I mentioned before that I was in treatment with an amazing bunch of girls and women.  Although all of us suffered from an eating disorder, the symptoms manifested themselves differently.  Some would not eat (anorexia), some would binge and purge (bulimia) and some would binge (binge-eating disorder).  Most suffered from anorexia and bulimia so I was very much in the minority.  This was extremely difficult, especially when I “stepped down” from full day treatment to evenings.

The anorexics/bulimics triggered me to feeling badly and I triggered them.  You see, I represented and looked exactly like what they feared most – being heavy.  I couldn’t understand how they thought they were fat.  My day treatment group dynamics were such that I didn’t feel the triggers profoundly, however, I did feel them in the evening group.

Because of this (and having spoken to others in binge-eating disorder treatment) I believe it most efficacious for anorexics/bulimics and binge-eaters be treated separately.  There is enough emotional sabotage to sort through without the treatment group adding to it.  This is one of the reasons I decided to start LifeStrides…so binge-eaters had a community of their own in which to heal.