Understanding Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy: Effective Eating Disorder Treatment

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been found to be effective of helping individuals overcome anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders. CBT is based on the link between thoughts, actions, emotions, and physiological reactions. The flow chart provided below shows how thoughts, feelings, physical reactions and behaviors are intertwined. Our reactions to external events, situations, and especially other people are complex and multifaceted. By improving coping skills and preparing for challenging situations individuals can make substantial emotional and behavioral changes. 
 

In general, actions and thoughts are more easily modified directly than emotions and physical reactions. CBT therapy is typically a focused, time limited treatment. CBT is a collaborative effort between the therapist and the individual to implement more effective thoughts and behaviors. One benefit is that behavior change can be noticed in a few weeks, although complete treatment may take many months.

Skills acquired during CBT for eating disorder include:

• Identifying events that trigger eating disorder episodes and predict when symptoms may reoccur
• Changing incorrect beliefs and destructive thought patterns
• Developing skills for daily problems that reduce the risk that problems and symptoms will reoccur
• Changing behaviors that do not work, substituting healthy behaviors
• Changes attitudes about food, eating, and body image
• Relapse prevention skills

At the end of treatment, the individual has acquired a toolkit for coping that prepares them to face life’s challenges in healthy ways, rather than relying on the eating disorder.