Eating disorders and endorphins are highly connected. Teaching the science to my patients has made it easier for them to recover, getting great results.
Let’s talk about the science behind eating disorders and endorphins to increase understanding about why there are such dynamic fears when it comes to eating for someone with an eating disorder. Endorphins are polypeptides produced in the brain which act as natural pain relievers. They relieve pain by blocking nerve connections between the brain and the hurt area of the body.
Normally, when we get hungry, our stomach’s rumble and hurt, however if we go too long without food, we might feel dizzy and lightheaded, but the stomach stops hurting. This is due to not feeding the stomach when it sends its signals to the brain. If not fed, there is no point in your stomach just continuing to hurt, so endorphins block the nerve that feels that hunger. Not only is physical pain reduced, painful mental feelings are often snuffed out as well.
As endorphins flood the brain to block different hunger pains, they often create a euphoric mental state that some describe as powerful. As people with eating disorders naturally develop low self esteem and issues that feel too large to deal with, they tend to feel an overwhelming sense of their lives spinning out of control.
The goal of an eating disorder is to put control back in the world of someone who feels out of control with life. As the endorphins swim through the brain, the person tends to feel more in control. This is due to the constant control they exhibit over food, which distracts them from daily struggles and bad feelings. As they feel control over something external, endorphins are swimming around the brain creating a sense of euphoria. Now it feels good (endorphins in the brain) to control food (distract one’s self from real life).
As this persists day in and day out, the person gets used to the euphoria, and they tend to feel “in control.” As they continue controlling and restricting food, they become disconnected with the body. Pain is not often felt, so as they become emaciated it feels normal. The emaciated body begins to represent the amount of control one has, not only over food, but in life. Eating and gaining weight become the largest fear in this scenario.
Once a person with an eating disorder starts to nourish the body, endorphins are no longer needed for pain relief. The stomach is now free to signal for food, knowing it will be nourished. As endorphins go away, so does the euphoria or feeling of control. It is imperative that my patients know that I know how painful truly eating for the first time can be.
When the emaciated body is refed, the person loses the bodily representation of control. People develop eating disorders because they feel out of control, then they find control with the eating disorder. When I suggest they eat anything, I know exactly how much pain I am causing. The euphoria goes away, leaving them with horrible feelings they experienced before the eating disorder. This is why I do not believe that eating is the only solution for curing eating disorders. They must sincerely process what will happen to them when they take the first bite.
I educate my patients so they have a clear understanding of what will happen with the addition of food. Also it becomes highly imperative that my patients know how slowly I work in order to renourish the body while being able to process feelings as they come up, not just handing over a meal plan for weight gain and telling them to continue eating through the pain. My patients only eat what they come up with, and we move at their pace to deal with the real issues beyond the food.
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