There is always a reason

Eating disorders and body image difficulties rarely appear without a reason. They are rarely the problem themselves. More often, they are an attempt to solve another problem.

They are not about vanity, attention-seeking or a lack of willpower.

In my experience, they are often deeply understandable responses to emotional pain.

For some people, they develop after trauma or difficult life experiences. For others, they are connected to perfectionism, anxiety, shame, relationship difficulties or a need to regain a sense of control when life feels overwhelming. It can develop after years of putting everyone else's needs before their own. Everyone's story is different.

Rather than asking, 'Why can't I just stop?', I believe it is often more helpful to ask, 'What has this been doing for me?'

When we become curious about the role the eating disorder has played, we begin to understand that it is not the problem itself, but an attempt to solve a much deeper one.

Control

Many people describe their eating disorder as the one thing that felt completely within their control when everything else seemed uncertain or overwhelming. Although that sense of control may initially bring relief, it often becomes increasingly restrictive until life itself begins to revolve around food, weight or rules. Therapy is not about taking control away from you. It is about helping you discover that you no longer need the eating disorder to feel safe.

Looking beyond food

Although eating behaviours are important, I believe lasting change comes from understanding what lies beneath them.

Together we may explore questions such as:

• What does food represent for you?

• What happens emotionally when you eat or don't eat?

• What role does control play in your life?

• How do you speak to yourself?

• Where did you learn what your body should look like?

• What feels difficult to express in other ways?

Often, the relationship we have with food reflects the relationship we have with ourselves. Living with an eating disorder can sometimes be accompanied by depression or emotional numbness.

As we begin to understand the emotions, beliefs and experiences that sit beneath eating behaviours, many people find they are able to develop a different relationship with food, their body and, perhaps most importantly, themselves.

Body image

Our relationship with our body is often shaped long before we become aware of it.

The way we were spoken to, compared with others or valued for our appearance can all influence how we see ourselves today.

For many people, changing their relationship with their body becomes just as important as changing their relationship with food.

My approach

I work in an integrative and trauma-informed way, recognising that eating disorders and body image difficulties are rarely isolated problems.

Over the years, both professionally and personally, I have come to appreciate how profoundly eating disorders affect not only the individual but also the people who love them. I know that recovery is rarely straightforward, and I believe it is important to approach it with patience, compassion and hope.

Whether you're struggling with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating or another eating disorder, rather than focusing only on eating behaviours, I aim to understand the emotional experiences, relationships and life events that have shaped your relationship with food and your body.

My work is influenced by the understanding that our bodies often carry emotional experiences that words alone cannot fully express. We may gently pay attention to what your body is communicating, noticing how anxiety, fear or shame are experienced physically as well as emotionally. This is never about forcing change, but about helping you develop a safer and more compassionate relationship with yourself.

Healing is rarely about learning to control yourself more. More often, it involves discovering that you no longer need the eating disorder to feel safe.

Where appropriate, I believe therapy works best alongside the support of your GP, dietitian or specialist eating disorder services. Looking after both your physical and emotional wellbeing is an important part of recovery.

My understanding of eating disorders and body image

I don't believe eating disorders are simply about food, weight or appearance.

For me, they are often ways of coping with emotional pain that has become too difficult to carry in other ways.

The eating disorder is not the whole person. It is usually an attempt to manage fear, shame, overwhelm, uncertainty or a deep sense of not being enough. Although these strategies may once have brought relief or a sense of control, they often become increasingly restrictive and begin to take over life.

Rather than asking people to fight against themselves, I believe healing begins with understanding what the eating disorder has been trying to protect them from. As that understanding grows, many people find they no longer need to rely on the same strategies to feel safe.

For me, recovery is not simply about changing eating habits or reaching a particular weight. It is about rebuilding trust in yourself, reconnecting with your body and discovering that your worth has never depended on your weight, your appearance or your ability to stay in control.

Recovery is about more than eating

Recovery is rarely a straight line.

There may be setbacks, moments of doubt and times when old ways of coping feel tempting again. That does not mean you have failed.

Healing takes time, patience and compassion.

I believe recovery is not about becoming a different person. It is about rediscovering the person who has been there all along, beneath the fear, the shame and the need to stay in control.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder or difficult feelings about your body, therapy can offer a safe, accepting and non-judgemental space to understand what lies beneath these difficulties and begin moving towards a life that is no longer organised around food, weight or fear.

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