AbstractThis study examined the effects of short‐term educative/support groups and subliminal psychodynamic activation on bulimic symptomatology and psychological functioning in 27 female students. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (1) educative/support group plus experimental stimulus; (2) educative/support group plus neutral stimulus; (3) attention/placebo plus experimental stimulus; and (4) attention/placebo plus neutral stimulus. The educative/support group had significant ameliorative effects on binging and symptoms of emotional distress, regardless of whether or not it was paired with subliminal psychodynamic activation. Decreases in several psychological traits associated with eating disorders were found among all subjects irrespective of treatment conditions. Subliminal psychodynamic activation appeared to exert an independent treatment effect on restrained eating and certain symptoms of emotional distress. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed and related to current proposed etiologies of bulimi