Do you ever feel like you’re not enough? Is there a part of you that believes you have to earn love and attention?
If so, your eating disorder might be linked to your insecure attachment style.
What is Attachment Theory?
Attachment theory says that the relationships we have with our primary caregivers determine how we see ourselves and the world. If our caregivers attended to our needs, comforted us when we were distressed, and provided us with guidance, we developed a secure attachment style. We are secure in ourselves and our relationships, and we know how to deal with our emotions and soothe ourselves.
If our caregivers were dismissive of our needs and did not provide us with consistent support, we developed an insecure attachment style. We wrestle with feelings of inadequacy and have a hard time believing we are lovable. In other words, we experience low self-esteem, which can contribute to disordered eating.
We know eating disorders aren’t actually about food, and the food itself isn’t just the literal nourishment we need to stay alive. Food carries many meanings, one of which is love. So of course it’s only natural for us to turn to food when there is an absence of love and emotional nourishment in our lives.
Mother Hunger
In our blog on relational trauma and eating disorders, we discussed a specific attachment injury that leads to insecure attachment, called Mother Hunger. Coined by Kelly McDaniel, the term ‘mother hunger’ describes a type of trauma that occurs when three critical development needs go unmet. These needs are guidance, nurturing, and safety, all needs which are usually met by our mothers.
With the absence of support, we are left with a void or a ‘hunger.’ Disordered eating behaviors can start to show up when we seek to fill that void and address emotional hunger.
If all this talk about figurative ‘hunger’ and ‘emotional nourishment’ sounds like a bunch of metaphorical poetry, stay with us. We promise it is all connected.