Medical Trauma and the Roots of Eating Disorders

"Medical trauma occurs when encounters with the healthcare system leave a lasting imprint of fear, shame, or helplessness. This could follow a frightening or painful procedure, but it can commonly come after a misdiagnosis or years of being dismissed by professionals who minimize symptoms. For women and people of color in particular, whose pain is often questioned or attributed to stress, these experiences can erode trust in one's own body and the people meant to care for it."

"I've seen this pattern repeatedly among people with eating disorders. When medicine fails to provide relief, and the body feels like an enemy, food becomes the one variable still under personal control. Eating "clean," cutting out allergens, or fasting can feel like a way to manage what doctors could not fix. Sometimes, dietary changes are prescriptions that come from doctors themselves. Over time, those strategies can solidify into rigid, rule-bound behaviors that mirror the physiological and emotional vigilance of trauma itself."

Medical trauma arises when healthcare encounters produce fear, shame, or helplessness, commonly after misdiagnosis, dismissal, or painful procedures. Chronic invalidation, especially for women and people of color, erodes trust in the body and clinicians. Loss of trust can drive attempts to regain control through restrictive eating, dietary rules, and fasting, sometimes following clinician recommendations. Those strategies can become rigid behaviors mirroring trauma-related hypervigilance. Individuals with medical trauma commonly report body mistrust, anxiety, and perfectionism, traits linked to restrictive eating. Trauma-informed care that restores safety, stabilizes physiology, and prioritizes agency helps rebuild connection with the body and adaptive eating.

Read at Psychology Today