Eating Behavior Disorders (EDD)

The regulatory cycle between intake and emotion.

The conceptualization of eating disorders from DBT transcends simple preoccupation with body image or weight; they are fundamentally understood as disorders of affect regulation.

Behaviors such as severe caloric restriction, binge eating or purging function as maladaptive mechanisms to manage intolerable emotional states.

Restraint can induce a state of numbness or rigid control that mutes chaotic anxiety, whereas binge eating can provide immediate dopaminergic release and dissociation from present emotional pain.

Compensatory behavior (purging) often acts to alleviate the panic or guilt generated by the binge.

Treatment focuses on identifying what specific emotion precedes the eating urge (loneliness, anger, emptiness) and teaching the nervous system to tolerate that emotion without resorting to food as an anesthetic or punishment.

Mindful Eating as a clinical intervention

The practice of Mindful Eating is the antithesis of the dissociation that often accompanies episodes of uncontrolled eating.

This technique requires drastically slowing down the process of eating to bring full attention to every sensory aspect of the experience: texture, aroma, temperature, and nuances of taste.

By forcing the mind to be present during the act, it interrupts the "autopilot" mode that enables the massive and rapid intake typical of binge eating.

In addition, interception is trained to distinguish between physiological hunger/satiety signals and emotional triggers.

The goal is to change the relationship with food from an object of fear or abuse to a neutral and nourishing sensory experience, observing impulses without automatically acting on them.

The technique of Emergency Surfing

"Urge Surfing" is a critical discomfort tolerance skill applied to addictive urges.

It is based on the understanding that intense urges to perform a problem behavior (such as purging or binge eating) have an intensity curve similar to a wave: they grow, peak, and eventually subside, as long as they are not fed.

The intervention consists of observing the urge as a mental event separate from the self, noting the associated physical sensations (tension in the stomach, salivation) without judging them or trying to suppress them.

Instead of fighting the wave (which often leads to being rolled over by it) or surrendering to it, one is taught to "ride it," maintaining cons