Trauma victims will frequently do everything they can to feel safe in their own bodies. For many of them, this results in drastic behaviors, such as cutting. For these individuals, cutting helps them to feel something in a world where they generally feel nothing whatsoever.
For other individuals, the way they feel safe is through weight gain and remaining obese. This was actually something that has only recently been discovered.
The Problem of Obesity for Trauma Victims
In his book, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk discusses a colleague of his who operated an obesity clinic. The doctor used a technique called supplemented absolute fasting to cause weight loss without the risks involved with surgery. It was quite an effective program, but it did uncover some serious problems for those who participated.
One woman in particular weight from 408 pounds to 132 pounds in just under a year’s time. However, a few months later, she had regained a significant amount of weight. After some probing, it was discovered that she had gotten propositioned from a man from work who desired a sexual relationship with her. She immediately started eating again. She also started sleepwalking and eating at night. Before long, the doctor found out that she had a history of sexual abuse with her grandfather.
The same was true in other situations within this program. It was later discovered that most of the people in the program had suffered from sexual abuse as children.
Weight Gain as the “Solution” for Trauma
For many trauma victims, their weight gain is the “solution” to a much bigger problem. For the woman in the previous story, her weight gain allowed her to feel safe from the man who desired a sexual relationship with her. Women who have gone through traumatic events often feel that if they weigh more, they will be overlooked. It causes them to feel safe.
However, women are not the only victims who struggle with weight gain. Men in dangerous jobs may also feel that gaining weight helps to keep them safe. This is a real problem, but in this case, and for these individuals, this problem has become their solution.
Additional Health Risk “Solutions” for Trauma
Trauma victims frequently come up with their own solutions for trauma that put their health at risk. Some examples of this might include:
- Smoking cigarettes
- Doing drugs
- Becoming alcoholics
- Cutting behaviors
- Compulsive sexual activities
Many trauma victims even look at suicide as a potential solution for their trauma.
My question for you today is, what about you? Maybe obesity isn’t something you struggle with. However, you can identify with one or more of the other “solutions” on this list. It may not feel like it right now, but there is a solution for your trauma that doesn’t lead to more harm. I can help you find it.
Trauma counseling can help you heal from the traumatic events in your past. If you’d like to talk about how I can help you, please contact me for an appointment.
