Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa can be extremely dangerous conditions. People with anorexia have a body weight more than 25% below their ideal weight, together with an intense desire to be thin. This is a compulsion which is stronger than the individual. It will often have an emotional cause, and age regression under hypnosis may reveal a cause of which the conscious mind is no longer aware. Anorexia can lead to premature death, often due to heart attack.

People with bulimia nervosa usually have a normal weight but feel a compulsion to overeat (bingeing) but with self induced vomiting sometimes several times a day. This can have severe medical consequences. Again, the best results are likely to come from exploring the likely cause of the behaviour.