What's Missing From Recent Eating Disorder + Food Addiction Discussions

A recent vlog from Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson sparked important conversations about abstinence-based approaches and eating disorders. While I appreciate her call for individualized treatment, there's a crucial piece missing from the discussion.

Content Warning: The original vlog contains graphic descriptions of eating disorder behaviors. I'm not linking directly—please prioritize your safety if you seek it out.

The Missing Point: We're Solving the Wrong Problem

Dr. Thompson focuses extensively on whether abstinence helps or hurts people with eating disorders. But here's what I believe is missing: We're debating the symptoms while the root cause often goes unaddressed.

The real question isn't "Should someone with an eating disorder history abstain from certain foods?"

The real question is: "Why did their brain turn to food as a coping mechanism in the first place?"

This is where addiction neuroscience and trauma research provide crucial insights that haven't been fully integrated into food recovery approaches.

What Dr. Thompson's Own Story Reveals

Dr. Thompson describes childhood patterns of "stealing food, sneaking food, binging on food" before any eating disorders developed. She correctly identifies this as food addiction, but misses the deeper truth:

That childhood behavior wasn't pathology—it was her brilliant brain finding a way to cope with whatever was overwhelming in her environment.

Her later struggles with the "rubber band effect" (where abstinence seemed to make binges worse) make perfect sense: if you remove someone's primary coping mechanism without addressing the underlying need it was meeting, you create more overwhelm, not less.

My Perspective: Both Sides Are Missing the Foundation

I want to be transparent about my background: Bright Line Eating saved my life. I released 170 pounds, learned about brain science, and even worked for BLE for 18 months. I'm grateful for that foundation.

But through nearly a decade of continued study and work with hundreds of clients, I've discovered what's missing from BOTH sides of this debate:

You cannot successfully eliminate something that's serving an important function without replacing that function.

The Real Work: Recognizing and Addressing Why We Turn to Food

The real work isn't about finding the perfect food plan or deciding between abstinence and intuitive eating thought this is very important. The real work is recognizing and working on the underlying reasons we go to food in the first place.

Many people who struggle with food are what I call Enhanced Processors—people with heightened sensitivity who need more nervous system support than standard approaches provide.

As Gabor Maté and Stephen Porges have shown, many of us learned early that maintaining attachment and connection required suppressing our authentic responses and needs. This creates what is called the "attachment-authenticity split."

Enhanced Processors developed food patterns as sophisticated coping mechanisms because:

• Their heightened sensitivity required more regulation than their environment typically provided
• They learned to use food as a reliable attachment substitute when human connection felt conditional, unavailable or disorganized
• Food became a way to manage the internal conflict between their authentic needs and what seemed necessary for belonging - the most basic of human needs
• Their nervous systems needed consistent regulation tools, and food was predictably available when human co-regulation wasn't

This isn't about inadequate support or failed caregiving—it's about a mismatch between enhanced processing needs and standard environmental resources. Many Enhanced Processors grew up in loving families who simply didn't understand that their child's nervous system required different types and amounts of support.

The brilliance of using food as a coping mechanism is that it worked: it provided genuine nervous system regulation, emotional soothing, and a sense of control when other areas of life felt unpredictable. These patterns developed because they were the most intelligent solution available at the time.

What's Actually Needed

Instead of debating abstinence versus intuitive eating, my approach addresses:

1. Why your brain turns to food now
2. What your enhanced processing system actually needs
3. Alternative coping mechanisms for regulation
4. Breaking the self-blame cycle that perpetuates dysfunction

Through hundreds of clients, I've seen that when people understand WHY they turn to food and get their actual needs met, the desperate drive toward food naturally decreases—not through willpower, but through finally getting what their system was seeking. This aligns with addiction research across substances—when underlying trauma and regulation needs are addressed, the compulsive seeking behavior naturally diminishes.

The Self-Blame Spiral Nobody's Talking About

Here's the cycle that perpetuates food dysfunction:

1. Person uses food for nervous system regulation (normal response)
2. Self-blame activates ("I have no willpower - I'm weak")
3. Self-criticism creates more stress
4. More stress requires more regulation (more food)
5. Cycle repeats and intensifies

The very mechanism we think will help—harsh self-criticism—actually drives us toward food by creating the stress that makes regulation necessary.

Beyond the Debate: Individual Solutions

Dr. Thompson is right that we need individualized approaches. But that individualization needs to include understanding:

• What function food serves for each person
• What their unique nervous system needs
• How to provide alternative regulation tools
• How to stop the shame that perpetuates the problem

This isn't anti-abstinence or pro-intuitive eating. It's pro-understanding what each person's system actually needs to thrive.

What I've Learned That Changes Everything

After working with hundreds of people and studying this for nearly a decade and living it for nearly 6 decades:

• Some people benefit from clear boundaries around certain substances
• Others need flexibility and grace
• Most need something that addresses the deeper patterns while providing structure that feels right for them
• Everyone deserves to understand WHY their brain developed these patterns

Your food dysfunction isn't evidence of weakness—it's evidence of your brain's intelligence in finding ways to cope.

The Advanced Recovery Solution: What Individualized Support Actually Looks Like

This deeper understanding has led me to develop what I call the Advanced Recovery Plan—a comprehensive approach that addresses what's been missing from traditional food recovery methods.

Unlike one-size-fits-all programs, the Advanced Recovery Plan provides:

Individualized Food Plan Structure: Rather than rigid rules that ignore your unique circumstances, we create flexible frameworks that work with your specific processing style, life demands, and nervous system needs.

Personalized Coaching: One-on-one support that helps you understand your patterns, develop alternative coping mechanisms, and navigate your unique challenges without shame or judgment.

Targeted Group Support: Community with others who understand enhanced processing and are doing the deeper work of addressing root causes rather than just managing symptoms.

What This Looks Like in Practice:

Cecily shares: "In such a short time I am feeling shifts in my noticing, in my ability to reframe, and in the calming of my rebel part. BLE certainly gave me the foundation I needed to get my food in order and create very important boundaries, but I was not shifting deeply enough to maintain my sobriety. I did not learn the tools, or have the knowledge to begin to really see patterns below the surface."

Kelley reflects: "It's not about whether or not I don't eat certain substances or eat intuitively or what my food plan is - it's about how I talk to myself and how I see myself and how I pause and take a breath before I react that helps me most not to reach for unhealthy foods."

Jennifer explains: "The single biggest internal change in working with you versus BLE was self empowerment. You keep addressing the individual, not an intellectual debate. I thought you addressed the intellectual debate fairly and refocused on the deeper problem."

Beyond Food Plans: Addressing What You Actually Need

Through my individual work with clients, I've seen that sustainable transformation requires:

• Nervous system regulation tools that work for your specific processing style
• Alternative coping mechanisms that meet the needs food was trying to meet
• Understanding of your enhanced processor traits and trauma responses
• Individualized approaches that evolve as your life and needs change
• Professional guidance that treats you as the expert on your own experience

As one client put it: "Being in a trusted community like The Magic made it possible to do the work I needed to in order to move forward in my journey of discovering why I turned to food in the first place."

Moving Forward: Your Next Steps

If what I've described resonates with you—if you recognize yourself as someone who needs the deeper, individualized approach—here's how we can connect:

The Book: "Thinking Outside the Box: A Revolutionary Approach to Food Dysfunction" comes out soon and provides the comprehensive framework for understanding and transforming your relationship with food from the root causes up. Go to my website to sign up for regular emails so you'll be first in line. 

Work With Me Directly: I'm currently developing the Advanced Recovery Plan as a formal program, but in the meantime, I offer individual coaching that combines the insights from addiction neuroscience, trauma research, and nervous system regulation in practical, sustainable ways. 

Free Discovery Session: If you're curious about whether this approach might be right for you, I offer complimentary discovery sessions where we can explore your unique situation and discuss how the individualized approach might help you finally make sense of your patterns. Sign up for a Discovery Session now!

To schedule your free discovery session, reach out through my website Transform with Sonja or email me directly at [email protected]. These conversations help you understand your options and determine whether this deeper approach is what you've been searching for.

By connecting insights from addiction neuroscience, trauma research, and nervous system regulation—fields that rarely intersect in food recovery discussions—we can finally address what's been missing from these debates.

It's not about choosing sides in recovery debates. It's about understanding what your system was actually trying to accomplish and giving it what it needs in ways that serve you better.

If you need support: National Eating Disorders Association (1-800-931-2237), Crisis Text Line (HOME to 741741), or your trusted support system.

P.S. The conversation Dr. Thompson discussed is important. My hope is that we can expand it to include the deeper work of understanding WHY we developed these patterns—because that's where real healing happens.