Eating disorders are sneaky, insidious diseases that create a tremendous amount of anxiety in the person suffering. The disorder has created an irrational fear that cannot be reasoned with. Therefore, the only way to alleviate the fear is to do the unthinkable--and eat the foods. Exposure therapy for eating disorders is like exposure therapy for OCD and other anxiety disorders in that they all share the same principle: exposure to a feared object, situation, or thought.