The Eating Disorder Therapist

In this episode I talk about 8 psychological facts about anorexia nervosa, not often talked about outside the therapy room. Time slots: 1. Externally validated self 0.35 2. Sensitivity and neurodivergence 1.48 3. Simplifies life 2.59 4. The Mount Everest achievers 3.52 5. The grief of losing it 5.07 6. Communication to others 6.11 7. Never sick enough 7.21 8. Ambivalence around change 7.58 9. Heal...

In this episode I talk about how to cope with feeling full on an eating disorder recovery journey. Time slots: 1. Hunger and regular eating. 0.47 2. Record keeping to monitor your cues. 3.17 3. Changing your thoughts around fullness. 6.38 4. Riding the fullness wave. 8.29 5. The importance of pleasure and self-care. 10.08 6. Bonus point. Wearing comfortable clothes. 11.49 I hope that you find it h...

In this episode I talk about starting out on an eating disorder recovery journey. Time slots: 1. Acknowledging your starting point. 0.39 2. Getting support around you. 2.13 3. Understanding the psychology 5.29 4. Working on motivation for change 9.40 5. Taking your first action step 13.19 I hope that you find it helpful.   🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can exp...

Today, I have a very special guest on the show. I am talking to Carolyn Costin. Carolyn is a world renowned, sought-after eating disorder clinician, author, and international speaker.  Recovered herself, Carolyn recognised her calling after successfully treating her first eating disorder client in 1979. Carolyn was first to publicly say that people with eating disorders can become fully recovered....

In this episode I discuss how 2026 culture glamorises eating disorders and disordered eating. Time slots: 1. Thinspiration/fitspiration 0.52 2. Gym culture 2.06 3. The romanticising of the waif 3.33 4. Before and after shots 4.29 5. GLP-1 misuse 5.57 6. Wellness culture 7.36 7. Discipline that becomes self-sabotage. I hope that you find it helpful.   🌐 If you're looking for more support in your r...

In this episode, I discuss 9 psychological insights about bulimia. Time slots: 1. The restrict/binge/purge cycle 1.09 2. The emotional world of the bulimic 3.04 3. This will be the last time 5.16 4. Rejection of needs 6.51 5. Not good enough 7.45 6. Physical impact 9.30 7. Neurodivergence - ADHD 11.01 8. First diagnoses 12.04 9. Shame/secrecy 13.02 I hope that you find it helpful. Breaking Free Fr...

In this episode, I discuss 9 signs of anorexia nervosa. Time slots: 1. Psychological coping strategies - not about weight/shape primarily 0.46 2. How anorexia 'helps' people cope 1.29 3. Eating, exercise, purging, GLPs 3.16 4. Body image distortion 3.51 5. Physical changes 4.29 6. Emotional changes 5.03 7. Ego-syntonic nature 5.32 8. Maintenance cycles 6.16 9. Get help sooner rather than later. 7....

In this episode, I discuss 3 ways to heal your childhood trauma in eating disorder recovery. Time slots: 1. Reality, not fantasy 1.45 2. Projection and early relationships 7.09 3. Emotional triggers 10.55 I hope that you find it helpful.   🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here:  https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/ Share your thoughts...

In this episode, I discuss 7 signs that your weight has become your worth and how to break free. Time slots: 1. Conditional confidence. 0.50 2. Ruined days by a number 1.24 3. Avoidance of social events 2.08 4. Moral labels 2.37 5. Obsessive tracking 3.44 6. Compensatory punishment 4.32 7. Diminished self-value 5.17 8. Breaking free 6.24 to the end.   I hope that you find it helpful.   🌐 If you'r...

In this episode, I discuss 9 learnings from the Minnesota Starvation Study. Time slots: 1. Starvation and food obsession 1.04 2. Psychological and emotional decline 1.33 3. Cognitive function and concentration 2.06 4. Social isolation and irritability 2.31 5. Basal metabolic rate 3.00 6. Physical symptoms 3.24 7. Libido 3.54 8. Rehabilitation period 4.17 9. Full recovery takes time 5.18 I hope tha...

Today, I have a guest on the show and I'm talking to Dori Lewis. Dori is a licensed psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and co-founder of Elemental Psychedelics. She is also the owner of Reflective Healing Centre in Fort Collins, Colorado, a psychotherapy group practice and licensed healing centre specialising in psychedelic-assisted therapy, including ketamine and psilocybin, as well as integra...

In this episode, I discuss the 5 main ways that an eating disorder can be a psychological coping strategy. Time slots: 1. Glimmers of self worth 2.04 2. Distracts and numbs from difficult emotions 3.20 3. Control mechanism 4.14 4. Communication to others 5.11 5. Identity 6.10 I hope that you find it helpful. 🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work he...

In this episode, I discuss the 7 subtle signs of disordered eating in 2026. Many people do not realise that their eating is disordered, as the signs can be subtle but still remain very damaging. I talk through the seven signs that I see inside the therapy room. Time slots: 1. Clean eating 2.09 2. Time restricted eating 4.33 3. GLP-1 use 7.14 4. The restrict-overeat cycle 10.06 5. Earning food thro...

In this episode, I talk about my 7 step plan for reintroducing forbidden foods, with ease, without feeling guilty and obsessed with them. Time slots: 1. Face reality of what's working (or not) 1.11 2. Make a list of your foods 2.33 3. Planning and regular eating 5.09 4. Visualise success ahead 7.33 5. Mindfulness and ceremony 9.03 6. How to cope with feeling full 9.57 7. Repeat, repeat, repeat 11....

In this episode, I discuss the pros and cons of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBTe) for eating disorders. This is a therapy created by Professor Christopher Fairburn and his team in Oxford. It is often used in NHS services in treating eating disorders in the UK. It is an enhanced and specialist form of CBT, specifically for treating eds. Time slots 1. Directive therapy 1.16 2. Limited sessions 3.09...

4 common mistakes loved ones make in supporting someone struggling with an eating disorder. I make reference to the New Maudsley Animal Model which uses animal metaphors to explain ways of supporting helpfully. Animals to avoid: the rhino (overly directive); kangaroo and joey (over-caring); jellyfish (anxious) and ostrich (avoiding). Animals to aim to be: the dolphin (listening, empathetic, alongs...

In this episode, I share 6 transformative secrets from my eating disorder recovery journey. Time slots: 1. Relationship with food. 0.35 2. Slowing down. 2.32 3. Healing childhood wounds 4.49 4. Body image healing 7.33 5. Self-worth 9.29 6. Bigger picture thinking 13.14 I hope that you find it helpful.   🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here: ...

Purging through self-induced vomiting is a compensatory strategy for eating. It is a disordered coping mechanism that people use to control weight, manage emotions and relationship with food. In this episode, I share 9 tips on how to stop purging and eliminate this behaviour, to improve mental and physical wellbeing. I hope that you find it helpful. Time slots Pros and costs 0.58 Set a goal 4.58 L...

Today, I have a guest on the show and I'm talking to Shane Walsh.  Shane is an author, coach/nutritionist/weight-loss expert and passionate advocate for helping people break free from the cycle of dieting. With 9 years of experience working with people who have struggled with losing weight, regaining it, and repeatedly starting over, Shane has seen first-hand that lasting change requires more than...

Eating disorders are complex illnesses with a multitude of causes. In this episode, I break down some of the different contributing factors, looking at genetics and environmental factors. I hope that you find it helpful. Time slots CAUSES 00.46 Genetics 1.11 Environmental 2.11 Epigenetics 3.46 Orchids and Dandelions 4.29 Neurodivergence 5.27 Temperament 6.24 Dieting 7.13 Body image 8.32 Social med...

Your brain is hugely impacted by undereating. But thankfully, the brain has plasticity and can recover from restriction. In this episode, I explore the impact of undereating on the brain. I hope this will give you motivation and inspiration to change! 13 points (time slots) 1. Low energy and reduced function. 00.57 2. More cortisol is produced. 1.29 3. New learning is challenging. 1.58 4. Habits b...

How to stop nighttime overeating. The reasons why you overeat and how to change this. Time slots 1.07 Restrictive eating 3.34 Lack of self-care 5.29 Emotional triggers 8.25 Alcohol 10.11 Food is the number one pleasure. I hope that you find it helpful. 🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here:  https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/ Share...

Regular eating in eating disorder recovery can sometimes go wrong, due to these common 5 mistakes. I hope that you find it helpful. Time slots 0.52 Low calorie foods 2.05 Filling up on fluids 3.15 Avoiding carbohydrates 5.17 Avoiding fats 6.29 Avoiding old forbidden foods. Do you relate?   🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here:  https://www.th...

A transformational hack that is often overlooked in recovery. Regular eating involves eating three meals and three snacks (or working up to this). It’s sometimes referred to as the six eats. It is self-caring eating, and you are considering nourishment, health, satisfaction and taste. You are including balance in your meals. This means including a protein source, some carbohydrate, good fats and f...

Today, I’m talking to Dr. Alyssa Hamel. Alyssa is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner, educator, researcher, and eating disorder specialist. She serves as Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program at The University at Buffalo, State University of New York flagship institution and has been doing important work around eating disorder...