Bloated abdomen/Weight gain/Tiredness

Woman, 41, regular periods, not constipated, healthy, no known allergy or bad diet is suffering from distended abdomen morning to night, no matter whether she eats or not.
Her choice of food makes little or no difference to this permanent state of bloatedness. She has put on about a stone/5kg in weight, mostly around abdomen, within the last 6 month, but it is the bloated abdomen that makes her look like a 4-5 months pregnant woman!
She describes her persistent tiredness as if she's running on empty, and says she doesn't fall to sleep, but into deep dark, and on some level welcome oblivion. Wakes up rested, but tired again shortly upon getting up.

GENERAL HISTORY: she's a recovering alcoholic (8 years sober), with a family history of controlling tendencies and sugar addiction (esp. Mother's side). Two children, the younger child 9 years old, both pregnancies easy, with natural deliveries. She doesn't want any more children.
After divorcing her husband of ten years almost five years ago (she wasn't in love with him), she remains largely sexually inactive because she finds it almost impossible to find the right partner. Despite this, she managed to have a very unsatisfactory love affair with a man, which ended up at about the same time she developed the symptoms (?).
She experienced a significant amount of guilt whilst participating in this affair, mostly due to feeling like she was compromising not only her own needs, but also those of the man, who proved emotionally immature and thus unavailable for a happy relationship she was (secretly) hoping for. (I must admit that a thought of a phantom pregnancy has crossed my mind a few times...)

She's a typical frustrated artist - a single mother juggling children, household and work, with no time left for much needed self expression (she's hoping to eventually be able to earn her living from her art, but it seems impossible at the moment).
She's about to move home in a few weeks time, and I'm a little concerned she may not have any inner resources left. The last time she had to move her family, just over three and a half years ago, she ended up in Opium state.

Any insights and suggestions as regarding a possible treatment would be greatly appreciated.