How can I find a therapist who can talk to me about Susie Orbach type things?

[JustCallmeShapeshifter]

I want to have a healthier relationship with food, and Susie Orbach's writings make a lot of sense to me. However, I struggle to apply them when I'm feeling anxious/stressed/upset and I would like to be able to talk with someone about it.

Does anyone know how I can find a therapist who does this kind of work?

CBT would be a good place to start. You can get it on the NHS, but the waiting list will be long. If relevant, and for me it was, they can refer you on to the Eatign Disorders service who can tackle the problem with something like a group or workshop. Definately worth askign your GP about CBT though, I have found it a big big help :)

That's interesting, I hadn't really considered CBT as relevant to me... I suppose I see it as for treating conscious 'faulty thinking' like "If I don't check the cooker 20 times something bad will happen" rather than "ooh I've had a shit day i think I'll have a massive binge"

Can you tell me more about how it helped you Boo?

Tbh, I've had 4 or 5 sessions so far and it has made me much more conscious of my way of thinking, and can kind of see it backwards if that makes sense? Probably not I am more aware of where a thought starts and can nip it in the bud. My problems are more linked to anorexia, bulimia and OCD atm, but I have been a binge eater in the past and it's all on a scale really. Interestingly, I was referred last year for treatment, with my presenting symptom being anxiety, but by tackling all these things my anxiety has all but disappeared. It's about taking the nagging feeling that you want to eat and really understanding where that feeling comes from, because it's not genuine hunger. It's emotional hunger, a reaction to bad news, a shitty day, or just boredom. But the thing to grasp is that it is learned behaviour, and if you want to change it then CBT can help I think. Orbach is a good starting point, have you read any other similar things. Good Girls do Swallow is much more lighthearted, but a good one to read I think.

Thanks Boo, that's useful.

I haven't read Good girls do swallow, so I'll look that up. I was offered CBT when my anxiety got worse, but I opted for citalopram instead. Not sure why - maybe I'm too chicken

I do understand that it is an emotional need and the only time I've ever been able to stop eating when I'm full was when we had some horrible family stuff going on so it was a bit of a punishment thing going on I think. I lost a lot of weight, and people were so happy to see me smaller that it was a real mixed messages thing. That's not good is it?!

But I don't feel good about myself so I need to do something.

I was on anti anxiety meds for a while but tbh came off them. It does send mixed messages, I have lost a significant amount of weight (one friend literally didn't recognise me about a month ago. I stopped to say hello and it was only when she saw my son she realised who I was) and keep being told I'm lookign great. That makes it harder to accept I have a problem, and easier, should I choose, to keep living in denial

Thanks Boo. I've just started Good Girls... and I like it already.

I've also been re-visiting Fat Is A Feminist Issue, and while I'm not convinced by all of the psychoanalytical reasoning, I have found it very helpful in encouraging mindfulness in my eating. i.e. 'am I hungry? or am I bored? tired? etc' If I'm hungry I eat. If I'm bored I look for something else to do. Simples.

She talks about how people say how wonderful it would be to eat and eat and never get fat, but why? Why would you want to eat if you're not hungry? And why would you not eat if you are hungry? This has really hit home for me.

I've been eating fake diet foods for the past month and it is so wonderfully liberating to look through my favourite cookbooks and plan some lovely family meals. I know I eat less if I'm enjoying my meals, satisfying my hunger, nurturing my body with good food and stopping when I am full. My clothes are starting to feel looser...

ooh, it doesn't recognise me as the OP because of the capital M. It IS me, honest!