How Sexual Assault Can Lead to Eating Disorders and How to Find Healing

Thrive • Apr 07, 2022

By Thrive Sacramento’s Clinical Director, Gillie Francis, LCSW

Victims of sexual assault are significantly more likely to develop certain mental and behavioral health conditions, including eating disorders, according to one National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) study . Another study showed that 30% of patients with eating disorders were sexually abused in childhood. While sexual assault has been associated with many kinds of eating disorders , current research supports that bulimia and binge eating disorder (BED) are the most common types that develop following sexual assault.

Regardless of the eating disorder that may manifest as a consequence of sexual assault, experts observe that behaviors associated with the eating disorder are often self-harming in nature. These behaviors can include purging, calorie restriction, over-exercising, and binge eating.

HOW SEXUAL ASSAULT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF EATING DISORDERS

Broken Relationship With One’s Body

Sexual assault can severely impact how an individual perceives their body, their sense of control over their body, and their idea of safety within their body. By harming a person’s relationship with their body, sexual assault can lead to an eating disorder, as those with eating disorders typically experience such body struggles.

Decreased Sense of Safety

Individuals who have survived sexual assault may feel as if their environments are no longer safe. This perceived sense of being unsafe can cause increased feelings of distrust, isolation, and anxiety as well as difficulty making decisions. For many, focusing on decisions that seem simple such as what food they consume and how they move in the world through exercise become more manageable expressions of safety and control.

Coping With Emotional Distress

Additionally, eating disorder behaviors may help individuals cope with feelings of increased anxiety following the trauma of sexual assault. Because there may be more triggering experiences in everyday life, they may frequently find themselves in a state of high anxiety, causing them to rely on disordered eating behaviors as a way to regulate their emotions.

Distancing Oneself

Further, eating disorder behaviors may help create space between the individual and the event by providing them with an all-encompassing outlet to focus on rather than the sexual assault.

While disordered eating behaviors and eating disorders may understandably serve as ways of coping with the trauma of sexual assault, they’re not healthy ways of processing one’s experience and emotions and will only serve to undermine the victim’s recovery.

TREATMENT AND RECOVERY FOR EATING DISORDERS AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

Because eating disorders have some of the highest mortality rates of any mental illness, it’s vital to seek treatment that involves an integrated team of trained eating disorder therapists, dietitians, occupational therapists, and psychiatrists.

While the main focus of eating disorder treatment is healing through nutrition guidance, psychoeducation, and mental health support, individuals may also learn alternative, healthy ways to cope with their painful emotions. Some of these strategies include:

Mindfulness practices : Such as breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation, grounding practices, meditation, and yoga.
Self-care : Any activities that express one’s self-love, promote their overall well-being, and fill their cup.
Community involvement: Volunteering and community service can help individuals feel connected, purposeful, and part of something bigger than themselves.
Taking a media detox: Unplugging from social media and the 24-hour news cycle can allow individuals time to decompress and recenter.
Journaling: Writing one’s thoughts and emotions can be a cathartic, self-reflective, and even transformative experience.

Treatment can also implement trauma-specific therapy to support healing from sexual assault. Trauma-specific therapies include:

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR aims to integrate a person’s emotional experience with their cognitive experience to help them perceive a traumatic event with a greater sense of rationality.
Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT): TF-CBT is a form of talk therapy used to treat childhood trauma.
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) : Through individual and group therapy, DBT aims to teach individuals skills to regulate their emotions, practice mindfulness, and create a life worth living.
Emotion-focused therapy (EFT): EFT is a form of talk therapy that promotes emotional awareness and acceptance.

As individuals heal from both eating disorders and sexual assault, leaning into support from their family, friends, and community can be beneficial. Both family therapy and community support groups can help those in recovery feel less alone and safer, more connected, and more empowered.

THRIVE HERE

Thrive aims to empower our clients through eating disorder treatment that encompasses all aspects of well-being and seeks to heal the mind, body, and spirit. Our team of specialists includes mental, physical, and behavioral health clinicians who collaborate to provide compassionate, individualized care to those struggling with eating disorders and coexisting conditions. Reach out to learn more about our eating disorder treatment programs, trauma-specific therapy, and other integrated health services.

NATIONAL RESOURCES FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT

Additionally, there are national resources available for individuals affected by sexual assault, including:

The National Sexual Assault Hotline: A 24/7 crisis line that can be reached at 1 (800) 656-4673.
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) : The nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.

About the Author

Gillie Francis, LCSW — Thrive Sacramento’s Clinical Director

Gillie Francis received her master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Nevada and is a fully licensed LCSW in both Nevada and California. Her experience spans a variety of settings and levels of care including inpatient, residential, and outpatient and crisis services. Gillie has experience working with adults and adolescents with severe mental illness, eating disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, suicidal ideation, personality disorders and other co-occurring disorders. Gillian is passionate about honoring each individual’s journey and utilizes approaches that emphasize empowerment with clients. Approaching her work with integrated modalities, she works with individuals to find their voice and engage in pivoting towards their values. She believes that each individual has the capacity for meaningful change in their lives. When she is not working with clients, she enjoys time outdoors with her spouse and dog, Charlie.

The post How Sexual Assault Can Lead to Eating Disorders and How to Find Healing first appeared on Thrive Wellness.

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Clean House, Healthy Mind: Spring Cleaning Benefits for Mental Health

By Sage Tippie • 23 Apr, 2024

Spring Cleaning Benefits for Mental Health Spring is a time of new beginnings, change, and transitions, including in our homes. With the warmer weather kicking motivation into high gear, Spring can be a prime time to do a deep clean. Not only is a clean space aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, but it can also help to improve your mental health. Learn about how tidying up your space can also tidy up your thoughts below along with tips for cleaning when you’re struggling with your mental health. 4 Reasons Why Cleaning is Beneficial to Mental health 1.Decreased Stress Not only does an uncluttered space provide a sense of calm, but the physical act of cleaning can release feel-good endorphins, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. As you cross tasks off your checklist, your body also releases Dopamine. Also known as the “happy hormone”, Dopamine provides a sense of accomplishment and pride that can promote motivation in other areas of our lives. 2. Improved Focus Studies have shown that an uncluttered space can also lead to an uncluttered mind. Your focus can be drawn away from important tasks by a chaotic, messy space. Research has also shown a connection between procrastination and clutter, as an unwillingness to tackle larger chores like cleaning can translate over into various areas of our lives. By keeping your space tidy, it can inspire you to stay on top of other major tasks like work and school assignments. 3. Regulated Emotions According to this 2015 study , cleaning can function as a practice in mindfulness, providing an increased sense of calm and inspiration. Slowing down while cleaning gives you room to relax and free your mind of burdens, stressors, and irritants that can affect your mental health. Cleaning can even be considered a practice of self-care as the action helps you to connect with yourself and the outcome allows you to better enjoy your own space. 4. Sense of Order and Control When experiencing mental health struggles, people may feel a lack of control over their lives and emotions. Cleaning even small areas of the home can provide an increased sense of order and control as you cross tasks off your to-do list. Through realizing your own power by simply completing minor tasks like cleaning, it can reaffirm your ability to do more. 10 Tips for Cleaning When Struggling with Mental Health Mental health struggles and disorders commonly create barriers to one’s ability to clean and properly practice personal hygiene. Although these behaviors are normal side effects of mental health disorders, we want to work to aid our clients in cleaning to the best of their ability even in difficult times. Below, Thrive Wellness occupational therapist Meadow Deason shares some helpful tips she gives to clients when they struggle with cleaning due to mental health conditions: 1.Ask For Help Having support to clean can make a huge difference. Do the cleaning with the person helping you and have them hold you accountable. 2. Don't Wait for Motivation Motivation might not come before action, but it can build as you begin to see the results of your efforts. 3. Start Small Start with one area or one task and go from there. For example, concentrate on your bedroom first and then move on to the living room and bathroom. 4. Do Something Daily Even if you do only one small cleaning task a day, doing that one task creates momentum and prevents small tasks from building up and becoming overwhelming. 5. Use Sensory Modulation Change your environment by playing music, adjusting the lighting, or using aromatherapy. This can help to put you in a new headspace for cleaning. 6. Start with "High Impact" Tasks Start with more intensive or all-over cleaning tasks such as picking up clutter or doing the dishes. The visual "noise" of some tasks makes a large impact on the entire space, building motivation to continue cleaning. 7. Make a To-Do List Write a detailed to-do list of tasks and cross them off as you go. Physically marking down what you’ve accomplished can promote increased motivation. 8. Reward Yourself Set up a reward system where you reward yourself with a favorite activity or item when you complete a task as an incentive to clean. 9. Use the Rocket Method Don't think about it, just choose a task, countdown from five or ten and then start. This can help you to avoid potential anxiety and dread that can prevent you from cleaning. 10. Gamify Tasks Make up a game for your tasks or time yourself to promote increased engagement in cleaning. Your ability to complete tasks can be affected by a multitude of different factors and conditions including OCD , anxiety, depression , ADHD , and more. If you are struggling with motivation due to your mental health, help is here at Thrive Wellness.

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