Session Seven – Trauma, Dissociation and Addiction: The Interplay of Eating Disorders and Substance Abuse
Content Level: Advanced

Session Description
This session explores how trauma and dissociation intersect with eating disorders and with substance use disorders. We will examine how dissociation can manifest as a survival strategy in the context of unresolved trauma and how this adaptive process can evolve into complex clinical presentations involving eating disorders and/or addiction. Participants will learn how betrayal trauma, attachment ruptures, and systemic oppression contribute to dissociative adaptations and how these adaptations manifest in clinical symptoms such as food addiction and substance abuse. The session integrates research with clinical applications, emphasizing the need for trauma-informed, dissociation-aware approaches in treating individuals with eating disorders and addictions.

Readings

1. Day, S., Hay, P., Basten, C., Byrne, S., Dearden, A., Goldstein, M., & Mitchison, D. (2024). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD in eating disorder treatment seekers: Prevalence and associations with symptom severity. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 37(4), 672–684. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23010
2. Carbone, G. A., De Rossi, E., Prevete, E., Tarsitani, L., Corazza, O., Massullo, C., & Bersani, F. S. (2023). Dissociative experiences of compartmentalization are associated with food addiction symptoms: Results from a cross-sectional report. Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 28(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-022-01496-0
3. Brewerton, T. D. (2023). The integrated treatment of eating disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychiatric comorbidity: A commentary on the evolution of principles and guidelines. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1149433. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1149433
4. Baudin, G., Barrault, S., El Ayoubi, H., Kazour, F., Ballon, N., Mauge, D., & … (2022). Childhood trauma and dissociation correlates in alcohol use disorder: A cross-sectional study in a sample of 587 French subjects hospitalized in a rehabilitation center. Brain Sciences, 12(11), 160. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12111460
5. Mildrum Chana, S., Wolford-Clevenger, C., Faust, A., & Hemberg, J. (2021). Associations among betrayal trauma, dissociative posttraumatic stress symptoms, and substance use among women involved in the criminal legal system in three US cities. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 225, 108924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108924