Results Are In: You Are Not Your ED Voice!

Eating disorders are often misunderstood as simply problems with eating or weight. Since when a mental illness a look? Research increasingly shows eating disorders stem from deeper, complex and most often a "perfect storm" of psychological dynamics. A study titled “Out of my real body: cognitive neuroscience meets eating disorders” argues that many eating disorders arise from complex interactions among how we think about ourselves, how we emotionally relate to others, and how we perceive our body.

What the Research Says:

I laughed at myself typing the title, having "results are in, you are NOT the father!!!" playing through my mind. Hopefully this joke makes sense. 

The research paper describes eating disorders as a multi layered psychological phenomenon. Disordered eating often reflects disturbances in cognition, socio emotional functioning, and interpersonal relationships. This is what I like to call the three legged stool (bio-psycho-social), if one is slightly distorted the whole stool becomes wobbly.

The authors in this study argue that the roots of eating disorders go far beyond surface level factors. They are deeply tied to distorted self image, emotional distress, and difficulties in relationships. 

This research encourages us to view eating disorders not as simple food problems but as mind body challenges. The body often becomes a place where psychological pain, identity struggles, and relational distress are expressed.

By shifting our understanding and offering holistic, compassionate care, we can help people not only restore healthier eating patterns but also strengthen emotional wellbeing and rebuild their sense of self.

Understanding the “ED Brain” vs the “Wise Mind”:

When someone is living with an eating disorder, it can affect more than just their body, it can strongly impact the brain, their emotions, and everyday functioning. The idea of the “ed brain” versus the “wise mind” helps explain how malnutrition and disordered eating can reshape thought patterns, behaviors, and even self-perception. 

The Starved Brain:

When food intake is constantly restricted or offset by behaviors like excessive exercising, purging, or laxative use the body can enter a state of malnutrition. 

Our brains rely on nutrients to run properly. Without sufficient fuel, the brain shifts into a kind of “survival mode,” prioritizing only essential functions. Thinking clearly, concentrating, making decisions, or emotional regulation become harder. Malnutrition makes the brain act like it has twelve browser tabs open and only one is responding.

This can manifest externally as “brain fog,” trouble sleeping, impaired attention, reduced interest in hobbies or social activities, and difficulty making even simple decisions. Simply stated, you loose your sparkle. If your brain had a gas tank, restriction is like driving on empty while insisting everything is fine.

From Starved Brain to ED Brain:

As malnutrition continues, brain chemistry changes. For example, the brain may produce less serotonin, a neurotransmitter linked to mood and well-being. Reduced serotonin can contribute to increased anxiety, depressive symptoms, and heightened emotional distress.

Focus and thoughts may increasingly revolve around food, calories, body shape, and weight. A person might begin obsessing over labels, engage in rigid eating rules or rituals, scrutinize their appearance frequently, or even misperceive their own body size.

In effect, the “ed brain” starts to take over decisions, behaviors, and emotions become dominated by the disorder rather than the person’s true self. For someone experiencing this, they may feel disconnected from who they once were. Loved ones may sense the shift as rigid routines and social withdrawal. Think of the ED brain as a bad roommate. It takes over, moves all the furniture, and doesn’t pay rent.

Why I Think This Is Important:

Thinking about eating disorders in terms of “brain states” helps shift the narrative: it moves away from viewing disordered eating as a simple matter of willpower or appearance and toward understanding it as a complex mental and neurological condition. We've all heard those ignorant and harmful comments being made about eating disorders.... 

This model validates what many people with eating disorders and their loved ones experience: the sense that the disorder feels like a different “self” inside the same person a “brain takeover.” It also highlights that recovery is not just about changing behaviors around food, but about nourishing the brain and rebuilding healthy thought patterns, emotional balance, and self-perception.

Your Wise Mind is cheering for you. And it wants dessert.