Eating disorders are often misunderstood as being purely about food, weight, or appearance. Instead, they are complex mental health conditions that can affect every aspect of a person’s life, including their physical health, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.
For many people eating disorders are driven by deeply ingrained thought patterns and beliefs about themselves. This is why psychological treatment plays such an important role in recovery. One of the most effective and widely used approaches in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, also known as CBT.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is an evidence-based form of therapy that focuses on the connection between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. The principle behind CBT is simple, the way we think influences how we feel, and how we feel influences what we do. Sometimes these patterns become unhealthy and can keep us trapped in cycles that are difficult to break.
For someone experiencing an eating disorder, thoughts such as “I’m only worthy if I lose weight”, or “I’ve eaten something unhealthy so I’ve failed” can create emotional distress. These emotions may then lead to behaviours like food restriction, binge eating, or purging. CBT helps identify these patterns and teaches strategies to approach them in a more positive way.
Understanding the behaviour
One of the key goals of CBT is helping you become aware of the thought that drives the behaviour. Many of these thoughts occur automatically and can feel like facts, even when they’re not true or distorted. Over time these beliefs can become deeply embedded in how you feel and cause ongoing struggles with food or body image.
Through therapy you can learn to recognise these thoughts, examine the cause of them, and develop more positive ways of thinking. This process can help reduce feelings of guilt, shame, anxiety, and self-criticism that often accompany eating disorders.
Build a healthier relationship with food
Eating disorders often involve rigid rules around food. Certain foods could be labelled as “good” or “bad”, meals might be skipped entirely, or eating becomes associated with anxiety and fear. CBT can help you understand how these rules developed and how they could be enforcing and maintaining your eating disorder.
Rather than focusing on diets or weight loss therapy encourages a more flexible approach to eating. The goal is to help food become a source of nourishment and enjoyment, rather than something that feels overwhelming or threatening. Over time this can help reduce anxiety around eating and support healthier eating patterns.
Healthier coping strategies
Many people use eating disorder behaviours as a way of coping with difficult emotions such as stress, anxiety, sadness, or loneliness. While these behaviours may provide temporary relief, they often create additional problems in the long term. CBT helps you identify healthier ways to manage emotional distress. This may include practising mindfulness, improving emotional regulation, and developing self-care routines that support your mental wellbeing.
Having a range of coping strategies can reduce your reliance on eating disorder behaviours and improve resilience when facing challenges life throws your way.
Support
If you, or someone you care about is struggling with an eating disorder, seeking professional help is an important first step.
Here at Adelaide Psychological Services, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is just one of the many therapies we offer, and we pride ourselves on matching clients with the right psychologist.
Take a moment to read through our team profiles and see who best suits your needs. If you need assistance in choosing, give us a call on 8295 4150 or email info@psychadelaide.com.au.
