. What touched me so deeply was the cycle of daily self-shaming and losing trust in oneself and one's capabilities, which you desribe. Yep. Thank you so much for the great support that you provide. Kind regards from Austria, H.

[@SUEMAGENTA]

I'm on the hyper vigilant side. Thanks for your videos, Sarah 🌷🌷🌷

[@lenawunderlich45]

Great explained :) for me it was quiet easy to define myself as a person on the side of hyper vigilance. Makes sense why trying to become more present is leading to more stress often times.

[@suzycue9087]

Nalatraxone perhaps?

[@nsh2764]

Your last comment really struck a chord

[@_its.christy143]

Thank you so much ❤

[@zezezep]

You are spot on

[@suzycue9087]

It' s not about my feelings, it's chemical. How to restore them?