Midlife Bulimia Recovery: Coping With the Internal Chaos

Struggling with bulimia in your 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond? You’re not alone. In this solo episode, Dr. Marianne Miller explores what bulimia can look like in midlife, why the internal chaos may actually intensify with age, and how to approach healing without shame.

We dig into the unique emotional and physiological challenges of recovering from bulimia later in life, including how hormonal shifts, grief, caregiving roles, and long-term masking can impact eating behaviors.

Dr. Marianne also unpacks how neurodivergence—especially autism, ADHD, and PDA—can intersect with bulimia symptoms, intensifying binge-purge cycles and making traditional recovery models inaccessible or even harmful.

You’ll learn why your body’s responses make sense, how to regulate your nervous system with neurodivergent-affirming strategies, and what it actually takes to move toward healing—on your terms.

WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE

• Why bulimia often resurfaces or intensifies in midlife

• How midlife stress, identity shifts, and cultural stigma contribute to internal chaos

• The link between bulimia, sensory overwhelm, and emotional regulation

• How neurodivergent traits like executive dysfunction, masking, and interoceptive challenges affect eating behaviors

• Why shame-based approaches don’t work—and what actually helps

• Practical, compassionate tools for managing binge urges, purging, and nervous system dysregulation

• Why recovery in midlife is not only possible—but deeply liberating

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF...

• You feel stuck in a binge-purge cycle despite years of effort

• You’re neurodivergent and traditional ED treatment hasn’t helped

• You’ve been quietly struggling with bulimia in midlife and feel alone in it

• You want recovery tools that are sensory-attuned, autonomy-affirming, and realistic

🔗 RESOURCES & SUPPORT Learn more about how to recover from bulimia and how to join the Binge Eating Recovery Membership here: https://www.drmariannemiller.com/binge-eating-101-class-1

LISTEN TO OTHER EPISODES ON BULIMIA RECOVERY

• A Bulimia Recovery Story + How Weight-Neutral Fitness Can Help Eating Disorder Recovery With Abbey Griffith @claritydecatur on Apple or Spotify.
• Lived Experience of Having Both Bulimia & Binge Eating Disorder with Milda Zolubaite @nutrition.path on Apple or Spotify.
• Understanding Bulimia: Causes, Solutions, & Coping Strategies on Apple & Spotify.

INTERESTED IN HANGING OUT MORE IN DR. MARIANNE-LAND?

• Follow me on Instagram @drmariannemiller
• Check out my virtual, self-paced ARFID and Selective Eating course
• Look into my self-paced, virtual, anti-diet, subscription-based curriculum. It is called Dr. Marianne-Land's Binge Eating Recovery Membership.