Eating disorders are prevalent among women who were sexually abused as children. They seem to have components of other symptoms such as obsessions, compulsions, avoidance of food, and anxiety, and they primarily include a distorted body image and feelings of body shame.For some women, eating disorders are related to the loss of control over their bodies during the sexual abuse and serve as a means of feeling in control of their bodies now. Eating disorders can also be indicative of the developmental stage and age at which the sexual abuse began. Women with anorexia and bulimia report that they were sexually abused either at the age of puberty or during puberty, when their bodies were beginning to develop and they felt a great deal of body shame from the abuse. By contrast, women with compulsive eating report that the sexual abuse occurred before the age of puberty; they used food for comfort.

~ Karen A. Duncan

Karen A. Duncan Abuse Anorexia Bdd Binge Eating Body Image Bulimia Child Rape Child Sexual Abuse Comfort Food Eating Disorder Eating Disorder Causes Healing Recovery Sexual Abuse Trauma Triggers

The reasons for Emma's illness and for her decision to allow life in, rather than die, are intertwined and involve the beginnings of her feelings of belonging, of safety and of competence to be in the world.

~ Carol Lee

Carol Lee Anorexia Nervosa Eating Disorder Eating Disorder Causes Eating Disorder Recovery Mental Illness

When faced with choosing between attributing their pain to “being crazy” and having had abusive parents, clients will choose “crazy” most of the time. Dora, a 38-year-old, was profoundly abused by multiple family perpetrators and has grappled with cutting and eating disordered behaviors for most of her life. She poignantly echoed this dilemma in her the

~ Lisa Ferentz

Lisa Ferentz Abuse Survivors Abusers Abusive Parents Child Abuse Survivors Crazy Cutting Denial Dysfunctional Families Eating Disorder Causes Nuts Survivors Therapy