Eating · Exposure
Eating With Others — Exposure Ladder
Rebuilding social eating, one graded step at a time
For many ED clients, eating alone is easier than eating in front of anyone — and social eating collapses as the disorder progresses. Rebuilding it is exposure, done in graded steps. This ladder plans it.
What I currently avoid
- Eating in front of anyone
- Eating in front of specific people (parent, partner, coworker)
- Restaurants where I can't see the menu ahead
- Buffets, potlucks, family-style meals
- Meals where I don't choose the food
- Being watched finishing a plate
- Dessert or 'fear foods' in company
Exposure ladder
Step
Meal / setting / who
SUDS before
SUDS after
Support script I'll give the person (please don't comment on my plate)
What I'll do if I feel the urge to leave / restrict after
Social eating is a life outcome, not a milestone
Recovery isn't complete when you can eat alone — it's complete when meals are a way you're with the people you love. Graded exposure gets there.