What Is Bulimia? Why Does Bulimia Happen?
Bulimia Nervosa is an emotional eating disorder defined by a distorted sense of one’s own body image and a compulsive desire to lose weight, in which sessions of extreme binge eating are succeeded by fasting or self-induced purging (typically through vomiting or exercising).
Emotionally, it is so much more than that.
Bulimia is a simultaneous need to hide and separate oneself from the world as well as trying to regain a sense of control, unfortunately this means that whilst a lot of people suffer they try and research into why it happens but don’t understand how to get to the root cause of the issue at hand which is causing the symptom of bulimia.
To start, the reason why people binge eat is because they are looking to eat over the emotions and feelings, to bypass them instead of sitting with them thus numbing the pain - it takes us outside of the head where we’re suffering and into the body. Not only do we physically feel the pain of eating way past the point of feeling full, it metaphorically numbs the emotional pain that we’re feeling.
Disordered Eating is not the first thing that happens, it is the presenting symptom of what happens before that;
the experience of not feeling good enough in the world
we feel we lack control
we want something that isn’t available to us
we feel different to the people around us
we don’t want to grow up
From this come two things; not only a physiological biological emptiness within us because we’re restricting our food but also the metaphorical emotional one because we don’t feel good enough - we are trying to solve an internal physiological and emotional issue with an external solution.
People who suffer with bulimia are in a particularly hard place because although it is by no means a comfortable experience (it is a very harsh one) it still serves as a means of self-soothing because it is a familiar and predictable experience. As humans we need comfort and safety when we feel our life is tumultuous, and the experience of repetitive bingeing and purging offers a sense of this because we are familiar with the process, it isn’t alien to someone with bulimia because they are able to predict the beginning, the middle ad the end.
Additionally we will repeat these behaviours because our brain will do everything in its power to move us towards something that is familiar and safe, and away from something that is unfamiliar and perceived as dangerous.
The problem for many people with Bulimia is that once one self-soothes with binge eating, it feels like an invasion of the body and the sudden rush of guilt, shame and fear of weight gain motivates the brain to get the food out as quickly as possible through purging.
Firstly, this is NOT a sufferer’s fault, but it is time to start being really honest with yourself if you do suffer currently. We adopt certain coping mechanisms for 3 reasons; to protect, punish or prioritise ourselves.
If you would like help beating disordered eating habits, I offer private therapy to help people overcome disordered eating and start the rest of their lives in peace alongside food and their body. Click the button below to get started with a free no obligations consultation call - I can’t wait to meet you!
