Bulimia
Bulimia Counselling - Treatment & Recovery
Bulimia is a cyclical eating
disorder that is characterised by periods of overeating, followed by purging
types of behaviour, or extreme exercise and dietary control. People experience
a crisis or event that triggers the desire to eat which starts the cycle.
During the food intake
people report feeling almost euphoric and happy, largely due to the chemical
changes that the sweet, salty, fatty, high calorie and high carbohydrate foods
create. It is not uncommon for individuals to consume as many as 5000 calories
in less than an hour during a binge. Almost immediately guilt, shame,
self-loathing and anger set in and create high levels of anxiety around the
binging behaviour. This is typically followed by the abuse of laxatives, inducing
vomiting, extreme exercise and excessively controlled food intake.
This becomes a cycle that,
over time, will lead to serious mental and physical health risks. Treatment
that includes both behavioural changes as well as understanding the emotional component
of bulimia is the most effective in recovery and ongoing treatment.
Changing Behaviours by
Changing Thoughts
One of the most important
aspects of counselling in recovery and treatment of bulimia is changing
thoughts about body image, weight and self-esteem. Individuals that are bulimic
have a negatively distorted and highly critical view of themselves, especially
as they appear physically. They may see themselves as overweight even though
they are of average weight or even less than average weight.
The first goal of
counselling is to develop a good understanding of what triggers the urge to
binge eat. Identifying these triggers, which could include stress, change or
anxiety over specific or general events, can then help the counsellor and the
individual to develop more effective, healthy and positive coping skills.
Nutritional counselling on healthy eating and healthy food choices may be
introduced at this time in the process.
Attitude changes about
physical appearance, weight loss or management and developing a realistic idea
about weight are also a major focus of counselling. By changing the ways that
food is viewed and by learning to modify these ideas a true change in eating
habits can be developed.
Emotional Components
Throughout therapy the
individual will be assisted, at their own pace and in their own time, to look
at the deep emotional issues that have contributed to the negative feelings
about self. For many individuals their unhappiness with themselves and the
feelings of being out of control in the bulimia cycle can be linked to
dysfunctional family issues, undiagnosed and untreated depression or anxiety or
being isolated and alone. Treatment can include learning social skills to
connect successfully with others, relationship counselling or working with
counsellor to treat the underlying depression and anxiety.
Counselling to deal with the
emotional issues and the negative thoughts that drive the behaviour in any
eating disorder is critical to long term success and recovery. People can,
through therapeutic interventions, change their thoughts and behaviours and
develop positive, healthy self-esteem and self-confident to live a happy,
satisfying and successful life.
Posted by: Philippe Jacquet