Where Trauma and Eating Disorders Meet: A Personal Reflection

When I talk about healing, I don’t speak from a distance. I speak from the inside out.
I’m a survivor of sexual assault, domestic violence, and an eating disorder—wounds that are deeply intertwined and have shaped the way I’ve learned to survive, cope, and ultimately, begin to heal. I’m also someone who has spent years on the long, brave road of recovery. The trauma didn’t start it, but it made the climb steeper.

The Overlap We Don’t Talk About Enough

We don’t talk enough about how often eating disorders walk hand-in-hand with trauma—especially sexual violence and intimate partner abuse.

📊 Here’s what the numbers say:

• 43% of people with eating disorders have experienced sexual trauma

• Women who experience both sexual and physical abuse are up to 4 times more likely to develop an eating disorder

• Survivors of domestic violence (DV) face significantly higher rates of disordered eating—particularly behaviors rooted in control, restriction, and self-punishment

• People who experience intimate partner violence are nearly 3 times more likely to receive an eating disorder diagnosis

These aren’t just statistics. These are real lives. They’re my story. And maybe yours too.

My Body Became a Battlefield

My eating disorder came first—before the violence, before the assault. It was already there, quietly shaping the way I related to my body, my emotions, and my sense of control. But when trauma entered the picture, it amplified everything.

The shame deepened.
The desire to disappear got louder.
My eating disorder became more than a coping skill—it became a shield, a secret language, a place I could escape to when the world felt unsafe.

And for a long time, it worked—until it didn’t.

Healing Is Not Linear, But It’s Possible 🌱

The road to healing has been anything but smooth. It’s been nonlinear, messy, vulnerable, and full of brave, trembling steps.

Recovery started in therapy, where I first gave language to what I had endured.
It continued in survivor support groups, and in the daily, courageous choice to nourish myself—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.
It’s still unfolding, even now, as I attempt to build a life rooted in safety, autonomy, and truth.

I’ve learned that healing from an eating disorder also means healing from what fueled it—the violence, the fear, the body betrayal, the silence.

Why This Matters 🫂

If you’ve survived assault or abuse and now struggle with food or body image, I want you to know:

✨ You are not alone
✨ Your coping makes sense, even if it’s hurting you now
✨ Your body is not the problem—it has been trying to protect you
✨ You deserve support that honors your whole story—not just the surface behaviors

And if you're a provider, advocate, or ally, I hope you’ll remember: eating disorders rarely exist in isolation. We have to address the trauma, the grief, the survival that shaped the disordered behaviors. This is not just about food. It’s about healing from harm.

Courage to Speak 🎙️

It’s no accident that I named my advocacy work Courage to Speak. Because silence kept me sick, and voice brought me back to life.

Today, I speak my story—not because it’s easy—but because someone out there is still carrying this weight in silence.

To you, I say: healing is possible.
Not perfect, not linear—but possible.

And I’m walking that long, brave road with you