Treating Eating Disorders: When Words Fail and Bodies Speak

According to The National Eating Disorder Association’s Statistics, up to 70 million people worldwide suffer from an eating disorder. In this show, Dr. Tom Wooldridge, psychologist and psychoanalyst will address the underlying dynamics and treatment of eating disorders. Drawing upon his new book, Psychoanalytic Treatment of Eating Disorders: When Words Fail and Bodies Speak, he will discuss important issues for those suffering, their parents and clinicians working with them. Recognizing the importance of integrative treatment that includes everything from expedient symptom reduction to experiential therapies, he highlights the value of a psychoanalytic perspective. Using clinical examples, he shows the importance of recognizing unspoken pain, secret shame, fear of intimacy, difficulty regulating feelings and self-blame in those with eating disorders. He discusses the role of childhood experience, cultural norms, cyber-space connections, and online forums.