Podcast: Eating Disorders: A Contemporary Introduction with Tom Wooldridge

Podcast Summary
In this episode, which aired on September 5, 2025, Dr. Tom Wooldridge—Program Director of Psychology at Golden Gate University, psychoanalyst, and leading expert on eating disorders—joins interviewer Dr. Helena Vissing, a licensed psychologist and author of Somatic Maternal Healing, to discuss his book Eating Disorders: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge, 2022). The conversation explores how psychoanalytic perspectives shed light on the complex emotional and developmental struggles at the heart of eating disorders. Dr. Wooldridge highlights challenges such as patients’ difficulty putting feelings into words, body loathing, and the disconnect between mind and body, as well as the role of online communities in shaping experiences of illness.

With insights that are both accessible to new clinicians and enriching for seasoned practitioners, Dr. Wooldridge demonstrates how psychoanalysis offers nuanced tools for understanding and treating these difficult-to-manage conditions. Drawing on his extensive scholarship and clinical work, he underscores the importance of integrating relational, developmental, and cultural perspectives in supporting individuals struggling with eating disorders.

🎧 Stream the full 50-minute conversation with Dr. Tom Wooldridge and Dr. Helena Vissing here.