08/10/2026
I’ve had quite a few clients come into my work of late presenting with disordered eating patterns. And something I keep coming back to in my work is this:
What if the eating behaviour isn’t actually the whole story?
Rather than immediately trying to control, restrict, fix or change the behaviour, I’m interested in becoming curious about what might be underneath it. Because often, the behaviour is communicating something.
Beneath the behaviour, there is often a feeling. And beneath that feeling, there may be a deeper need asking to be seen and met.
Perhaps it’s a feeling of being unworthy, unloved, rejected, not enough, not safe, or not in control.
And if we slow it down, we can begin to ask: What is this part of me actually needing right now? Maybe it’s love, reassurance, safety, connection, to feel valued, seen or accepted.
For some people, these patterns become particularly activated when the body is under stress. When the nervous system is in a heightened state of fight, flight, freeze, overwhelm, uncertainty. The mind can become very focused on finding something it can control: food; the body, weight, exercise, the next meal, the rules. “If I can just change this, perhaps I’ll finally feel okay.”
And this is where I believe inner work can offer another doorway. Sometimes the mind is trying desperately to solve externally what the inner world is asking to be met internally. By gently turning towards what is happening within you, we can begin to create safety, compassion, connection and space for those deeper needs to be felt and supported, and ultimately, the grip of the behaviour can begin to shift.
So consider this… Perhaps it isn’t really about the food, the calories, the restriction or the eating patterns themselves.
Perhaps the behaviour is pointing towards something deeper… something within you that is asking to be seen, felt and met. 🙏🏻
Big love,
Hayley x
Please note: And this is not about doing inner work instead of receiving appropriate eating-disorder support. These patterns deserve compassionate, qualified professional care. Inner work can be one part of understanding the deeper layers beneath them.