Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in Australia, yet shame keeps it hidden and misunderstood. Many people turn to binge eating as a way to numb pain, escape overwhelming emotions, or find brief relief from trauma but are then caught in the flame, blame, shame cycle described by Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist Cece Sykes.

Let’s Work On That in Melbourne - IFS

Perfectionism in eating disorders isn’t just a personality trait it’s often a protector, guarding deeper emotional wounds. Explore how Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy helps identify and unburden the exiled parts that carry shame, fear of rejection, and trauma beneath perfectionistic behaviours. Examine the role of temperament, emotion avoidance, and self-worth in the development and maintenance of anorexia, bulimia, and orthorexia.

We understand legacy burdens as emotional, relational, and cultural debts carried by parts of the system that were simply trying to survive. Eating disorder behaviours often emerge as protectors, following these old rules to avoid pain, rejection, or perceived danger.

When we meet these parts with curiosity instead of control, and when we begin to name the inherited messages they carry, the system can begin to breathe. We don’t force healing; we make space for it.

Eating disorders aren’t just symptoms they are survival strategies. Explore how IFS therapy helps unpack the inner patterns that keep us stuck, and how healing begins with understanding, not blame.