Rumination Disorder

Nutrition & Therapy

What is rumination disorder?

It may seem like a simple thing, but Rumination Disorder can be extremely disruptive to someone’s life. Rumination Disorder is not just simply the regurgitation of food, but occurs in times of stress and discomfort. This may mean social settings are difficult, perhaps there are certain foods that trigger rumination, or more than likely the individual has dealt with rumination for so long they cannot even identify the urge or trigger.

Rumination begins, like more eating disorders, as a comfort response. It becomes habitual and therefore is difficult to stop. Rumination Disorder looks different for each person in terms of how often it happens, when it happens, how much food is regurgitated and if the food is re-swallowed, chewed on, or spit out immediately.

Rumination Disorder may lead to an eating disorder that includes purging (self-induced vomiting), or restriction. Research on rumination disorder prevalence also reports individuals with an already diagnosed eating disorder may suffer too from rumination disorder, upwards of 7% (HB Murray, 2019).

There are medical consequences to Rumination Disorder such as esophageal issues (Barrett’s Esophagus, weakened esophageal sphincter, etc.), GERD or Reflux Disease, Electrolyte Imbalances, and dental issues.

What is the focus of sessions?

Treatment of Rumination Disorder includes stopping and avoiding regurgitation of food by the use of diaphragmatic breathing and coping skills. Therapy may focus more on stress reduction, but both nutrition & therapy support decreasing the dependence or desire to use behaviors. Sessions at Bamboo are focused on rumination, although we may also discuss other important factors to the individual such as body image, meal plans/nutrition throughout the day, and emotions while eating.

How long does treatment take, and what can I expect from therapy?

Everyone walks their own individual journey, and everyone’s recovery story is uniquely their own. While some are looking to find a therapist who can be a life-long support, others may wish to utilize support for a brief, focused season. While the average time spent working with an outpatient therapist is a few years, we encourage clients to consider committing to the process for just a few months. By the end of two or three months, you should be noticing changes, or start to feel that something is working.

Nutrition support is necessary

Working with both a therapist and a registered dietitian who specialize in eating disorder treatment offers the most effective path to healing. Therapy addresses the emotional and behavioral aspects of the disorder, while nutrition care supports your physical health and recovery. A registered dietitian helps restore nourishment, monitors medical risks, and collaborates with your physician to reduce the risk of long-term complications.

While everyone’s journey is unique, there are some basic building blocks of recovery that are common regardless of what brings you here. You can expect treatment to help you…

Set personalized goals based on your values

Establish regular, adequate, flexible patterns of eating
Learn the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
Notice your thoughts, feel your feelings
Identify unhelpful thought patterns and replace them with more effective beliefs
Challenge patterns of avoidance through intentional, planned, supportive exposures
Develop coping skills for challenging moments, and…
Graduate when you are ready.