The Importance of Eating Disorder Treatment in Los Angeles
NOVEMBER 6 2023
Eating disorders are among the most under-reported mental health afflictions. As a therapist working in the heart of Los Angeles, let me testify that body and food-related shame is a pervasive inner battle confronting women in my practice and my community. Whether this expresses as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating or orthorexia, most women I speak with are trying to heal some amount of disordered behavior or obsessive thoughts surrounding food.
How is it that something so widespread, so painful continues to be so untreated ?
Certainly the taboo and humiliation surrounding eating disorders has much to do with the secrecy that accompanies them. Yet, when I walk out of my West Hollywood office into the bustle of Santa Monica Boulevard, I immediately see why so many people suffer with eating disorders--and may not even recognize it! In Los Angeles, self modification and slender body shapes and are not just normalized or praised, they may as well be mandated.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, the leading environmental contributor to the development of eating disorders is "the socio cultural idealization of thinness." {NEDA, 2015}. Yes, we've said it before, and it bears saying again-- social media and "clean-eating" movements promote unattainable and harmful standards of beauty and so-called "health" that distort body image and encourage disordered eating behaviors. {@dietitiananna is one of my favorite accounts if you're curious to dive deeper with this}.
Los Angeles is the city where these idealized, unrealistic images are created and distributed to the world. This is where the film, television and advertisement industries are located-- and that is one of the very special parts of living here! It is a town full of creative, imaginative individuals dreaming up fantastic new horizons. The problem is that we have confused these fantasies for reality--particularly in this town where supermodels and actresses dot the line of your market or coffee shop. {In what other city do you go to the health food store to see celebrities?}
Living in Los Angeles offers many extremely unique cultural advantages, however, when it comes to the treatment of eating disorders, it is an especially difficult place to cultivate realistic expectations of our bodies. When I help clients heal their eating disorder, I help them let go of perfectionism and practice acceptance.
Doing this in West Hollywood means I devote a lot of time with my clients to creating truly personal definitions of worth and figuring out how to stay committed to those definitions. This requires managing constant self comparison and persistent reminders that what they see when they walk out of my office has been manufactured by algorithms and invasive surgeries.
This is why recovering from an eating disorder requires the consistent, loving presence of a therapist or support group, especially here in LA. The social prevalence and idealization of thin, flawless bodies make it difficult to recognize that all those cruel thoughts about your body are distorted and untrue!
Here are some telltale signs of a troubled relationship with food + body image :
Many of your thoughts revolve around planning what you will or won't eat {food rules}, how to "work off" what you ate or some form other forms of weight loss.
You scan all the other bodies in any room you walk into to see who's the thinnest.
You feel special, powerful or superior if you are the thinnest person in the room.
You feel like trash if you are not the thinnest person in the room.
You check your stomach or figure in any mirror or reflection you walk past.
A good or bad day is determined by how "clean" your diet was.
You plan extreme ways to compensate the next day if you ate something "indulgent."
Any of these striking a chord? That's all right. You are not alone. Another benefit of living in LA is that are many incredible services and resources available to you. If you are contemplating recovery, you might wonder which of the myriad options is right for you?
From my perspective, meeting individually with an experienced professional is the most useful and calming first step. A good specialist should be able to listen well to your individual needs and provide you with choices that fit you, at all levels of care. This may include referrals to outpatient programs or another counselor whose approach is more suited to what you’re seeking. Above all, the privacy of a counselor's office {or even a virtual session from your home} may help quell the anxiety of sharing these vulnerable parts of yourself. And if you do not feel properly heard by the person you meet with, tell them so or move on to someone else!
My chief goal as an eating disorder therapist is helping clients experience empowerment, agency and trust in themselves again. Where every choice reflects a deep, unconditional belief that they deserve to be loved for who they are within, not what they look like.
If you are battling body shame or an eating disorder, schedule now to begin the healing you deserve. I offer a free 15 minute consultation for all prospective clients.
THE GARDEN OF KEATON ~~ 8702 SANTA MONICA BLVD ~~ WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA 90069