Understanding Eating Disorders
Understanding Eating Disorders Beyond Body Image: Trauma, Culture, and Healing
When most people hear the term eating disorder, they think of dieting, weight loss, and body dissatisfaction. While this is sometimes the case, eating disorders are far more complex. For many, disordered eating is not about appearance at all — it’s about control, safety, and managing emotions that feel overwhelming.
The Most Common Eating Disorders
Some of the most widely recognised eating disorders include:
Anorexia Nervosa – Severe food restriction and fear of eating, often linked to control.
Bulimia Nervosa – Cycles of binge eating followed by purging, fasting, or over-exercise.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) – Recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food, often in secret, without regular purging.
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) – Restriction not related to body image but to sensory sensitivities, fear of choking, or low appetite.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED) – Serious eating difficulties that don’t fit neatly into the above categories.
Eating Disorders Beyond Body Image
Not every eating disorder is driven by a desire to be thin. For some, food becomes a tool to cope when life feels unpredictable. Restricting or controlling food may create a sense of safety. Bingeing may act as a way to numb or silence intense emotions.
Eating disorders are not about vanity — they are survival strategies that have become harmful.
Trauma and Eating Disorders
Trauma is one of the strongest underlying factors in eating disorders. When children or adolescents experience sudden changes, loss, or invalidation of feelings, the body holds on to this stress. It is important to remember that trauma is not defined only by what happened, but by how the body and mind responded to the experience. Two people can go through the same situation, yet one may carry deep scars while the other recovers more easily.
Bessel van der Kolk, in The Body Keeps the Score, writes that:
“Trauma is not the story of something that happened back then. It’s the current imprint of that pain on mind, body, and brain.”
For someone struggling with an eating disorder, controlling or avoiding food can be a way of managing this “imprint.” Restriction might feel like safety when everything else feels unsafe. Bingeing might temporarily numb the pain of overwhelming emotions. In both cases, the eating behaviour becomes less about food and more about survival.
Culture, Stigma, and Silence
In many cultures, especially where family and community are prioritised over the individual, emotional pain is often minimised or misunderstood. A young person may be told to “be grateful” or reminded that others “have it worse.” While gratitude and perspective are valuable, these responses can unintentionally silence genuine pain. Instead of feeling supported, individuals often internalise the idea that their feelings are wrong or burdensome.
Faith can also play a complex role. In Muslim, South Asian, and other faith-based communities, emotional struggles may be framed as weakness in belief. A teenager expressing sadness may be told their low mood shows a lack of faith or trust in God. This can create deep conflict: the person begins to see their struggle not only as a personal failing, but as a spiritual one. What is actually a call for compassion becomes weighed down with guilt and shame.
The stigma surrounding mental health in many communities makes eating disorders harder to identify. Families may notice the external signs — weight loss, avoidance of meals, or bingeing — but may not recognise these as expressions of emotional suffering. Instead, behaviour is often explained away as a “phase,” “bad habits,” or even “stubbornness.” This mislabelling delays intervention and leaves the individual without the validation they need.
In collectivist societies, there is often pressure to maintain the family’s public reputation. Admitting to a mental health struggle may feel like bringing shame or dishonour. As a result, individuals stay silent, and families discourage open discussion. Yet silence only deepens the isolation and can make recovery feel almost impossible.
For those affected, the most painful part is not just the eating disorder itself but the sense of invisibility: the feeling that their suffering is hidden, misunderstood, or unworthy of attention. Breaking this cycle requires shifting cultural attitudes towards validation and compassion — recognising that seeking help is not shameful, and that faith and emotional honesty can exist side by side.
How Families Can Support a Loved One with an Eating Disorder
Recovery is not something a person can do alone. Families play a vital role in creating an environment where healing feels possible. Support is not about “fixing” the eating disorder but about meeting the deeper needs for safety, validation, and connection.
Ways families can help:
Listen without judgement – Avoid minimising or dismissing feelings with phrases like “be grateful” or “you’re overreacting.” Instead, listen with curiosity and compassion.
Validate emotions – Even if you don’t fully understand, acknowledge that their feelings are real and painful. Simple phrases like “I can see this is really hard for you” can make a huge difference.
Avoid focusing only on food – While mealtimes are part of the struggle, recovery isn’t simply about eating more or less. Try not to monitor or comment excessively on eating habits, as this can add pressure.
Encourage professional help – Eating disorders are complex and often linked to trauma. Encourage therapy that addresses both the eating behaviours and the underlying emotional pain.
Create a safe family environment – Show patience, reduce criticism, and keep communication open. A home that feels safe and accepting reduces the power of shame.
Integrate faith and compassion – For families of faith, remind your loved one that struggling is not weakness in belief. Faith can be a source of comfort when paired with compassion, not judgement.
Above all, family support is about being present. Recovery is a long journey, but consistent love, patience, and validation create the foundation for real change.
Healing and Recovery
Recovery is not just about changing eating habits. It means addressing the roots of pain and learning new ways to manage emotions. This may include:
Exploring the emotional triggers linked to food
Creating validating family environments
Using culturally sensitive approaches to reduce stigma
Incorporating body-based healing such as mindful breathing, journaling, or gentle movement
Healing asks us to move from control to connection — with our emotions, our bodies, and the people around us.
Eating disorders are not lifestyle choices. They are the outward expression of inner struggles: trauma, loss, perfectionism, and silencing. Recognising this complexity allows us to support those who are suffering with compassion, and to create spaces where real healing can begin.