Binge eating is often misunderstood. Despite being one of the most common eating-related difficulties worldwide, it remains deeply stigmatised and frequently hidden. Many people who struggle with binge eating experience intense shame, believing it reflects a personal failure or lack of self-control. This misconception not only causes harm but often prevents people from seeking help.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) and binge eating behaviours are rarely about food alone. When we look beneath the surface, bingeing is more accurately understood as a response to emotional distress, relational experiences, and internal psychological states. From a psychodynamic perspective, binge eating can function as a form of communication – an attempt by the mind to express experiences that feel too overwhelming, unsafe, or difficult to put into words.
This article explores what binge eating and Binge Eating Disorder are, why bingeing occurs, and how therapy – particularly psychodynamic and compassion-focused approaches – can support recovery.
What Is Binge Eating Disorder (BED)?
Binge Eating Disorder is a diagnosable eating disorder assessed by a qualified health professional using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR).
BED is characterised by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food in a short period, accompanied by a sense of loss of control. These episodes are typically followed by significant emotional distress, including guilt, shame, and disgust. People may also experience dissociation during or after binge episodes.
Importantly, unlike Bulimia Nervosa, binge eating episodes are not followed by compensatory behaviours, such as vomiting, laxative use, or excessive exercise.
To meet diagnostic criteria, binge episodes need to occur at least three times a week for several months and are associated with additional features such as:
- Eating more rapidly than normal
- Eating until uncomfortably full
- Eating when not physically hungry
- Eating alone due to embarrassment
- Feeling distressed or ashamed afterwards
It is also important to note that many people experience binge eating behaviours without meeting full diagnostic criteria. These experiences are still valid and may warrant psychological support.
When Does Eating Feel Like “Bingeing”?
In everyday language, the term binge eating is often used broadly. People may describe bingeing in situations such as:
- Eating past physical fullness
- Eating foods associated with guilt or “rules”
- Eating large amounts after a period of restriction
- Eating more than usual during celebrations
- Feeling anxious or distressed about the impact of food on the body
Even when these experiences do not meet criteria for BED, they can still be associated with significant emotional distress. Exploring these patterns in therapy can reduce shame and support a healthier relationship with food.
Why Do People Binge Eat?
One of the most significant barriers to seeking help for binge eating is shame. This shame is fuelled by the false belief that bingeing reflects a lack of willpower or discipline. In reality, binge eating is often a learned coping strategy, shaped by emotional, relational, and physiological factors.
The Restrict-Binge Cycle
A common contributor to binge eating is the restrict-binge cycle, sometimes referred to as the diet cycle. This pattern often unfolds as follows:
- A period of food restriction (quantity, type, or rules)
- Feelings of deprivation and heightened preoccupation with food
- Eating “forbidden” foods or more than intended
- A sense of loss of control and escalation of eating
- Intense guilt, self-criticism, and distress
- Attempts to compensate through further restriction
This cycle reinforces binge eating rather than preventing it and can become deeply entrenched over time.
Emotional and Psychological Functions of Binge Eating
Beyond restriction, binge eating often serves important emotional and psychological functions. These may include:
- Emotion Regulation and Self-Soothing: Food can temporarily numb or soothe intense emotions such as anxiety, loneliness, shame, sadness, or overwhelm.
- Filling Emotional Emptiness: Eating may create a sense of fullness that symbolically compensates for unmet emotional needs, such as comfort, safety, or connection.
- Rebellion or Control: Binge eating can represent a form of protest or self-assertion, particularly in contexts where a person feels controlled or judged.
- Avoidance of Vulnerability: Physical fullness can act as a protective barrier against emotional longing, intimacy, or dependency.
These factors rarely occur in isolation. For many people, binge eating reflects a complex interplay of restriction, emotional distress, and relational experiences.
Understanding Binge Eating in Therapy
Effective treatment for binge eating moves beyond simply trying to “stop the behaviour.” Instead, therapy focuses on understanding what the binge achieves emotionally and what it may be communicating.
Common therapeutic questions include:
- What does the binge provide in that moment?
- What felt unbearable or unacknowledged beforehand?
- What emotional or relational event preceded the urge to binge?
- What is being expressed through eating that feels impossible to say aloud?
- How does the inner critical voice respond afterwards, and where might that voice come from?
These explorations help shift the focus from self-blame toward curiosity and understanding.
Early Experiences and the Relationship with Food
Our relationship with food begins early in life. Feeding is one of the first ways we experience care, regulation, and connection. When early caregiving is inconsistent, intrusive, dismissive, or shaming, individuals may learn to rely on food rather than relationships for comfort.
For example:
- Emotional needs that were dismissed may lead a child to self-soothe with food.
- Praise for being “disciplined” around eating may link control with worth.
- Body-related shame may become internalised and later expressed through binge or restrictive behaviours.
These early experiences often continue to shape eating behaviours unconsciously into adulthood.
How Therapy Can Help with Binge Eating
Therapy supports individuals to recognise and understand the emotional meanings underlying binge eating. Psychodynamic and compassion-focused approaches aim to:
- Increase awareness of emotional and relational triggers
- Reduce shame and self-criticism
- Develop alternative ways of regulating emotions
- Foster self-compassion and psychological safety
- Build a more flexible and attuned relationship with food
Over time, this work helps people loosen their reliance on binge eating as a coping strategy and develop healthier ways of responding to distress.
Binge Eating Is About More Than Food
Binge eating is not a moral failing, a lack of discipline, or a simple problem of food. When it is misunderstood as such, people are left feeling hopeless, ashamed, and stuck.
With the right therapeutic support, individuals can begin to understand their eating behaviours with compassion rather than judgment. This understanding creates the possibility for meaningful and lasting change.
Taking the Next Step
If binge eating is something you’re struggling with, you don’t have to carry it alone. At MyLife Psychologists, our clinical psychologists work thoughtfully and respectfully with eating concerns, focusing on the emotional and psychological factors beneath the behaviour rather than blame or control.
If you’d like to explore whether therapy could be helpful, get in touch with our Care Coordinator to arrange a confidential 15-minute call to find out more.
Support and Resources
If you or someone you care about is struggling with binge eating or an eating disorder, the following organisations offer evidence-based information and support:
