D. Steven Nouriani, Ph.D., MFT (MFC 30570) has over 27 years of clinical experience. Dr. Nouriani has extensive clinical experience with children and adults in both in-patient and out-patient settings, as well as in private practice. Dr. Nouriani has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and completed his doctoral training at the Jung Institute in San Francisco (a clinical institute for training in Jungian/analytical psychology).

Dr. Nouriani is an advanced candidate in analytical training at the Jung Institute of San Francisco. He has been teaching as adjunct faculty at John F, Kennedy University and the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He has conducted research on aging and development, eating disorders and Egyptian mythology and mysteries.

In the past twelve years Dr. Nouriani has been offering lectures at various conferences and workshops on variety of subjects related to Analytical Psychology, Depth Psychotherapy, the treatment of eating disorders, group psychotherapy, cross-cultural issues, and psychotherapy with gay and lesbian clients. For more information, please see his list of presentations.

He is in private practice in San Francisco and San Jose. He has a special interest in the areas of analytical psychology, addictions, alchemy, mysticism and dream analysis.

To make an appointment with Dr. Nouriani, please call:

San Francisco:	(415) 345-8977
	1902 Webster Street
	San Francisco, CA 94115
San Jose:	(408) 821-7500
	4010 Moorpark Ave.
	Suite 216
	San Jose, CA 95117
The best way to reach Dr. Nouriani is at one of the above phone numbers. If you prefer email, however, you can reach Dr. Nouriani at drnour@verizon.net.

Dr. Nouriani's specialties include:

• In-depth Individual & Couples Psychotherapy
• Jungian Psychotherapy
     Dream Interpretation
• Emotional Difficulties and Mood Disorders
     anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, OCD,
     panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder,
     and adjustment issues
• Eating Disorders & Body Image Issues
     anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder
• Addictions
     alcohol, drugs, sex addiction, and gambling
• Trauma and Related Issues
• Midlife Issues for Men and Women
     Self-sabotage, Blocked Creativity and Growth
• Gay and Lesbian Issues
• Cross-cultural Issues

The techniques that I use include:

• Individual Psychotherapy with Adults, Children & Adolescents
• Couples Therapy
• Family Therapy
• Jungian Psychotherapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• In-depth Psychotherapy
• Play Therapy with Children
• Sand Play Therapy with Adults & Children
• Active imagination
• Guided Imagery
• Dream Interpretation

Through my vast educational training and many years of clinical experience over the past three decades, I have come to learn and appreciate that each person’s emotional and psychological challenges are unique. Furthermore, as one works with the psyche and the unconscious and tries to understand its complexity to help a client gain a deeper understanding and discover the meaning in their suffering as well as in their relationship with life and the with the infinite, one can not have a single approach or a rigid set of methodologies which fit every individual. The reason being that such an approach would devalue the complexities involved in each person’s suffering and challenging life situation and assume that everyone is alike.

One of the basic assumptions in the Jungian approach is that each individual is unique. So, when working with clients, I try to hold the deeper complexity and the mystery of the psyche and the particular life situation of the client in mind and strive to reach a deeper understanding of the issues which have brought them into therapy. I have found that this attitude of openness to the direction of the psyche in working with clients allows for flexibility in the approach, so that various treatment techniques can be used in order to remain deeply attuned to the psychological needs of each person at different stages of inner work. Since the ultimate goal in psychotherapy is to address each client’s unique emotional and psychological needs and render service to their soul, I use my training and clinical experiences over the years to apply various techniques and blend several approaches to facilitate a deeper understanding and the process of change and transformation.

In providing in-depth psychotherapy or Jungian psychotherapy, I use various approaches, which can range from psychodynamic and analytical ways of working, to relational, archetypal, developmental and spiritual approaches towards understanding emotional and psychological issues. Treatment can include active imagination, dream work, sand play, guided imagery and other forms of creative art therapy. It can be any or a combination of above methods and include approaches from other schools of psychotherapy, such as self-psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, and so on. In working with each client, I try to arrive at a deeper understanding of what their needs are which have brought them into therapy and support them in achieving a deeper understanding of themselves and their goal in therapy.

In close collaboration with you, I will use my many years of training and experience to combine various methods of psychotherapy, tailoring treatment to resolve your particular individual issues.

Psychotherapy Group for Binge Eaters:

An in-depth psychotherapy group for men and women who struggle with binge eating. In a safe and supportive environment, the group participants can explore the emotional and psychological factors underlying their binge eating problem. New and effective ways to cope with both inner and outer factors which lead to binge eating will be discovered and processed.

Issues such as emotional stress, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, isolation, body-image and self-image as well as self-management will be explored. Furthermore, the group participants will be supported in identifying individual tools and resources which would help them in their personal journey towards continuous recovery.

In-depth Psychotherapy Group for Gay Men:

An in-depth group psychotherapy for gay men focusing on relationship issues, sexuality, low self-esteem, isolation, fear of intimacy, difficulties in dating, HIV issues, dealing with loss, internalized homophobia, changing self-destructive behavior patterns, and coping with difficult emotions such as anger, anxiety, and depressed mood.

Reading materials, dreams, and personal myths and stories will be utilized in the course of the group to enhance the depth and richness of the group process.

Men's In-depth Psychotherapy Group:

An in-depth psychotherapy group for men focusing on the psychological issues specific to men; relationship issues, sexuality, low self-esteem, isolation, fear of intimacy, difficulties in dating, mid-life issues, father-son and mother-son issues, and coping with difficult emotions such as anger, anxiety, and depressed mood.

Reading materials, dreams, and personal myths and stories will be utilized in the course of the group to enhance the depth and richness of the group process.

Dr. Nouriani regularly presents at various national and international conferences on a variety of psychological issues. He also teaches at various Bay Area universities.

The following is a selected list of his conference presentations from the last 12 years:

• The Re-emergence of the Divine Feminine: Transformation of Darkness and the Evolution of Consciousness. Presentations at  the Jung Institute of Santa Fe, 2008.
• The Role of Terrorism and Fundamentalism in the Corruption of Cultural Symbols and the Destructive Defense against Fragmentation. IAAP-IAJS Joint Conference of Jungian Analysts and Candidates at ETH in Zurich, 2008.
• The Practice of Jungian Psychotherapy - Jung Institute of San Francisco, 2008.
• One Thousand and One Nights. Presentations at North-South Conference of Jungian Analysts and Candidates and at the Jung Institute of San Francisco, 2007.
• The Serpent and the Scarab in the Journey of the Sungod through the Netherworld: An Archetypal Foundation to the Mysteries of the Ego's Journey towards Individuation. Presentation at the North American Conference of Jungian Analysts and Candidates, 2006, and to the Friends of Jung in San Diego, 2008.
• Treatment of Men with Eating Disorders. Presentation at A Major Conference on Eating Disorders in San Francisco, 2006.
• Workshop on Culture and Diversity: Clinical Work with Persian Clients. Presentation at the Jung Institute Los Angeles. 2005.
• Eating Disorders: Integrating Object Relations and the Jungian Approaches. Presentation to a group of psychologists at the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, San Francisco chapter
• Treatment of Eating Disorders - San Jose State University. 2006.
• Treatment of Eating Disorders from a Jungian Perspective. Presentation at the First Annual California Conference on Eating Disorders.
• Eating Disorders and Gay & Lesbian Clients. Presentation at the Third Annual In the Family Conference.
• Working with Children through Play and Sand Play Therapy: Integrating Object Relations and Jungian Perspectives - San Francisco Bay Area psychotherapists.
• Integrating Jungian and Object Relations Approaches in the Treatment of Eating Disorders. Presentation to a group of psychotherapists in the Sacramento area.
• Eating Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment with a Psychodynamic Approach. Lecture given to graduate students at San Francisco State University.
• Gender, Masculine and Feminine: Ideas from the Jungian Perspective. Workshop
• Diagnosis and Treatment of Eating Disorders: Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral and Psychodynamic Approaches: Alternative Family Therapy Institute in SF
• Diagnosis and Treatment of Eating Disorders from Object Relations and Jungian Perspectives. Lecture to Bay Area psychotherapists
• Couples Psychotherapy from a Jungian Approach: to Bay Area psychotherapists.
• Humanistic Approach to working with Developmentally Disabled Adults: Behavior Modification Principles & Techniques: Washington D.C. Group Homes.

2007-present:

The various aspects of the Devine Femine: Isis, The Dark Feminine and Mary Magdalane. Also researched the Egyptian Mysteries.

2006-2007:

Egyptian mythology on the journey of the Sungod in the underworld and the archetypal foundations to the mysteries of the ego's journey towards individuation.

1994-1996:

Clinical research for Dissertation in Clinical Psychology: This research was an in-depth clinical study on binge eating and obesity. The findings indicated that severe binge eaters were a distinct clinical group within the obese population and differed from other groups by presenting a significantly distinct clinical syndrome. For the abstract, click here

1982-1984:

Clinical research for Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology: This research was on the clinical application of an alternative projective technique, called "The Thematic Apperception Technique", to the elderly population. This study explored various psychological factors related to development among the elderly and the findings supported the more recent theoretical views regarding continuous psychological growth and change throughout old age.

List of recommended books:

Bates, Charles (1991) Pigs Eat Wolves: Going into Partnership with your Dark Side. Yes International Publishers.

Bly, Robert (1990) Iron John: A Book About Men. Vintage Books

Boldt, Laurence G. (1996) How to Find The Work You Love. Penguin Books.

Feinstein, David & Krippner, Stanley (1988) Personal Mythology. Jeremy Tarcher, Inc.

Grof, Stanislav & Grof, Christina (1989) Spiritual Emergency. Jeremy Tarcher, Inc.

Hillman, James (1996) Anima: An Anatomy of Personified Notion.Spring Publications.

Hillman, James (1979) .The Dream and the Underworld. Harper Perennial.

Johnson, Robert (1986) Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth. Harper San Francisco

Johnson, Robert (1989) He: Understanding Masculine Psychology. Harper & Row Pub.

Johnson, Robert (1989) She: Understanding Feminine Psychology. Harper & Row Pub.

Johnson, Robert (1991) Owning Your Shadow. Harper & Row San Francisco.

Johnson, Robert (1994) Lying with the Heavenly Woman: Understanding and Integrating Feminine Archetypes in Men's Lives. Harper & Row Pub.

Jung, C. G. (1963) Memories, Dreams, Reflections. Vintage Books.
Krippner, Stanley (1990) Dreamtime and Dreamwork. Jeremy Tarcher, Inc.

May, Rollo (1981) Freedom and Destiny. Dell Publishing Co.

McKay, Matthew, Rogers, Peter & McKay, Judith (1989) When Anger Hurts. New Harbinger Publicatons, Inc.

Neumann, Erich (1994) The Fear of the Feminine. Princeton University Press.

Obson, Diane (1991) A Joseph Campbell Companion. Harper Collins Publishers.

Stone, Hal & Stone, Sidra (1993) Embracing Your Inner Critic. Harper San Francisco.

Viorst, Judith (1986) Necessary Losses. Simon & Schuster.

Winnicott, D. W. (1988) Babies and their Mothers. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.

Woodman, Marion (1982) Addiction to Perfection. Inner City Books.

Woodman, Marion (1992) Leaving My Father's House. Shambhala.

Woodman, Marion (2000) Bone: Dying into Life. Viking Compass.

Crisis Support Services:

• San Francisco: (415) 781-0500
• East Bay: (510) 849-2212

Woman Inc.: (415) 864-4722

HIV Mental Health Services:

• San Francisco: (415) 476-3902
• East Bay: (510) 655-3435

San Francisco AIDS Foundation:

• Main Line: (415) 487-3000
• Client Services: (415) 487-8000

Low-Fee Counseling Services:

• Haight Ashbury Psychological Services:
  (415) 221-4211
• Pacific Center: (510) 548-2192
• JFK University Counseling Center: (925) 798-9240
• Jewish Family and Children's Services:
  (415) 491-7960
• Jung Institute: (415) 771-8955
• Alternative Family Project: (415) 436-9000
• New Leaf: (415) 626-7000

The following is a brief description of in-depth individual and couples psychotherapy.

In working with individuals and couples I use my many years of educational training and clinical experience over the past three decades to combine various approaches from the field of depth psychotherapy to develop a deeper understanding of the unique challenges that you are faced with and to address these challenges more deeply to arrive at effective change and transformation.

While using a similar approach in working with couples, I try to maintain a neutral and non-judgmental approach and utilize various techniques in couples therapy to facilitate a deeper understanding between the couple, support each person in identifying, honoring and expressing their needs, discover unsuccessful patterns of relating which lead to conflicts ands teach and improve communication skills. Furthermore, I try to support the couple in determining ways in which they can find fulfillment in their relationship as they come to understand and define their own unique values in their relationship.

What is counseling?
There are many types of counseling and the type of counseling that you receive heavily depends on the level of the educational training and clinical experience of the counselor or therapist whom you work with. For example, doctoral level counselors have more educational training than master’s level counselors. In general, counseling involves a therapeutic approach towards emotional and psychological problems with a focus on problem solving and supportive emotional work. Depending on their level of education and training, different counselors use different techniques which impacts the focus and the depth of the work that can be achieved, as well as the amount of insight and consciousness that can be gained through the counseling work.

What is psychotherapy?
Depending on their level of education and extent of training, various psychotherapists define and approach psychotherapy differently. Some therapists use the words counseling and psychotherapy interchangeably. While this issue is controversial and is debated in the field, psychotherapy can involve deeper psychological approaches and techniques. In general, psychotherapy involves the use of one or more psychotherapeutic approaches, and can involve working with the unconscious as well as past family issues towards addressing various psychological and emotional problems. While providing emotional support, psychotherapy can help clients not only gain insight and consciousness about the problems which have brought them into therapy, but also obtain tools and learn ways to make necessary changes in their lives towards improvement and achievement of a more fulfilling life.

What is in-depth psychotherapy?
Depending on their educational level and training as well as years of clinical experience various depth-psychotherapists will define and approach depth-psychotherapy differently and there is a debate about this issue in the field. In general, in-depth psychotherapy is a more in-depth form of psychotherapy and it involves working with emotional and psychological issues at a deeper level in order to develop a better understanding of the roots of the particular emotional and psychological challenges that the client is confronted with. In-depth psychotherapy generally involves various approaches to working with both conscious and unconscious issues, it can involve an exploration of past family issues as well as present problems, dream work and other in-depth ways of working in order to develop a deeper understanding of oneself and to make long term effective inner change towards improvement and achievement of a more fulfilling life. Many people, even including some psychotherapists, do not know that the word psychotherapy itself comes from two words: psyche which means "soul", and therapy, which comes from the Greek word therapeuein, which means "to render service to". In essence, psychotherapy means rendering service to the soul. The more in-depth forms of psychotherapy, such as Jungian psychotherapy, can involve a deeper approach with a therapeutic attitude of supporting a client’s individuation process to achieve a deeper understanding of themselves and develop a better balance between their conscious and unconscious aspects of their psyche in their process of individuation and achieving wholeness.

What is Jungian psychotherapy?

Jung was a contemporary of Freud. While Freud came up with the school of psychoanalysis, Jung’s scientific contributions led to the development of Analytical Psychology. Among Jung’s many major contributions are the notions of archetypes, collective unconscious and the Self, or the unity of the whole personality which involves the integration and a deeper connection between the conscious and the unconscious aspects of the psyche towards the development of wholeness.

While Freud’s work led him to a focus on the unconscious and the resolution of inner conflicts over Oedipal issues and the unconscious conflicts with sexual and aggressive drives, Jung’s work focused on the discovery of the principle of individuation and how the psyche naturally strives towards the development of wholeness. Another major contribution of Jung was the concept of the shadow and the understanding and the integration of those parts of us that we experience as despised, rejected, annihilated or we might be unconscious or afraid of.

As Edinger, a Jungian analyst, has indicated, Jungian psychotherapy is both a science and an art. It is a science in the sense that it attempts to objectively and empirically address each client’s emotional and psychological difficulties by applying various theoretical concepts and the knowledge that so far has been gathered in working with the unconscious. It is an art in the sense that it depends on the depth of the inner development of the psychotherapist or the analyst to empathize, relate and deeply understand the complexities involved in each unique individual.

As a result, in-depth psychotherapy or Jungian work can be relational, it can be archetypal, it can be developmental, it can be deeply spiritual, it can include active imagination, dream work, sand play, authentic movement, and other forms of creative art therapy. It can be any or a combination of above methods and include approaches from other schools of psychotherapy, such as Self-psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, and so on.

Of course, the more skilled and developed the psychotherapist or the analyst is, the wider the possibilities are and the richer the work is. In conclusion, Jungian psychotherapy can help us discover the deeper purpose and the meaning of our lives and help us live our daily lives in ways in which we can be more aligned with the deeper purpose to experience the infinite, the sacred, or that which is numinous to each of us.

The following is a brief description of in-depth couples psychotherapy.

In working with couples, I use my many years of educational training and clinical experience over the past three decades to combine various approaches from the field of depth psychotherapy to develop a deeper understanding of the unique challenges that you are faced with and to address these challenges more deeply to arrive at effective change and transformation.

I try to maintain a neutral and non-judgmental approach and utilize various techniques in couples therapy to facilitate a deeper understanding between the couple, support each person in identifying, honoring and expressing their needs, discover unsuccessful patterns of relating which lead to conflicts ands teach and improve communication skills. Furthermore, I try to support the couple in determining ways in which they can find fulfillment in their relationship as they come to understand and define their own unique values in their relationship.

Information about Emotional Difficulties and Mood Disorders

Anxiety Disorder:
What is an anxiety disorder? The following is a brief description. Anxiety is a common experience and most of us might feel some anxiety at times because of worrying about a deadline we have to meet or performing on a task, like for example having to give a speech. People who have an anxiety disorder however, experience themselves as anxious most of the time, feel overwhelmed and have difficulty calming themselves down. Other cognitive symptoms such as excessive worry, negative thinking, catastrophizing, excessive fear as well as physical symptoms such as sweaty palms, heart burn or higher heart beat and higher pulse rate, sleep problems and muscle aches may also accompany the emotional experience of anxiety. People who suffer from severe anxiety disorder can not easily calm themselves down, feel that they can not control their symptoms, and worry excessively. In such cases it is important to seek psychological help, as chronic anxiety can lead to other severe psychological and physiological problems.

Depression:
What is depression? The following is a brief description. All of us may at times temporarily feel sad, down or somewhat depressed. Individuals who experience major depression or another type of a depressive disorder may find themselves overwhelmed by deep feelings of depression or sadness which may interfere with their overall daily functioning, such as inability to go to sleep, waking up thinking or depressed in the middle of the night, inability to get out of bed, inability to go to work or complete daily tasks, inability to eat or over-eat, lack of energy, fatigue and lack of interest in themselves or their lives, they may easily become tearful or experience suicidal thoughts or feelings, find themselves unable to concentrate on tasks or enjoy life in general. There are various forms of depressive disorders such as major or clinical depression, dysthymic disorder, depressive disorder not otherwise specified or other related forms of depression such as psychotic depression, postpartum depression and seasonal affective disorder. It is important to seek psychological help when such symptoms persist and address the psychological and/or physiological roots of depression.

Bipolar Disorder:
What is a bipolar disorder? The following is a brief description. Bipolar disorder is a form of mood disorder which is indicated by experiences of abnormal mood elevations as in mania or hypomania and can be accompanied by episodes of depressive mood. In some cases of bipolar disorder a person may experience both manic and depressive episodes of mood variations and the cycles may alternate with various durations for each episode and vary on the bipolar spectrum. Other types of bipolar disorders include bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymia. Bipolar disorders are complex and it is very important to seek psychological consultation to address the various complexities and challenges that can emerge from struggling with a bipolar condition.

OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder:
What is OCD or Obsessive Compulsive disorder? The following is a brief description. OCD or Obsessive Compulsive disorder is a condition in which a person experiences intrusive thoughts or obsessions, which in turn lead to compulsive behaviors often in an attempt to reduce deeper roots of anxiety. Often a person who is struggling with OCD may feel out of control with the thoughts or obsessions and/or compulsions or behaviors which he/she is driven to do in order to cope with underlying feelings of anxiety. It is important to seek psychological consultation especially in more severe cases of OCD where symptoms may interfere with a person’s normal functioning and lead to other emotional or psychological problems. OCD can also develop as a form of a personality disorder.

Panic Disorder:
What is a panic disorder? The following is a brief description. Panic disorder is a form of anxiety disorder in which individuals experience mild to severe panic attacks, occurring once or a few times or more often. Panic attacks are usually experienced as uncontrollable and may appear to be happening without a warning. Some of the symptoms of a panic attack are an intense rush of fear, a sudden strong heart beat, a sense of being overwhelmed, anxiety and dizziness. The experience of panic attacks are usually scary for people and sometimes people become afraid that they may be going crazy, loosing their mind, passing out or something terrifying happening to them that is out of their control and that they do not understand. What usually reinforces panic attacks is fear of having another panic attack, which may cause additional anxiety or bring on another experience of a panic attack. It is important to seek psychological consultation to explore and understand the deeper roots of panic attacks in order to address this problem more effectively.

Phobias:
What are phobias? The following is a brief description. The word phobia comes from the Greek word “Phobos” which means fear and applies to many forms of fear that can arise in association with various emotional and psychological issues. Phobias are one of the most common forms of anxiety disorders, such as Agoraphobia (fear of crowded places and fear of leaving one’s home), Acrophobia (fear of heights), Claustrophobia (fear of being in confined spaces), Aviophobia (fear of flying).

Social Anxiety Disorder:
What is social anxiety disorder? The following is a brief description. Most of us may experience some mild nervousness when we are meeting someone new or important, or giving a speech in front of an audience. People who have social anxiety though, would experience moderate to severe anxiety in most social situations. They may experience excessive shyness, worry about what others think about them, worry that others are negatively judging them, often may feel rejected by others, become readily embarrassed and overwhelmed in everyday social situations and avoid all kinds of social situations at all costs to prevent experiences of anxiety. Most people who have social anxiety are aware of their problem, feel overly self-conscious about it, find themselves at a loss how to deal with the problem, avoid social situations and feel that their problem is out of their control. A chronic problem with social anxiety can also negatively affect and reinforce problems with poor self-esteem and low self-confidence. Problems related to social anxiety, poor self-esteem and self-confidence can be addressed through psychotherapy.

Adjustment Issues:
What are adjustment issues? The following is a brief description. At various stages in life which involve some form of a major change or transition we can experience emotional distress and at times various stressors in our lives can become so challenging that we might experience depression, anxiety, fear, panic, anger, deep disappointment or a mixture of such emotions. Such mixed emotions can emerge and be experienced temporarily or last longer and require a period of emotional adjustment specially during challenging times which involve life transitions such as a major move, break up and separation with a lover/spouse/partner/friend, divorce, grief over the loss of a loved person or a pet, occupational changes or challenges such as job loss or demotion, scholastic difficulties and challenges, identity issues and various other life events which may involve a form of major change or loss. It is important to seek psychological help at these times to have emotional and psychological support during such critical transitions in order to make a successful transition to the next stage of life, as they can be invaluable opportunities for increased consciousness and growth.

Information about Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues

In general eating disorders involve various disturbances in eating behavior, such as a significant reduction in food intake or a significant increase in the quantity and frequency of food intake, accompanied by a wide range of emotional distress and psychological symptoms. Eating disorders are complex as they can involve emotional, psychological, social and physiological issues and affect a person internally and in their relationships with others. Although eating disorders tend to be exhibited more among women, recent research indicate that men also struggle with eating disorders and the rate of eating disorders are increasing among them. The various forms of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and night eating disorder. The following are a brief description of various forms of eating disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa:
What is Anorexia Nervosa? The following is a brief description. Anorexia Nervosa is a serious type of eating disorder that sometimes can become life threatening. It is characterized by a strong desire and drive for thinness, an intense fear of weight or fat gain to the point that the person may be restricting all types of food intake and/or starving themselves for long periods. Anorexia is commonly accompanied by emotional difficulties, severe body image and self-image disturbances, mood disorders, unrealistic view of one’s body shape and function, a drive for perfection and disruption of menstrual cycle in women and reduced sexual drive in men. Anorexia Nervosa can be manifested as restrictive type or as binge eating/purging type. It is very important to seek psychological help when these behavioral and/or psychological symptoms appear and address the underlying emotional issues.

Bulimia Nervosa:
What is Bulimia Nervosa? The following is a brief description. Bulimia Nervosa is a serious type of eating disorder that sometimes can become life threatening. Bulimia Nervosa can be manifested as purging or non-purging types. It is characterized by an underlying obsession with food, weight and body image concerns which drive an individual to engage in obsessive-compulsive cycles of over-eating or binge eating followed by compensatory thoughts and behaviors to undue the over-eating and prevent weight gain. The compensatory attempts may involve various forms of purging behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives, diuretics, and enemas. Non-purging forms of compensatory behaviors can also occur which may include excessive dieting/fasting and/or exercising. Such emotional and behavioral cycles are characterized by an extreme sense of lack of control over one’s thoughts, emotions and behaviors. They can become extremely emotionally distressing for the person who is struggling with bulimia and are commonly accompanied by depression or other types of mood disorders, self-hatred, feelings of guilt, shame and self-devaluation. It is very important to seek psychological help when these behavioral and/or psychological symptoms appear and address the underlying emotional issues.

Binge Eating Disorder:
What is Binge Eating Disorder? The following is a brief description. The phenomenon of binge eating has been referred to in various ways in the psychological literature. As a particular form of eating disorder, binge eating disorder was first described in the 1950s as a particular form of overeating. Traditional psychoanalysis coined the term “compulsive overeating” and other terms such as “emotional eating” or emotional over-eating” also commonly refer to the same phenomenon. Psychologically, an episode of binge eating is characterized by eating a larger than usual quantity of food that most people on average will consume in a 2 hour period as accompanied by a sense of lack of control over eating during this period. Usually individuals who struggle with binge eating disorder will experience a sense of loss of control and/or lack of awareness over what they eat during binge eating episodes.

Research Study Abstract

Severe Binge Eaters: A Distinct Sub-group Among Obese People

Research study conducted by D. Steven Nouriani, PhD
California Institute of Integral Studies
Copyright by D. Steven Nouriani, 1996. All rights reserved.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the phenomenon of binge eating among obese women, from the Jungian and Self-psychology perspectives. By comparing obese women who exhibited different levels of binge eating severity, the goal of this research was to determine if there was a relationship between binge eating severity, affect regulation difficulties, dissociation and negative attitudes/concerns expressed toward body shape among obese women. A total of 45 non-bulimic adult women who met the criteria for obesity completed a Self-Report Inventory, the Binge Eating Scale, the Dissociative Experiences Scale II, the Negative Mood Regulation Scale, the Body Shape Questionaire, and a few short essay questions. It was hypothesized that on the basis of binge eating severity, there would be significant differences between the participants in regard to the regulation of negative affects, dissociative tendencies and the expression of negative attitudes or concerns toward body shape.

Analysis of the data indicated that severity of obesity did not have an effect on the dependent variables. However, when the participants were classified into three groups (n=15) of non-binge eaters, moderate and severe binge eaters, significant group differences were found. The findings supported all three hypotheses, indicating that as compared to the non-binge eaters, the severe binge eaters had significantly (p< .01) higher difficulties in affect regulation, showed significantly (p <.05) more dissociative tendencies, and expressed significantly (p <.01) greater negative attitudes and concerns toward their body shape. No significant differences were found between non-binge eaters and moderate binge eaters on any of the variables. In comparision to the moderate binge eaters, the severe binge eaters also showed significantly (p <.01) more difficulties in affect regulation and expressed significantly (p < .01) more negative attitudes and concerns toward their body shape. In conclusion, the findings strongly indicated that the severe binge eaters are a distinct sub-group among obese people and what sets them apart from other obese is the occurrence and severity of binge eating which appears to serve a variety of psychological functions. The treatment implications of these findings were also discussed.

The best way to reach Dr. Nouriani is by phone at one of his offices:

San Francisco:	(415) 345-8977
	1902 Webster Street
	San Francisco, CA 94115
San Jose:	(408) 821-7500
	4010 Moorpark Ave.
	Suite 216
	San Jose, CA 95117
If you prefer email, however, you can reach Dr. Nouriani at drnour@verizon.net.