You know what I think about a lot? How our relationship with food often isn’t really about food at all.
What I mean by that is: There are ways we learn to survive that look, on the outside, like “food issues.” But underneath them is something much more human: the longing to feel safe, soothed, and secure in a world that hasn’t always made that easy.
In this week’s episode, I’m joined by therapists Vanessa Scaringi and Kate Garland to unpack how our early relationships influence coping patterns with food. They have such a brilliant perspective on how attachment styles—anxious, avoidant, disorganized, and secure—shape our body image and even contribute to disordered eating.
If you’ve ever wondered why your beliefs and behaviors with food seem so hard to change, I think this conversation will help you understand them with more clarity and compassion.
We get into so much, including:
What attachment theory is and the four main patterns: secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized
Whether certain attachment patterns are more often linked to disordered eating and body image struggles
What to know about food behaviors as a means for regulation and safety
The difference between comfort-seeking and numbing (and why both can show up in any eating pattern)
And behind the paywall, you’ll hear about:
How relationships and family dynamics can trigger changes in eating behaviors
The impact of diet culture, GLP-1 medications, and social media on body image and food choices
How the overwhelm, grief, and fear we feel in our country right now is impacting how we experience our bodies
Why “rupture and repair” is essential for healing your relationship with food and your body
Practical ways to build a more secure, compassionate relationship with eating
This was such an interesting conversation for me (selfishly!). I’ve found myself doing a lot of reflecting since we spoke, especially when it comes to my own attachment patterns…
