How EMDR Therapy Treats Eating Disorders in Salt Lake City, Utah
EMDR therapy has become one of the most effective trauma treatments I use in my work with women experiencing eating disorders. Many of the clients I see in Salt Lake City, Utah, initially come to therapy believing their struggles are “just about food” only to discover that disordered eating is often connected to deeper emotional pain, past experiences, and long-standing negative beliefs about themselves. EMDR therapy helps address these underlying drivers, which can significantly support eating disorder recovery. EMDR therapy in Salt Lake City can help with eating disorder recovery.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychotherapy designed to help people process and heal from distressing experiences. Rather than relying only on talking about a problem, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, to help the brain reprocess memories that may be contributing to anxiety, shame, negative self-beliefs, or emotional distress. EMDR therapy is widely recognized for treating trauma and PTSD, but it is also effective for concerns like anxiety, body image distress, and eating disorders when these struggles are connected to past experiences and deeply held beliefs.
How does EMDR therapy help treat eating disorders?
I’m sure you have questions about what EMDR is and how it helps with eating disorders. Eating disorders are rooted in so much more than food, weight, and appearance. My favorite type of work to do with clients is to go deeper and look at the root of things in therapy rather than just surface-level things. EMDR allows us to do that together. Women with eating disorders hold so many negative beliefs about themselves and their bodies. Commonly, my clients believe they’re not good enough, they’re powerless, or that things that have happened in their lives are all their fault.
EMDR therapy focuses on changing negative beliefs
The negative beliefs experienced us as humans are derived from experiences. Those experiences don’t have to be classified as traumatic experiences but they might be experiences that you had during important and critical times of your life. Being called ugly by someone in middle school might not feel like a traumatic experience but in a lot of ways our brains store them that way. That experience can influence how you feel about yourself for the rest of your life. Why can’t you just get over it? Why do you have to keep thinking about it? The way the brain has stored this experience is still going to impact your present functioning.
EMDR therapy helps shift your eating disorder beliefs
Using the middle school example, when doing EMDR we would go back to that experience and target the negative belief about ourselves. An essential component of EMDR therapy is bilateral stimulation. Bilateral stimulation is what opens up all the emotions and thoughts you have as a result of that experience but it also helps you work through it. People can be skeptical that there is a point in working through the past. The truth is you probably don’t want to go back there because it’s painful and it can feel pointless to feel pain for no reason. However, our past experiences are directly dictating our present functioning. This is why we go back to those experiences to change how we think and feel about ourselves.
How I have seen EMDR help women with eating disorders
When someone has an eating disorder, we don’t jump into EMDR right away. We first need to make sure they are medically stable and are able to have nourishment. Just like medications aren’t as effective for those that aren’t receiving adequate nutrition, EMDR isn’t going to be what we use first. It wouldn’t be humane for me to open up about all your past experiences and negative beliefs if we weren’t certain you had enough healthy coping skills to use as you work through it. When it comes to EMDR therapy, we don’t want to make your eating disorder worse if we don’t properly prepare for it.
My clients who are utilizing the people in their lives for support, are working on fueling their bodies, and have adequate coping skills are able to use EMDR to feel better about themselves. They are able to make shifts in the beliefs they hold about their body and appearance. EMDR helps lessen anxiety about eating and weight gain. EMDR has many positive effects in supporting you in eating disorder recovery.
EMDR for Eating Disorders can make a big difference
While EMDR is by no means the only tool in helping you overcome your eating disorder but it does hold so much significance and power. You deserve to feel better about yourself, to feel less afraid of weight gain, and to realize you deserve so much more than what you are offering yourself. Eating disorder recovery takes effort and focus, and EMDR therapy can help you achieve those things. I love to be able to see those that I work with feel less consumed by their body image, anxiety, and sadness. I have seen how EMDR lifts the burden, and I want you to have the same experience, too.
EMDR Therapy for Eating Disorders in Salt Lake City, Utah
If you’re struggling with an eating disorder and feel like past experiences, trauma, or deeply rooted beliefs may be contributing to your symptoms, EMDR therapy may help. I work with women in Salt Lake City, Utah, who feel stuck in cycles of food anxiety, binge eating, restriction, and body image distress. EMDR allows us to address the underlying emotional drivers of these patterns in a supportive, structured way. Therapy is collaborative, paced carefully, and focused on helping you feel more stable, empowered, and less controlled by eating disorder thoughts and behaviors.
Start working with an eating disorder therapist in Salt Lake City, Utah
You don’t have to feel stuck in your eating disorder. You don’t have to keep believing you’re not good enough. You can find relief from anxiety, and therapy can help! Maple Canyon Therapy has an eating disorder therapist specializing in both EMDR therapy and eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling, follow the steps below:
Meet with an EMDR therapist
Find relief from your eating disorder
Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah
When you are struggling with an eating disorder, you want the assurance of working with a therapist who has the training and knows exactly how to help you in eating disorder recovery. Utah has many places that don’t have access to an eating disorder therapist, making it difficult to access this specialized therapy. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. Online eating disorder therapy means you don’t have to travel to meet with a therapist, and it’s just as effective as in-person therapy.
Online counseling means I work with women in Salt Lake City and all throughout Utah.
Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR Therapy
Can EMDR therapy help treat eating disorders?
EMDR therapy can be helpful when eating disorder symptoms are connected to trauma, distressing experiences, or negative core beliefs. It is typically integrated into a broader treatment approach.
Do you offer EMDR therapy in Salt Lake City, Utah?
Yes. I provide EMDR therapy through secure online sessions for clients living in Salt Lake City and throughout Utah.
Is EMDR safe for individuals with eating disorders?
EMDR is used carefully and only when clients are medically stable and have adequate coping resources. Preparation and stabilization are essential parts of the process.
What does EMDR therapy feel like?
Many clients describe EMDR as different from traditional talk therapy. Sessions involve recalling experiences while engaging in bilateral stimulation, helping memories feel less distressing over time.
How do I know if EMDR is right for me?
A consultation can help determine whether EMDR fits your needs, goals, and current level of stability in recovery.
Therapy Services for Women in Salt Lake City
Eating disorder therapy and EMDR therapy aren’t the only counseling services provided. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include binge eating disorder treatment, anxiety therapy, birth trauma therapy, counseling for college students, and body image therapy. Reach out today to schedule a phone consultation to see how I can help.
About the Author
Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. Ashlee has a master's degree in social work from Utah State University. She also holds two bachelor's degrees from Southern Utah University in psychology and family life and human development. Ashlee has been working with women with eating disorders since her first experience as a therapist at the USU Counseling Center in Logan, Utah. She has worked at all levels of eating disorder care including inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient therapy. Ashlee is passionate about helping women be kind to their bodies and leave their eating disorders behind through acceptance and commitment therapy, EMDR therapy, and more.