Eating disorder Therapy in Charlotte, NC
Reclaim your power.
Eating disorders don't have to control you. Let our eating disorder therapists help you take back control.
An unhealthy relationship with food can take many forms.
Maybe you’re a perfectionist in search of greater control in your life. In the past, you found that restricting what you ate seemed to give you that control, but you’re starting to realize that it’s actually taken it all away.
Perhaps you feel completely out of control around food. When you’re alone, you eat as much and as quickly as possible, trying to tamp down painful memories and emotions you’ve been avoiding for years.
Maybe you’re able to eat around others and don’t really have restrictions around what or how much you can eat, but you’re keeping a secret about how you compensate for what you eat.
Or maybe you’re in search of the perfect body and you’ve committed to a strict exercise regimen and cutting out whole food groups that you’ve heard are “unhealthy.” You receive compliments from others, but you’re still unhappy and feel more dissatisfied with your body than ever before.
Does any of this resonate with you? If so, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that around 9% of the population worldwide has suffered from an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime.
What is an eating disorder?
There are several different categories of eating disorders. Some of the more commonly discussed eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.
However, other forms of disordered eating are becoming more prevalent, including avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and orthorexia (which is not yet a recognized diagnosis).
One thing all these different types of disordered eating have in common is that they impact your relationship with food, body, and self. And even if you don’t meet full criteria for a diagnosable eating disorder, seeking treatment can be beneficial.
Symptoms of an eating disorder can include…
- Restricting the amount or types of food you eat
- Fear of gaining weight
- Engaging in inappropriate compensatory behaviors (over-exercise, misusing medications, self-induced vomiting, fasting, etc.)
- A sense of lacking control around food
- Recurrent episodes of binge eating (a very large portion of food is consumed in a short period of time)
- Body- or weight-checking behaviors (repetitive weighing, measuring, or taking pictures)
- Comparison to others
- Difficulty concentrating
- Having a short temper or being easily frustrated
- Isolation
- A need to control food or not trusting others to prepare your food
Meet Our Charlotte Eating Disorder Therapists
When does eating disorder therapy make sense?
Many people have judgmental thoughts about their bodies and eating habits, and many people also make resolutions to lose weight, eat healthier, and exercise more each year. In our society, it’s normal not to be completely satisfied with your body as it is. Body dissatisfaction becomes a problem, however, when it starts to take over your life.
If you identify with any of the following statements, now is a good time to seek out therapy:
- You’re ready to get off the roller coaster of yo-yo dieting and find true self-acceptance
- You feel that you need support as you unlearn ingrained messages from diet culture
- You’re currently medically stable but are concerned about the future if you don’t change something now
- You’re ready to create a more positive relationship with food, body, and movement
How does eating disorder therapy help?
There are many ways therapy can help with disordered eating. Together, we can work to identify your triggers, learn how to implement coping skills, and get to the root cause of your complications with food and diet.
Eating disorder therapy can also help you learn about your nervous system and how to regulate it to prevent unhelpful behaviors from coming back in the future. In therapy, we’ll work together to unpack how diet culture has shown up in your life and unlearn its most poisonous messages.
Our primary goal is for you to leave feeling more empowered in your relationship with food and equipped to maintain the gains you make in therapy. Furthermore, we want to help you achieve stronger interpersonal relationships and greater acceptance of all body shapes and sizes—for others and for yourself.
Do I need inpatient treatment?
If you’ve been in inpatient treatment settings, hearing the words “inpatient/residential treatment center” may well trigger a panic response in your brain. While certain situations do call for a higher level of care, there are many people who can benefit from the freedom and flexibility that outpatient therapy provides.
The short answer is, if you’re ready to engage in action steps to change your thoughts and behaviors, you can – and likely will – benefit from outpatient therapy.
What’s different about eating disorder therapy at Modern Era?
Many eating disorder treatment programs can leave you feeling judged, forced into something you’re not ready for, or even mistreated. If you’ve had this experience before—or heard stories from others who have—you might be hesitant to seek out professional help.
At Modern Era, you will never feel pressured, rushed, or forced into something you don’t want. Instead, you will be believed, respected, and heard. Our Charlotte therapists take an approach that focuses on your needs, abilities, and goals first, and customizes treatment accordingly. As therapists, we are committed to the belief that you know you best, and only you can really know what it’s like to live in your body.
Our therapists also take a holistic approach to disordered eating. We know that it’s hard to benefit from narrow therapeutic approaches that reduce you to a list of “problem” behaviors or leave you feeling judged or dehumanized. This is why our approach focuses on getting to know you as the unique person that you are and working to understand your struggles related to food and body in the broader context of your life and relationships.
Ready to get started in eating disorder therapy?
Call us at 704-800-4436 or click the button below to schedule your first session today.
