Woodbury Reports, Inc
Bonners Ferry, ID

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The Trauma Beneath
Eating Disorders

"Although disordered eating is fairly widespread and can usually be helped by family and local resources, clinical Eating Disorders are fortunately less common but a very serious and potentially deadly problem," explained Dr. Kim Dennis, Medical Director at Timberline Knolls on Lon Woodbury's Internet Talk Radio Show "Parent Choices for Struggling Teens" on October 10, 2011 on LATalkRadio.

"Almost always behind a clinical Eating Disorder there is some trauma or insult to the brain that interferes with a healthy growth of the brain and leads to an unhealthy life style," continued Dennis, "that often comes from growing up in alcoholic and/or abusive family situations."

Dennis often draws a parallel with starting a voyage across the Atlantic, explaining "A trauma early in life is similar to a boat being off course by 15 degrees at the start of a trans-Atlantic voyage and not only will the boat be far off course after the crossing, but the interruption in brain development will create serious dysfunctions in the person like a clinical Eating Disorder."

In her experience the trauma beneath a clinical Eating Disorder is "About 60 percent of the time some kind of sexual abuse including date rape, and the other 40 percent includes severe bullying or physical abuse as a child."

"In treating a clinical Eating Disorder the first thing is to create medical stability and establish an environment with consistency," Dennis concluded, "and in this situation food is considered almost a medicine, and experiential activities like movement, art and self-defense can be very effective as part of the treatment."

To listen to the full interview go here.

Lon Woodbury, MA, IECA, CEP, is the owner/founder of Woodbury Reports Inc. and www.strugglingteens.com. He has worked with families and struggling teens since 1984 and is the Host of Parent Choices for Struggling Teens on LATalkRadio Mondays at 12:00 Noon, Pacific Time, immediately after Allen Cardoza's Answers 4 the Family.

Dr. Kim Dennis M.D. is the Medical Director of Timberline Knolls, an RTC for girls and women with Eating Disorders and co-occurring disorders.

The guest next week on Parent Choices for Struggling Teens, Oct. 17, 2011 at Noon Pacific Time, is Dr. Kevin Ross Emery who will discuss "The Gift of ADD". If you have questions for Dr. Kevin, please email them to lonwoodbury@gmail.com and time permitting will ask them of Dr. Kevin.