Bulimia Therapy IN Hillcrest, SAn Diego
Bulimia starts as a way to cope and find relief, but spirals into a vicious cycle of restricting, bingeing and purging. It’s isolating and all consuming. But you do not have to be trapped in this cycle forever- help is available and recovery is absolutely possible.
I wouldn’t wish Bulimia on my Worst Enemy.
You Might Be Living With Bulimia If…
You find yourself eating large amounts of food in a short period, often in secret.
Using vomiting, laxatives or excessive exercise to ‘compensate’ - kind of like a punishment.
Feeling a loss of control that is both terrifying and, in some ways, a relief.
Restricting between episodes, which fuels the next one.
Hiding food, hiding behaviors, hiding the ‘evidence.’
Feeling intense shame and secrecy around eating.
Preoccupation with weight, food and body that takes up enormous mental energy.
bulimia can feel trance like- a pull that overrides your intentions no matter how resolved you felt beforehand.
You might feel like two different people: the one who has it together, and the one who does this when no one is watching.
Looking for a Bulimia Therapist in san diego, CA?
Eating Disorder & OCD Therapy provides specialized treatment for bulimia- from our in person office in San Diego, CA.
We also offer virtual bulimia therapy for clients throughout California, Maryland, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington.
If Bulimia is so unpleasant, why does it happen?
Bulimia almost always has food restriction at its root. When we deprive ourselves of what we need and want, our brain eventually starts obsessing about the thing we are avoiding (in this case, food). The binge is often the body and psyche responding to that deprivation.
The purge follows as an attempt to regain control, as the binge often causes an intense amount of anxiety and guilt. This becomes a cycle that repeats itself over and over.
Bulimia also creates an emotional numbing effect. Underneath the food behaviors, there’s usually an emotional experience inside we are trying to avoid: grief, loss, loneliness, anxiety, fear, low self worth, suicidal ideation, trauma symptoms or disgust.
The relief may only last a few minutes, but your brain learns that behavior works, which makes the cycle harder to break.
WE can help you break Free from Bulimia.
Most people cannot do this alone. It’s incredibly hard to just “stop” without other coping skills and support to help guide you.
If you want to…
Break free from the binge-purge cycle
Stop living in secrecy and shame
Have a peaceful relationship with food
Feel more emotionally regulated without needing the behavior
Like yourself again, or at least stop the relentless self-hatred
You deserve to heal from bulimia- and recovery is 100% possible.
What Bulimia Therapy is Like
Therapy with us is deeply compassionate- there’s no judgement here. We work to help you understand the full cycle of bulimia and how it shows up in your unique day to day. We don’t just look at the behaviors, but also the thoughts, emotions and relational dynamics that drive it.
Sometimes there is trauma underneath that needs to be tended to. Whatever it is, we help you build other ways to meet your emotional needs using evidence based strategies.
We also focus on making sure you are getting enough food throughout the day by challenging restrictive food rules. I know, that sounds scary. But it’s one of the most important steps and we can go slow.
We work in tandem with eating disorder dietitians to give you wrap around support with nutrition and food.
Bulimia therapy is a delicate balance of challenging the eating disorder behaviors keeping you stuck, while also meeting you where you are at with strategies to keep you as medically and psychologically safe as possible.
Harm Reduction for Bulimia
And if you aren’t ready to give up your bulimia, we have a handful of harm reduction strategies to help keep you safe and reduce the harm that the behaviors cause on your health.
Things like not brushing your teeth right after, not using a foreign object to purge- those are just a couple of vital strategies to reduce harm.
Purging- especially self-induced vomiting, is one of the most medically dangerous eating disorder behaviors.
We take this seriously from the start, and we'll work with you on building safety while also honoring your autonomy and readiness.
What we want you to knoW
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What we want you to knoW ~
Struggling with bulimia does not mean you are disgusting, broken or a failure. And the fact that you've carried this in secret doesn’t mean you should have to keep doing so.
Bulimia thrives in secrecy and shame, which is exactly why bringing it into a safe, non-judgmental space can be so powerful. Recovery is possible with specialized bulimia therapy.
Ready to get your life back from Bulimia?
We offer free 15-minute consultations - no commitment, no pressure. Reach out and let’s get started so the rest of your life can be so much better than this chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions about bulimia Therapy
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We primarily work with teens and adults with bulimia. We are happy to provide trusted referrals for anyone looking for a children’s anorexia specialist!
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Several things set us apart! While we do help with behavioral change and understand that it is a very important part of the process, we also tend to the root causes of your struggle with bulimia so that healing can last a life time.
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There isn’t a firm answer to this. It depends on co-occurring mental health concerns, readiness and motivation, outside support systems, etc. Often times we work with people for 1-3 years; some more, some less! It really varies.
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Yes! Bulimia happens to people of all body sizes and shapes.
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Yes, bulimia is deadly and requires specialized support.
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Yes- it is possible to recover from bulimia in outpatient therapy.
We do encourage a treatment team approach due to the medical and nutritional risks, even in outpatient bulimia care.
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That’s ok- and understandable. While a long term goal is absolutely to be free from these behaviors, it takes time to get there and we meet you wherever you’re at.
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Cost is dependent on the clinician you work with and the state you reside in (variability for cost of living in different areas). You can check out our rates and insurance page for more info!
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You can reach out here to connect with us or you can email us at: info@eatingdisorderocdtherapy.com