The Eating Disorders Special Interest Group (ED SIG) was formed three years ago with a mission to examine the intersection of eating disorders, trauma and dissociation with the goal of increasing integrative knowledge of these two fields and applying this to developing treatment competency.
The founding executive committee members each had experience working with clients with co-morbid dissociative disorders and eating disorders. We were keenly aware of the gaps in knowledge, skill and experience in the eating disorder treatment field when it came to complex trauma, dissociation and dissociative disorders, and in the trauma/dissociation field with respect to eating disorders and disordered eating.
The scope of our SIG has been to create a welcoming and supportive environment and facilitate discussion of these intersections within the ISSTD. We meet on a near-monthly basis and discuss themes and challenges that arise in members’ practices. The space has been a vital resource particularly when facing complicated clinical challenges or working in environments that may be unintentionally undermining good integrative clinical practice. We are fortunate to have members with a depth and breadth of clinical experience who utilize a range of modalities and theoretical approaches. We’re particularly grateful to have the unique insight of executive committee members who are registered dietitians with extensive experience in working with clients with eating disorders and complex trauma and dissociative disorders.
Some of the themes and topics we’ve discussed include but are not limited to the following:
- how to talk about food and body with clients and being mindful of what food and body bring up for us
- working with a multidisciplinary treatment team
- understanding and assessing medical severity and the medical aspects of eating disorders
- polyvagal theory and the role of disordered eating behaviors in regulation and safety-seeking
- complex trauma, disordered eating and body image through an intersectional lens
- understanding the function of disordered eating behaviors in the reenactment of trauma
- food and body through the lens of attachment
- the potential for traditional medical model eating disorder treatment to be retraumatizing
- transference and countertransference when working with such complexity and high morbidity
- diet culture, attachment and conditional belonging
In the future, we’d like to develop and offer more formal educational opportunities to ISSTD through webinars and conference presentations. We’re also interested in collaborating with other SIGs to host joint meetings or educational opportunities on intersecting themes such as ARFID and neurodiversity; utilization of EMDR; art therapy approaches to support healing body image; a psychodynamic exploration of food, body, trauma and shame – the possibilities are endless. We’d love for you to join us – either at an ED SIG meeting or as a new member of the executive committee in 2026. For more information, feel free to reach out to Beth Martin, MSW, LCSW, ED SIG Chair, at beth@wholeheartedpsychotherapy.com.
Upcoming Meetings:
Tuesday, August 5th from 1-2pm ET. We will be discussing the upcoming election for the SIG’s 2026 executive committee and are eager for candidates for chair-elect, Secretary and Moderator. Come meet the current executive committee members and learn about the open positions.
Tuesday September 2 from 1-2pm ET We will be meeting for an open discussion – members are welcome to bring questions and topics to explore.
Tuesday, October 7th from 1-2:30 Watch party, pending ISSTD approval. We plan to view “EMDR, Dissociation and the Rejected Self” originally presented as a live webinar in 2022 by Natalia Seijo. This will be open to all of ISSTD and once confirmed, notice will be posted in both the ISSTD Forum and the ED SIG forum.