If you struggle with both Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), you already know how loud and convincing your thoughts can feel. Thoughts about food, routines, body image, or “something bad will happen if I don’t do this” can take over quickly. The goal isn’t to get rid of these thoughts, because that often backfires. Instead, evidence-based approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teach something different—and far more effective.
ACT is especially helpful for co-morbid AN and OCD because traditional approaches like cognitive restructuring (challenging or debating thoughts) can sometimes unintentionally strengthen obsessive thinking. When you engage deeply with a thought—arguing with it, analyzing it, or trying to prove it wrong—you are still giving it attention and importance. This can keep the cycle going: an intrusive thought leads to anxiety, which leads to mental engagement, followed by temporary relief, and then the thought returns stronger. ACT interrupts this cycle by shifting the goal from changing thoughts to changing your relationship with thoughts.
One of the core skills in ACT is cognitive defusion—learning to step back from your thoughts instead of getting tangled in them. Rather than saying, “I shouldn’t eat outside my routine or something bad will happen,” you can practice saying, “I am having the thought that I shouldn’t eat outside my routine or something bad will happen.” This small shift creates space and helps you recognize that a thought is not a command, not a fact, and not who you are. You might remind yourself, “I am having a thought, not stating a truth,” “I cannot control all my thoughts,” “I am not my thoughts,” and “This is part of being human.”
Mindfulness plays a central role in this process and is strongly supported in research for both OCD and eating disorders. Mindfulness is not about clearing your mind; it is about observing what is already there without reacting. You might notice sensations like anxiety in your chest, thoughts about needing to follow a routine, or fear about eating certain foods. Instead of trying to fix or avoid these experiences, you practice allowing them. Over time, this builds the ability to feel discomfort without needing to act on it.
When you choose not to engage with obsessive thoughts, something important happens. The anxiety may rise at first, but it will peak and then fall on its own. This process is well-supported in exposure-based therapies and is often referred to as habituation or inhibitory learning. If you instead argue with the thought, seek certainty, or follow the rule, you unintentionally reinforce the idea that the thought is important and must be obeyed.
Distress tolerance becomes essential in these moments. For example, when a routine is broken ~ such as eating outside of a set time or eating foods that feel unsafe ~ anxiety will likely increase. Your mind may urge you to fix the situation or return to what feels safe. ACT encourages you to stay with the discomfort anyway. You might tell yourself, “This is uncomfortable, but I can handle it,” “My body is reacting, and that’s okay,” and “This feeling will pass.” By doing this, you learn through experience that you are okay even without following the thought.
Over time, this creates new learning. You might notice, “I ate in the morning. I felt some discomfort in my stomach while digesting, which makes sense because my body is working. Now that feeling has passed, and I am ok. My body has not changed ~ this was just a fear.” This kind of experience helps your brain learn something new without needing to argue with the original thought.
It is also important to normalize the human experience. Everyone has intrusive thoughts. Research shows that most people experience strange or unwanted thoughts at times. The difference in OCD and eating disorders is not the presence of these thoughts, but how much meaning and control we give them. You are not broken ~ your brain is trying to protect you, even if it is doing so in an overactive way. ACT helps you respond with openness, flexibility, and self-compassion.
Ultimately, the goal is not just to reduce symptoms, but to build a life guided by your values rather than your fears. This may look like eating with others even when it feels difficult, letting go of rigid routines, nourishing your body consistently, and choosing connection over control. Each time you notice a thought, choose not to engage with it, and act in line with your values instead, you weaken the cycle and strengthen your freedom.
You do not need to win the argument with your thoughts, and you do not need to eliminate them. You can learn to notice them, step back from them, let them pass, and choose your actions anyway. At Healing Stones Therapy, we specialize in evidence-based approaches like ACT to support individuals navigating eating disorders, OCD, and anxiety. Learn more at healingstones.life for therapy in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Oklahoma, wiht online support for eating disorders and OCD. We are physically located in Wyoming and provide telehealth sessions out of state. We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aenta, Unitedhealth Care and much more. You are not alone in this, and change is absolutely possible.
If you’re struggling with binge eating, late night eating, or feeling out of control with eating, you are not alone — and you are not broken.
Many clients at Healing Stones Therapy come to us saying:
These experiences are not failures of willpower. They are often the result of diet culture, restriction, and a dysregulated nervous system.
As a specialized provider of eating disorder therapy in Wyoming, we help individuals move from shame and control toward stability, body neutrality, and healing.
Body neutrality removes moral judgment from your body.
Instead of:
“I feel fat.”
“I need to shrink.”
“My body is wrong.”
Body neutrality says:
“My body is a body.”
“My body deserves care.”
“I don’t have to love it to respect it.”
For individuals experiencing binge eating disorder, chronic overeating, or feeling out of control with food, body neutrality reduces shame — which is one of the biggest triggers for late night eating and binge cycles.
Diet culture teaches:
But biologically, food is food. When we restrict certain foods, the brain increases urgency around them. That urgency can lead to:
Research shows that chronic dieting is one of the strongest predictors of binge eating.
At Healing Stones Therapy, we use evidence-based approaches including CBT-E (Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) to stabilize eating patterns and reduce binge eating episodes within a structured 20–40 session framework.
When someone says, “I can’t stop eating,” we look deeper:
Many individuals struggling with binge eating in Wyoming have never had access to specialized outpatient eating disorder care. Without support, late night eating can become the only time the body feels safe. That’s why we integrate trauma-informed therapy and EMDR to address the root causes of eating behaviors — not just the symptoms. Healing isn’t about more control. It’s about nervous system safety.
The Impact of Diet Culture in Rural Wyoming
In rural communities across Wyoming, access to specialized eating disorder treatment has historically been limited. Many individuals are told to:
These approaches often increase binge eating and feelings of being out of control with food.
As a specialized provider of binge eating therapy in Wyoming, Healing Stones Therapy offers structured, evidence-based outpatient treatment so individuals do not need to travel out of state for care.
You may benefit from specialized eating disorder treatment if you:
You do not need to wait until behaviors become severe to seek support.
Healing Stones Therapy provides:
Our approach focuses on:
You deserve support that goes beyond dieting advice.
Binge eating is often caused by a combination of chronic dieting, restriction, emotional stress, trauma, and nervous system dysregulation.
Late night eating often occurs when the body has been underfed, emotionally overwhelmed, or suppressing needs throughout the day.
“Feeling fat” is usually a placeholder for emotions such as shame, anxiety, sadness, or lack of control.
Yes. EMDR can help process underlying trauma that contributes to out of control eating behaviors.
Negative thoughts, self-doubt, anxiety spirals, and inner criticism are part of the human experience—but many people feel overwhelmed by them, as if every thought demands attention or action. At Healing Stones Therapy, serving Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Oklahoma, we help clients step off the mental rollercoaster through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based treatment that teaches us how to accept our internal experiences while living a life rooted in personal values.
Whether you are navigating sports anxiety, sports performance challenges, eating disorders or disordered eating, or generalized anxiety, ACT offers a powerful, compassionate approach to living with greater freedom and intention.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a mindfulness-based behavioral therapy that focuses on:
Instead of trying to eliminate unpleasant thoughts or feelings (which often causes more suffering), ACT teaches people how to change their relationship to these experiences.
You learn to say, “This thought is here—but I don’t have to follow it.”
One of the central teachings of ACT is this:
Human brains create thousands of thoughts every day—many of which are negative, repetitive, unrealistic, or rooted in old learning. Trying to control or eliminate thoughts actually increases their intensity.
ACT helps clients understand that:
This shift—called cognitive defusion—is one of the most liberating parts of ACT.
Athletes often struggle with:
Traditional approaches try to “fix” or suppress anxiety, but ACT helps athletes:
ACT helps athletes stay psychologically flexible—allowing them to perform with clarity, presence, and confidence.
Eating disorders often involve:
ACT offers a non-judgmental approach that helps clients:
Paired with somatic awareness and trauma-informed care, ACT is a powerful tool for shifting long-standing patterns.
Anxiety often comes from trying to control the uncontrollable—thoughts, sensations, outcomes, or other people’s perceptions.
ACT helps clients:
When clients stop battling anxiety and instead work with their internal experience, anxiety loses its power.
At the heart of ACT is the idea of living by values, not by fear or self-judgment.
Values are not goals—they are ongoing directions.
Examples include:
When you clarify your values, you gain:
Values help clients move toward the life they want, even when difficult thoughts or emotions show up.
ACT teaches that suffering is not a personal flaw—it is a shared human experience. Psychological flexibility means:
This flexibility becomes a pathway to freedom, authenticity, and emotional resilience.
Healing Stones Therapy supports clients across Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Oklahoma with:
Our therapists don’t strive for perfection—we strive for presence, compassion, and connection. ACT helps us walk alongside you as you build a life that reflects who you truly want to be.
If you’re seeking support with anxiety, performance issues, trauma, or eating-related concerns, ACT offers a grounded, evidence-based path toward clarity and freedom. Give us a call and get started today!
Healing from an eating disorder takes more than willpower, it takes understanding, structure, and compassionate support. At Healing Stones Therapy, we specialize in helping individuals find freedom from emotional eating, binge eating, and feeling out of control with food.
We know that recovery can be a long and painful process when faced alone. That’s why we walk beside you, offering collaborative, evidence-based outpatient treatment that helps you reconnect with your body, rebuild your relationship with food, and rediscover hope.
CBT-E (Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is the gold standard psychological treatment for eating disorders. It’s a structured, evidence-based approach designed to help people understand and change the patterns of thinking and behavior that keep eating difficulties in place.
At Healing Stones Therapy, our clinicians use CBT-E to help you:
CBT-E empowers you to become your own therapist over time, learning lifelong tools for balance, nourishment, and emotional regulation.
We believe healing doesn’t happen in isolation. Our collaborative outpatient treatment team brings together professionals from multiple disciplines to create a holistic and supportive experience:
Together, we create a safe space for transformation, where every part of you is supported in recovery.
At Healing Stones Therapy, we understand that healing from an eating disorder is deeply personal. Everyone’s story is different, and every recovery path looks unique. That’s why we design individualized treatment plans that align with your current needs, goals, and readiness for change.
You don’t have to face recovery alone. We are here to hold your hand through each step, providing empathy, structure, and a nonjudgmental space to grow.
Healing does not come from pressure or harshness, it grows from compassion, acceptance, and hope.
Many of our clients struggle with emotional eating, binge eating, or feeling out of control around food. These patterns often arise as a way to cope with stress, anxiety, or unmet emotional needs.
Through gentle therapeutic exploration and CBT-E strategies, we help you:
Our goal is not perfection, it’s progress toward peace, balance, and self-kindness.
Recovery from an eating disorder is a journey of courage and patience. At Healing Stones Therapy, we provide the supportive outpatient environment you need to heal, body, mind, and spirit.
Let us help you move toward freedom, nourishment, and self-acceptance.
Learn more about our CBT-E outpatient treatment and compassionate care approach on our website.
As a therapist at Healing Stones Therapy, I've seen firsthand the devastating impact that bulimia nervosa can have on individuals and their loved ones. This complex eating disorder affects people of all ages and backgrounds, but it's particularly prevalent among young adults and teenagers. If you or someone you care about is struggling with symptoms of bulimia nervosa, I want you to know that there is hope. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has proven to be a highly effective treatment, and at Healing Stones Therapy, we're committed to helping our patients find their path to recovery.
Bulimia nervosa is characterized by a cycle of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self- induced vomiting, excessive exercise, or misuse of laxatives. However, the symptoms of bulimia nervosa go far beyond these visible behaviors. Many of our patients describe feeling an intense preoccupation with their body weight and shape, leading to a distorted body image and low self-esteem. It's important to recognize that bulimia nervosa is not just about food or weight. It's often a coping mechanism for deeper emotional issues. That's why at Healing Stones Therapy, we take a holistic approach to treatment, addressing not only the physical symptoms but also the underlying psychological factors.
Identifying the symptoms of bulimia nervosa is the first step towards seeking help. Some common signs include:
If you recognize these symptoms in yourself or a loved one, it's crucial to seek professional help. At Healing Stones Therapy, we offer compassionate, non-judgmental support to help you start your journey towards recovery.
As a therapist specializing in eating disorders, I can confidently say that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the gold standard treatment for bulimia nervosa. Numerous studies have shown that CBT is more effective than other psychotherapies and medication alone in treating the symptoms of bulimia nervosa.
CBT is a structured, time-limited therapy that focuses on the present and future rather than dwelling on past experiences. When treating bulimia nervosa, CBT helps patients in several key ways:
At Healing Stones Therapy, we tailor our CBT approach to each individual's needs, ensuring that you receive personalized care that addresses your unique challenges and goals.
Research consistently demonstrates the effectiveness of CBT in treating bulimia nervosa. A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that after just five months of treatment, 42% of patients receiving CBT had stopped binging and purging, compared to only 6% of those receiving psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Moreover, the benefits of CBT tend to be long-lasting. In our experience at Healing Stones Therapy, many of our patients continue to improve even after completing their initial course of treatment. This is because CBT equips you with tools and strategies that you can continue to use throughout your life.
At Healing Stones Therapy, we're always staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in eating disorder treatment. That's why we're excited about Enhanced CBT (CBT-E), a newer, transdiagnostic approach that can be
tailored to individual needs. CBT-E has shown promising results for various eating disorders, including bulimia nervosa. It addresses not only the specific eating disorder symptoms but also the broader psychological mechanisms that maintain the disorder. This comprehensive approach often leads to more sustainable recovery.
We understand that seeking help for bulimia nervosa can be challenging, especially if you live in a remote area or have a busy schedule. That's why at Healing Stones Therapy, we're proud to offer web-based CBT interventions for bulimia nervosa. These online therapy options have shown effectiveness in reducing bulimia symptoms, offering a convenient and accessible option for those who may have difficulty attending in-person therapy. Whether you're in Laramie, Cheyenne, Casper, Reno, Las Vegas, or anywhere else, we can provide you with high-quality, evidence- based treatment from the comfort of your own home.
When you begin CBT for bulimia nervosa at Healing Stones Therapy, you can expect a structured, goal-oriented approach. Here's what a typical treatment plan might look like:
Remember, recovery is a journey, and everyone's path is unique. At Healing Stones Therapy, we're committed to supporting you every step of the way.
If you're struggling with symptoms of bulimia nervosa, I want you to know that you're not alone, and recovery is possible. At Healing Stones Therapy, we've helped countless individuals overcome their eating disorders and reclaim their lives. We provide services to communities in Laramie, Cheyenne, and Casper, Wyoming, as well as to clients located in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada. We offer online therapy options for those who prefer or require remote treatment. Don't let bulimia nervosa control your life any longer. Reach out to us at Healing Stones Therapy today to schedule a consultation. Let us show you how CBT-E can help you overcome the symptoms of bulimia nervosa and start your journey towards a healthier, happier you. Remember, seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. You deserve to live a life free from the burden of an eating disorder. We're here to help you achieve that goal. Contact us today!
As the founder of Healing Stones Therapy in Laramie, Wyoming, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of psychotherapy in treating eating disorders. Our team is committed to delivering compassionate, evidence-based care to individuals across Wyoming, including Laramie, Cheyenne, and Casper; Nevada, including Reno, Sparks, and Las Vegas; and Utah, including Salt Lake City and St. George. We specialize in helping those struggling with various eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). In this guide, I'll share insights into our approach and the positive outcomes we've seen in eating disorder treatment across both states.
Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions that affect individuals across all age groups and genders. At Healing Stones Therapy, we recognize the profound impact these disorders can have on a person's physical, emotional, and social well-being. Our goal is to create a safe, supportive environment where healing can begin and flourish.
At Healing Stones Therapy, we utilize a range of evidence-based treatment approaches tailored to each individual's needs. Our goal is to provide comprehensive care that addresses both the symptoms and underlying causes of eating disorders.
At Healing Stones Therapy, we believe in treating the whole person, not just the eating disorder. Our holistic approach incorporates a range of therapeutic modalities to address mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
Our team includes registered dietitians who work closely with clients to develop a healthy relationship with food. Our nutritional counseling approach is based on the principles of intuitive eating and Health at Every Size (HAES). We help clients move away from restrictive dieting and disordered eating patterns, towards a more balanced and nourishing approach to food.
Mindfulness-based practices are integrated into our treatment programs to help individuals develop a more accepting and compassionate relationship with their bodies. These techniques can be particularly helpful in managing anxiety and reducing the intensity of eating disorder thoughts and urges.
While eating disorders are often associated with young women, we recognize that these conditions affect individuals of all ages and genders. At Healing Stones Therapy, we offer specialized treatment approaches for children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. Our team is trained to address the unique challenges faced by male clients and members of the LGBTQ+ community who are struggling with eating disorders. We strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcomed and understood.
If you or a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder, know that help is available. At Healing Stones Therapy, we offer a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your unique situation and how our team can support your recovery journey. Don't let fear or uncertainty hold you back from seeking the help you deserve. Reach out to us today, and let's take that first step towards healing together. Remember, recovery is possible, and you don't have to face this challenge alone. To schedule your free consultation or learn more about our services, please call us at (307) 370-3784. We're here to support you on your journey to recovery and a healthier, more fulfilling life.
