How Can Past Trauma Contribute to Emotional Eating?

Juanita Ecker

Let’s take a moment and think back to when we were children. Do you remember when you would fall and scrape your knee? Your parent or guardian would give you a kiss and put a band-aid over the cut to ensure it would heal properly. However, if you had a wound that was anything other than superficial, the healing process required further measures to prevent any infection or improper healing.

Think about it. It is absolutely unheard of to place a band-aid over a broken bone or a wound that needs stitches.  So often, this is precisely how we treat other serious issues in our lives. We ignore the root of the problem and allow ourselves to suffer the consequences.

When Past Trauma is not dealt with

Past trauma is a perfect example of an issue that is not often dealt with adequately, either because people don’t know how or want to avoid it altogether. Maybe the trauma consists of terrible experiences such as emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, the loss of a parent at a young age, or neglect. Perhaps the trauma is related to a terrible accident or injury. When these traumas happen, negative emotions go unprocessed and get stuck in the brain and the body. It can result in coping strategies that negatively affect the body. 

The Emotional Eating Band-Aid

I see this pattern frequently in my clients who have struggled with emotional eating. Food seems to be their version of a band-aid. It temporarily numbs their overwhelming, unresolved emotions. The sugar in their snacks temporarily makes them feel better. Emotional eating becomes a habit that temporarily conceals their past trauma. This form of coping never fixes the root of the issue, trapped emotions. 

Before meeting with me, many of my clients avoided managing their past trauma because they could not bear the thought of reliving the pain in order to heal. Well, when using the Emotion Code technique, they didn’t have to. The Emotion Code does not require sharing past experiences to release unresolved emotions. Once the negative emotions are released, the body can finally heal itself from the trauma. Can you imagine how freeing that must feel?

If you’re longing to release your unresolved emotions, please contact me at Juanita@theShiftingSand.com to schedule a free 20-minute strategy session today.