I’ve seen it time and time again. A client comes to me who has known for years that they are struggling with an eating disorder. They have seen SO many providers to get help and just can’t seem to get a handle on things. People think they are getting by in life “just fine”, even though they are struggling deeply beneath the surface. They are reaching out for help with their eating disorder, but don’t realize that perfectionism is covering up undiagnosed ADHD. They don’t realize how ADHD and perfectionism are impacting their attempts to heal their relationship with food.

One of the therapy modalities that informs my work is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Since I am not a therapist, I wanted to take the time to unpack DBT and explain it’s strengths, limitations and how I use it in my practice as a dietitian.

Sometimes feeling uncomfortable in our skin or physical environment can make eating meals a challenge. For folx who identify as neurodivergent, there can be additional barriers to figuring out how to address this discomfort. Let’s check in and see what we can do to manage our sense of touch at meal time.

When new or non-preferred taste, textures, or types of foods are present at mealtime it can create a sense of overwhelm, especially for neurodivergent individuals. Let’s explore some strategies to feel more regulated when our sense of taste is getting in the way of being able to eat.

Eating a meal while overstimulated can be incredibly difficult. Having tools handy to help us feel more regulated in a variety of situations will set us up for mealtime success. Let’s start building our toolkit with 5 Tips for Sound Sensitivity.

Intuitive Eating is a great framework for helping chronic dieters break out of the dieting cycle and can be a great tool in eating disorder recovery. Working with many neurodivergent individuals over the years has shown me that intuitive eating isn’t the right fit for everyone in their journey to a more peaceful relationship with food. Want to find out whether intuitive eating is the right fit for you?