"Forty-nine percent of our patients have experienced childhood sexualabuse," said Amy Spahr, clinical director at Remuda Programs for EatingDisorders. "This is about 20 percent higher than in the general population.Additionally, in the last five years, 11 percent of adolescent and 20 percentof adult patients were diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)."
Research has shown that childhood sexual abuse increases binge-eating,purging, restricting calories, body shame and body dissatisfaction. Eatingdisorders become a way of helping victims cope with shame. They feel theymay need to modify their body in ways that reduce shame or distress. Forexample, a woman suffering from trauma and an eating disorder may wish toreduce her breast size in order to appear less feminine and therefore, lessappealing to men because of her past sexual abuse.
"At Remuda, we teach patients skills that assist them in achievingrecovery from their eating disorder while taking significant steps to workthrough trauma issues," adds Spahr.
Many times, patients use trauma as an explanation for their continued needto rely on eating disorder behaviors. The center's treatment model aims toteach sufficient skills so the patient trauma issues are no longer so intense.Once in recovery from the eating disorder, they can return as needed to morein-depth trauma work without significant risk of an eating disorder relapse.
"Trauma recovery work, combined with eating disorder recovery, can bechallenging and complicated," adds Spahr. "A patient who has been victimizedmay often have difficulty building trust and acceptance. An essential elementthat is necessary in assisting the patient in the trauma work is providing anenvironment of support and acceptance."
About Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders
Remuda Ranch offers Christian inpatient and residential programs for womenand girls of all faiths suffering from eating or anxiety disorders. Eachpatient is treated by a multi-disciplinary team including a Psychiatric and aPrimary Care Provider, Registered Dietitian, Masters Level therapist,Psychologist and Registered Nurse. The professional staff equips each patientwith the right tools to live a healthy, productive life. For moreinformation, call 1-800-445-1900 or visit http://www.remudaranch.com.
SOURCE Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders
