Binge Eating Disorder Counselling

Binge eating disorder can feel confusing, distressing and very difficult to talk about. You may find yourself eating large amounts of food in a short space of time, feeling unable to stop, and then experiencing shame, guilt or frustration afterwards.

For many people, binge eating is not really about food at all. It can become a way of soothing difficult feelings, switching off, coping with stress, or managing emotions that feel too overwhelming to sit with. It can also develop after long periods of dieting or restriction, where the body and brain are responding to not having enough food.

Binge eating disorder is not a lack of willpower, greed or simply “eating too much”. It is a recognised eating disorder, and the cycle can become very entrenched.

What binge eating can look like

Everyone’s experience is different, but you may recognise some of the following:

  • Eating much more than you intended

  • Feeling unable to stop once you have started eating

  • Eating very quickly or eating when you are not physically hungry

  • Eating alone or in secret because you feel embarrassed

  • Feeling guilty, ashamed or disgusted afterwards

  • Regularly promising yourself that you will “be good tomorrow”

  • Restricting food, skipping meals or dieting after a binge

  • Feeling preoccupied with food, weight or your body

  • Using food to manage stress, boredom, loneliness, anxiety or difficult emotions

Sometimes the binge itself becomes the focus, when in fact it is only one part of a much bigger cycle.

The binge–restriction cycle

One of the things I often explore with clients is what happens before and after a binge.

It is very common for someone to respond to binge eating by trying to regain control through dieting, restricting food or skipping meals. Unfortunately, this can make binge eating more likely rather than less likely.

When we go for long periods without eating, or do not eat enough, blood glucose levels can fall and the body begins to push much harder for energy. Hunger becomes stronger, concentration and mood can be affected, and highly palatable foods can become much more difficult to resist. If this is followed by a large amount of food in a short space of time, blood glucose can then rise rapidly before falling again, which can leave you feeling tired, hungry, irritable or craving more food.

Over time, this can contribute to a cycle of restriction, intense hunger, bingeing, guilt and renewed restriction.

Part of recovery is often about helping the body feel more secure around food by establishing a regular and reliable pattern of eating. This can reduce the extremes of hunger and help make eating feel less chaotic and more manageable.

Emotional eating and binge eating

Food can also become a powerful way of coping.

You may notice that you are more likely to binge when you are stressed, angry, lonely, overwhelmed, bored or exhausted. Sometimes eating offers temporary comfort or distraction, even though it may leave you feeling worse afterwards.

In therapy, we can begin to understand what the eating is helping you manage, rather than focusing only on trying to stop the behaviour.

That might involve understanding emotional triggers, recognising patterns, developing other ways of regulating difficult feelings and becoming more curious about what is happening underneath the behaviour.

ADHD and binge eating

For some people, binge eating can also be connected with ADHD or other forms of neurodivergence.

Impulsivity, difficulty recognising hunger and fullness, seeking stimulation, emotional dysregulation and forgetting to eat regularly can all affect the relationship with food.

This does not mean that every person who binges has ADHD, but where neurodivergence is part of the picture, it is important that it is understood rather than treating the eating behaviour in isolation.

How I work with binge eating disorder

My approach is integrative, which means I do not use one single model of therapy for everyone.

We may look at practical eating patterns alongside the emotional and psychological reasons the binge eating developed in the first place.

Depending on your needs, our work may include:

  • Establishing more regular eating patterns

  • Exploring restriction and dieting

  • Understanding binge triggers

  • Looking at thoughts and beliefs around food and body image

  • Developing greater awareness of hunger and fullness

  • Working with difficult emotions and self-criticism

  • Exploring relationships, past experiences and patterns that may be contributing

  • Developing alternative ways of coping and self-soothing

  • Understanding the impact of ADHD or neurodivergence where relevant

I draw on person-centred therapy, CBT and CBT-E informed approaches, transactional analysis, psychodynamic thinking and psychoeducation, while always adapting the work to the individual in front of me.

I also hold a Master Practitioner qualification in Eating Disorders and Obesity and have specialist training and experience in working with eating disorders.

You do not have to wait until things feel “bad enough”

Many people minimise binge eating or feel that they should be able to sort it out themselves.

You do not need to fit a particular stereotype, be a particular size or have a formal diagnosis before asking for help.

Binge eating can affect people in bodies of every size, and the severity of an eating disorder cannot be judged by appearance.

If food is taking up a lot of mental space, if you feel caught in a cycle you cannot get out of, or if your eating is causing distress, that is enough reason to seek support.

Online binge eating therapy

I offer online counselling for adults across the UK.

Working online can make therapy easier to fit around work, family and other commitments, and many clients find that talking from their own home helps them feel more comfortable discussing eating and body image.

If you would like to talk about whether counselling might be helpful, you are welcome to get in touch.