Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Background Binge Eating Disorder, Bulimia Nervosa, and related conditions are common, and vastly distressing and impairing to quality of life. Current treatments remain suboptimal for many individuals and often do not sufficiently target emotional processes, despite strong empirical evidence identifying emotional processes as central to the onset and maintenance of eating disorders. This paper outlines the rationale behind, and lived experience perspectives on, a novel brief emotion intervention for individuals with bulimic-type disorders: FEEL-ED (Fostering Effective Emotional Life Skills for Eating Disorders). FEEL-ED is a self-guided online mini-course comprising eight short videos targeting key aspects of emotion regulation, designed for individuals awaiting eating disorder treatment. Methods Six public contributors with lived experience of an eating disorder provided feedback on FEEL-ED, including perceived benefits and potential risks. Data were analysed by a lived- experience researcher, using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Three themes were generated: (1) emotion regulation as central to eating disorder pathology and recovery; (2) FEEL-ED as addressing a critical gap in care; and (3) the importance of responsible and ethical innovation in intervention design. Conclusions Contributors positioned emotions as a key facet of their eating disorders and noted that emotions are often insufficiently addressed in therapy. Hence, FEEL-ED shows potential to address current gaps in care by explicitly addressing emotional processes, and providing timely support for people awaiting treatment. Contributors also highlighted the importance of clearly positioning FEEL-ED as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, clinician-delivered care, alongside ensuring the intervention is inclusive of diverse users and experiences.</p>