/EINPresswire.com/(Plymouth Meeting, PA)—A direct connection between childhood sexual abuse and eating disorders is being confirmed by a growing number of experts.
For years many mental health professionals have conjectured that anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, and other potentially deadly eating disorders are rooted in childhood sexual trauma. Now studies are offering evidence of a causal relationship.
According to David M. Dunkley, a psychiatric researcher and clinical psychologist at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) in Montreal who studied patients suffering from binge eating disorders, there is a link between severe binge eating and childhood sexual abuse. The results were published in the “International Journal of Eating Disorders.”
“It shouldn’t come as a surprise that debilitating psychological problems have roots in childhood sexual abuse,” says Peter S. Pelullo, founder of Let Go…Let Peace Come In, a foundation dedicated to helping adult survivors of sexual abuse. “Victims are turning feelings of rage and pain inward and manifest symptoms consistent with trauma, such as low self-esteem, body image issues, and depression.”
A frequent guest expert on the Dr. Drew show, Peter S. Pelullo is the author of the newly released book “Betrayal and the Beast,” which portrays his own struggles as a survivor of sexual abuse and sexual predation. His Let Go…Let Peace Come In Foundation helps and supports adult victims of childhood sexual abuse throughout the world. The foundation has established a strategic alliance with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and is working toward preventing child sexual abuse and improving healthcare treatment for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
In his book Peter S. Pelullo shares his own childhood sexual abuse story. For decades he kept hidden and refused to face his own debilitating issues as a survivor of sexual predation—the shame, rage, depression, and other influences that directly impacted his life. Finally, at the age of fifty-five, Peter S. Pelullo confronted the sexual abuse he endured as a child.
Any type of eating disorder can be very dangerous. Here are what eating disorders can cause:
* Heart disease
* Intestinal issues
* Bone loss
* Dental issues
* Muscle weakness
* Hair and skin problems
* Infertility
A growing number of celebrities have revealed their struggles with eating disorders and sex abuse, including actress Catherine Oxenberg, singer Fiona Apple, poet Anne Sexton, country singer Wynonna Judd, and Oprah Winfrey.
“As a child sexual abuse survivor myself, I struggled with many issues, and among them were bouts of anorexia,” says Peter S. Pelullo. “Eating disorders can be deadly. Adult child sexual abuse victims must seek help. Please remember you are not alone and visit the foundation’s website www.letgoletpeacecomein.org.”
Peter S. Pelullo was the founder and owner of a premiere recording studio in the ’70s and 80s, where he worked with the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Foreigner, Evelyn “Champagne” King, and many other international acts. He created Philly World Records where he released the artists Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Cashmere, and chart topper Eugene Wilde. He is now an entrepreneur and financier focusing on technology startups. During his journey in recovery, he created the Let Go…Let Peace Come In Foundation, which supports adult victims of childhood sexual abuse throughout the world.
For more information contact Gretchen Paules at gp@icminc.net or visit www.betrayalandthebeast.com.
“Betrayal and the Beast” is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.