Saint Paul BODY IMAGE & Disordered EATING Concerns

At Venture Therapy, we are passionate about helping individuals heal their relationships with food and with their bodies. Our eyes are wide open to the damaging effects of diet culture on our society’s mental health and well-being. There is nothing we enjoy more than journeying with people as they release the negative effects of diet culture and body shame and move towards living an embodied life, feeling free to live, move and love in the exact body they have today. All therapists at Venture Therapy work from an Intuitive Eating framework and are certified Intuitive Eating Counselors. If you are ready to release the shame and experience a positive, loving relationship with food and with your body, contact us today.

“If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can't survive.”
― Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

Am I struggling with body image or disordered eating?

Eating concerns fall on a spectrum of disordered eating behaviors and beliefs that are not typically diagnosed by medical professionals, to diagnosed eating disorders such as Binge Eating Disorder. Individuals who have body image concerns and/or struggle with disordered eating or eating disorders such as Binge Eating Disorder can experience a number of different emotional and physical responses to food, their weight, and the way they look. Some common experiences for people with body image concerns and disordered eating include:

•       Cutting out entire food groups such as gluten, carbs, sugar, etc.

•       Thinking you will be happier if you can only lose X amount of pounds

•       Waiting to pursue a dream job, a hobby, or a relationship until you lose weight

•       Not wanting to buy new clothes that fit the body you have

•       Feeling anxious about eating in front of others or dining out

•       Judging foods as “good” or “bad,” and judging days as “good days” or “bad days” based on how closely you followed your food rules

•       Feeling guilty for eating a “forbidden” food

•       Cyclical pattern in starting a new diet, “falling off the wagon” for a certain period of time, then starting a different diet hoping it will provide a different outcome

•       Feeling like a failure for not being able to lose the weight, or keep it off

Would I Benefit from Therapy for Body Image or Disordered Eating?

Working with a professional to improve your relationship to food and your body can help you in a number of different ways, including:

•       Reconnecting you to your body’s innate cues of hunger and fullness

•       Helping you form a relationship to food that is pleasurable, satisfying, and nourishes your body

•       Creating a healthy, balanced relationship with your body that includes joyful movement rather than punishing exercise

•       Improving your overall wellbeing and emotional health by changing the way you think about food and your body

•       Reducing binge eating disorder behaviors by understanding why this behavior happens and addressing its root cause

What Happens During Therapy for Body Image or Disordered Eating?

I am an advocate for the Health At Every Size (HAES) philosophy. It’s not a technique or specific treatment. HAES is about recognizing and embracing size diversity as a natural, normal, and healthy expression of every kind of human diversity. I use HAES as part of body image therapy to help you learn to respect and accept your body, and move toward a more kind and loving relationship with yourself. During your therapy sessions, we’ll explore the underlying causes of your negative body image and/or disordered eating, and work together to heal the areas that feel painful and broken. I will work with you to achieve a healthy, positive relationship with food and your body.

What Should I Expect from Therapy for Body Image or Disordered Eating?

The goal of therapy geared toward correcting issues with body image and eating is to help you accept yourself in the exact body you have today - not one you’ll have in the future. As a HAES advocate, I work with clients to learn to accept themselves - as is - and create positive, joyful experiences with eating and their bodies.