120. Dopamine and Binge Eating: a Review of Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke

Life After Diets

Sarah and Stef review the book Dopamine Nation by Dr Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. Dopamine is a fascinating neurotransmitter when it comes to binge eating for its role in the pain and pleasure connection in the brain. This episode covers:

• What is dopamine's role in the brain and body?
• Is it helpful to focus on dopamine when it comes to disordered eating recovery?
• Addiction to food and the chase of food
• The pain and pleasure see-saw
• What if our pain and pleasure balance doesn't work? For example, in the case of neurodivergent brains and/or the excessive amount of dopamine available in our environment in the modern world
• Stef talks about those darn M&Ms again
• The barrier strategy: is it too slippery? When does it make sense?
• Cold water plunges
• The role of stress and impulsivity
• The intersection of depression and the pain/pleasure mechanism
• Sarah talks about that darn TV again
• The strategy of radical honesty and what it has to do with shame -- and pain tolerance

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Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon