Working with Bulimia
There are many misconceptions about bulimia. It is a very hard subject for a bulimic individual to talk about in many cases, and one that permeates their entire personality. You will find a wealth of support information at http://www.bulimiagirls.com
What is Bulimia?
- Bulimia is a symptom of a deeper disease. There are other symptoms. These include addictions, self-harm and depression.
- It may not have a lot to do with weight. The bingeing and purging are simply means of expressing anxiety.
- It not the fault of the bulimic. You would not blame someone for being diabetic. No one can blame her for being bulimic.
- It is not simply about purging. Some bulimics never purge in their lives.
- It is something that is deep coded into her – it is part of her nature. There are strong indicators that this is at least in part genetic. It is not her fault or her choice.
- This need not be a negative thing. Her nature is one of extremes. She lives life to the full. Moderation is not something she is good at.
This is true at work and at play. There are some types of work where this nature is a positive attribute when managed correctly.
Existing methods of treating bulimia have met with poor rates of success because of a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of the disease. Bingeing and purging are only one symptom of a much more complex issue.
Existing methods of treatment often measure success as ‘pounds gained’ or ‘did the person come back for further treatment – if not then we were successful’. Neither of these results are particularly relevant in the successful treatment of bulimia. When measuring success, one has to look at many aspects of the bulimic character.
Problems with Treatment Centers
The experience of treatment centers that many bulimics undergo is one of humiliation. They are treated in much the same way as a drug addict with mental health issues. In many cases the client is treated in the same framework as a drug addict or alcoholic, which is generally inappropriate (though financially expedient for the provider).
Often rehab is little more than ‘containment’. The result is predictably a return to bulimic activity once treatment ends. Our approach is radically different from this shortsighted and demonstrably ineffective process.
Working with Bulimia
Using hypnosis, we first use chair or Gestalt regression where we take the bulimic person back to the FSI, the first sensitizing incident. This gives us the starting point for remedying the root cause not simple treating the symptom and masking the root.
It is amazing as to root causes if disorders that manifest themselves later in life as a way to hide, or destroy themselves as these victims feel they have no other recourse.
Finding That First Sensitizing Incident
I have dealt with many different FSI that have caused disease, depression, attempted suicide and lives of despair, anger and sadness. And this memory has be so repressed that the individual has no idea, no concept why they act as they do or feel as they do.
This is why I am so adamant about how people treat their children or other kids under the age of five. I simple statement from a parent or loved one to a child that they need to shut up, they can’t sing, to your a fat little brat or your so ugly why can’t you look like your sister.
All statements are always remembered by the subconscious mind but quickly forgotten by the conscious rational mind. I talk more about this in a post about hypnosis and cancer.
Once this is accomplished, we can use hypnosis to also motivate the dietary shift, the motivation to sensible exercise and most importantly the management of anxiety.
