A Depth Approach to Eating Disorder Treatment

A key philosophical tenant at Reasons is a focus on wholeness and integration. This philosophy focuses on behavioral interventions that address eating disorder behaviors yet also spend time honoring, recognizing, and coming to a deeper understanding of the role that these behaviors played in the lives of each patient and how they helped in coping with certain stresses and uncertainties of life.

There are three major elements to the depth psychological approach we utilize at Reasons EDC.

The first element is honoring the symptom. Acknowledging the symptoms experienced by eating disorder patients is an important step in reducing the profound sense of shame often felt regarding behaviors. Our staff members don’t look at patients as having a flaw, but rather work collaboratively to see how symptoms have played a life-saving role in someone’s life. The symptoms experienced by patients with eating disorders helped them to cope and survive with emotional pain and distress and this realization is key to recovery.

The second of the three major elements is meaning making, which addresses how the symptoms have subjective meaning for each patient. This approach helps people find deeper purpose in their own lives to move past feelings of worthlessness and hatred. Many patients enter into treatment with negative feelings or even contemplating suicide or self-harm. We have experience working with these struggles and hold hope that there is another way to live. We provide opportunities to explore meaning by looking at what makes each person unique and what talents and gifts each patient has to offer the world.

Meaning making allows for the third element, integration, to take place. After patients discover their unique values and purposes, they can then figure out how to integrate these things into their lives. This can come in the form of picking up a hobby abandoned in the throes of an eating disorder or discovering a new passion. Learning how to integrate values and purpose to live a full, embodied life can mean recognizing imperfection and embracing anger – accepting that we all have dark and light aspects that make us human.

For more information about our approach, please visit here.