Eating disorders often co-occur with another diagnosis such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As program director for an eating disorder center, I’m often asked if it is clinically appropriate to do trauma therapy such as EMDR, TF-CBT, and SE while patients are working on their eating disorder. The answer that I continuously give is that it is very much individualized to each person. No treatment approach is the same, just as not everyone has the same response to trauma.
Girls are often born into this world surrounded by messages about who they are supposed to be, and who they should become; Be cute. Smile. Be a nice girl. Just give them a hug. Don’t make a fuss. Suck in your belly. Be the ideal body type. Look sexy. Stay pure and innocent. Be good in bed. You can have it all if you do it this way.
Our newest addition to the equine department at The Meadows Ranch is a big Belgian draft horse called Nip. He came to us from a woman who used him for trail rides here in Wickenburg, Arizona and in Utah. We quickly learned that, despite his name, Nip is a gentle giant and does not have a propensity for nipping people. He does, however, have an endearing characteristic… a noticeable twitch on the side of his face. His soft lips and right eye continuously twitch in a manner suggesting that he may have an undiagnosed neurological condition, but according to his previous owner, has had it most of his life and it doesn’t seem to bother him. We have found this unique quirk has led to many interesting discussions during equine therapy.
Dr. Nicole Garber, Chief Psychiatrist at The Meadows Ranch, talks about how eating disorders disrupt lives and how we treat people with personalized, individual care. Give us a call today to start the healing process.
Tian Dayton, MA, Ph.D., T.E.P hosted a webinar on Psychodrama and Sociometry and Eating Disorder Healing.
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