emotional binging-- HELP!

I've recently been part of a support group for eating difficulties, and our group leader shared this story from the author of "Eating by the Light of the Moon": " “I truly believe that people can fully recover from an eating disorder” said Johnston, but it is imperative that they seek help, “I have never seen someone recover from an eating disorder without some type of emotional recovery.” It is not expected that someone who is suffering from an eating disorder immediately stop, in fact it is not possible. Johnston used another metaphor from her book, which expresses the need of someone who is suffering to hold on to their eating disorder. Johnston set an image in students’ minds that they are in a river drowning when a log comes along, they grab onto that log and it keeps them from drowning, but it gets to a certain part in the river where they need to let go of the log that had up until that point saved their life. The log is like an eating disorder, people use it in order to suppress and deal with other emotions. If they were to immediately let go of their eating disorders they would be overcome with those emotional issues the eating disorder had helped suppress, just as if you were to let go of the log, you may get halfway to land and begin to drown again. The only way you can deal with both problems is to fix each one a little at a time. Johnston said it is like letting go of the log and just floating until you begin to sink, and the log is still there to grab hold of, eventually you will find yourself treading water and then swimming to land. If you work on the emotional issues that caused the eating disorder, then you can safely leave it without feeling the need to hold on to it."

Be gentle with yourself if you're having a hard time - trust that you're doing the best you can to care for yourself under the current circumstances - hope the quote helps!