Skip to main content

Reply to "Integration of ACEs science into obesity prevention programs (or programs measuring related outcomes)?"

I'm so glad you're pursuing this! I've treated eating disorders in conjunction with significant trauma throughout my career but the two are often not linked outside of behavioral health and even then, in individuals struggling with over-eating I've noted a stronger resistance towards making the connection. I believe that's due in part to our cultural messages about food and lack of congruency within how we diagnosis obesity-as if the condition magically appears, or that a person has Binge Eating Disorder-sadly the DSM states under Development and Course for B.E.D that "little is known about the development of binge-eating disorder. Infuriating. Man-made food products (aka processed white sugar) light up the same places in our brain as cocaine. It's an addiction. I was fascinated to learn that nationally our smoking rates have gone down but our rates of obesity have gone up. So, we've been publically shamed out of smoking and turned to food because collectively we still haven't learned how to respond to the root of what is hurting: our ACE's. Address the root and my need to drink, smoke, over eat, cut, shop, starve whatever else, is gone (mostly, haha)

 The TOPS program (Florida) does address social and emotional health but during the time I led a training they did not appear to provide any comprehensive trauma screening. Overeater's Anonymous serves individuals across the eating disorder spectrum (bulimia, overeating, anorexia) and does address more specifically emotional triggers for eating, purging or self-starvation while also providing tools to address weight management, emotional health and addiction to processed 'food-products' (for which they have prescribed total abstinence for many, many years and of course that's not very public knowledge either because one sector of the processed food industry profits nearly 2 billion dollars annually and would not like it if everyone was suddenly cured from food addiction.) OA is the only program I know of that acknowledges and treats true 'food addiction', even the DSM doesn't qualify a person's maladaptive relationship with food as an addiction because it might have meant classifying certain foods under the same category as alcohol and tobacco, despite the fact that a person turns to self-medicating with food for the same reasons others choose other addictive and numbing substances. I remember reading a book years ago called The Monster Within; a woman described a binge so intense she reported symptoms of intoxication.

Long story short, OA comes close but I think it would great to see more programs available helping individuals get to the root of their choices and behaviors regarding substances and food and removing the shame which often comes with obesity and over-eating in making that connection. The answer is always unresolved trauma and the cure is mindful self-compassion. Good luck with your work!

Copyright © 2023, PACEsConnection. All rights reserved.
×
×
×
×