Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Binge-Eating Disorder (BED) is an eating disorder that involves recurrent episodes where an individual eats a large amount of food in a relatively short amount of time. During the binge, the person experiences a feeling of lack of control over how much or what they are eating. They might also feel disconnected from their bodies. Binges are often followed by extreme feelings of disgust, shame, depression, and regret. The intensity of these emotions can lead the person to “overcorrect” by restricting their food intake. However, this restriction increases physiological drive to binge and the cycle repeats. People living with BED often feel emotionally drained and hopeless against this cycle. They can be self-critical and often internalize their binges as problems of willpower - when this could not be further from the truth. Anxiety, depression, and history of trauma commonly co-occur with BED.

Explore common social, mental, and physical symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder below. Please know that all people and eating disorders are unique, so you may observe many or none of these behaviors.

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Common Binge Eating Disorder Symptoms

  • Unusual eating habits

  • "All or nothing" approach to food

  • Eating large amounts even when not hungry

  • Hoarding and/or hiding food

  • Feelings of worthlessness or shame after eating

  • Engaging in food rituals

  • Noticeable changes in weight

  • Difficulty addressing anger or sadness

  • Eating in isolation

How can we help?

At Empowered, we will help you foster trust and connection with your body through trauma-informed therapy and personalized nutritional support. We will help you challenge feelings of shame with a better understanding of underlying emotional triggers, as well as the development of the coping skills needed to navigate difficult and painful emotions.

Why Choose Empowered?

  • Locally-owned and operated

    Our program is locally-owned and operated, with clinicians, admissions, billing, operations, and marketing in-house. We pride ourselves on maintaining alignment between clinical integrity and the client experience.

  • Inclusive & collaborative

    Our team is committed to helping those suffering from eating disorders, regardless of whether or not Empowered is the perfect fit. We are also flexible in the sense that we can collaborate with and support cultural foods and traditions, vegetarianism, and faith-based eating.

  • Trauma-forward

    We have designed our program around the assumption that trauma is part of most adult eating disorder presentations. We address this from intake on through our groups, individual therapy, and culture.

  • Adult-only programming

    With adult-only programming we are able to have open and direct conversations about the realities of living with an eating disorder. Groups can dive in to work, parenting and co-parenting, relationships and divorce, sex, finances, and long-standing and complex trauma.

  • "Real world" programming & mindset

    Our program focuses on helping you thrive in the world and at home, not just during controlled programming hours. By having clients prepare and bring their own food, we are able to observe and guide your actual food selections and patterns.

  • Complexity-ready

    We understand that underlying traumas and attachment wounds often contribute to the development of eating disorders, and that the disorder itself is an active and on-going trauma. Our programming is built to thoughtfully treat co-occurring mental health disorders, along with a transparent plan on when we may need to refer out.