let’s beat bulimia
Removing the blinkers of bulimia…
A horse wears blinders to prevent them from seeing behind them or from being distracted by what is happening next to them; his vision is restricted to see only what is ahead…in front of his eyes…
Recently, new psychological approaches have been built around the well-documented and researched Time Perspective Theories (TPT), developed by Professor Philip Zimbardo and his team at Stanford University in San Francisco, USA, along with New scientific research and understanding in the field of neuroplasticity (NP), together may offer a radical new approach in the treatment of bulimia.
Taking the blinders off, TPT is based on the deep understanding and importance of a person’s perspective of time and how it dramatically affects their daily life; and it does. Every choice or decision we make is determined by our perception of time, often without us realizing it. As Zimbardo says in his book, time gives us direction and depth in our lives, which we can use as an example to improve our health, if we wish and if we are aware of it.
Neuroplasticity research has advanced in line with brain imaging technology. It has confirmed two things; first, that our brains never stop growing, and second, perhaps more importantly, that our brains can continually adapt and change. You really can learn to think and behave differently, regardless of your age: in effect, your brain can be reprogrammed.
Let’s explain… When someone is thinking of doing something rash, say, making a big purchase with their credit card, maybe buying a movie theater-sized TV that they know deep down they can’t afford: they stop, with luck, thinking about the consequences in the coming months of having to struggle to pay off the debt. They consider whether they will still be able to afford planned family vacations, perhaps they think of their past ill-considered and extravagant purchases that they have regretted. At that stage, since they have an unbiased time perspective, past, present and future, they are expected to make a much more informed decision.
Similarly, when a person is thinking about driving home when they’ve had maybe an extra drink that they think has pushed them over the DUI limit, they also stop and think about the consequences on their life. and that of their family, the future effect on their income if they lose their license: they can think of stories of friends who have done it and lived to regret their action. They, too, hopefully make a more informed decision, based on their unbiased perspective of time.
Of course, in both cases they could have been biased in their time perspective and classified as present hedonists, thinking only of the here and now. But fortunately, automatically, and without realizing it, they broadened their perspective of time and viewed the situation from a more, dare we say, educated and informed position, considering more of the consequences of their potential actions. They adjusted their time perspective and used that information to make their decision.
An analogy commonly used to describe people classified as hedonists present in TPT relates to cocaine addicts: the addict almost always thinks only of the here and now. His time perspective is considered biased; they are present thinkers.
Recently, a therapeutic approach in which both TPT and PN are intertwined and used in combination to help treat a wide range of problems has produced higher levels of success in people. The unique method involving the underpinning of TPT with NP has resulted in the level of successful results for those who suffer from bulimia.
The method has been used to help treat a truly diverse range of issues, from helping couples with relationship problems to helping people struggling with depression, to name just two. But it was with regard to the treatment of those who wished to overcome bulimia that the new approach became exciting.
Research based on information collected from people with a variety of eating disorders indicated that many had a time-skewed perspective around food and eating problems. It was identified that they were wearing, in the words of the authors, blinders; his time perspective regarding his eating habits was skewed and very narrow, focused almost exclusively on the here and now. They were hedonistic presents with respect to binge eating: they wanted the pleasure of food, and they wanted it now.
It’s easy to imagine a person who has been successfully following a treatment protocol to combat their bulimia, perhaps seeing steady progress and movement toward normalcy around food, is beginning to feel good about themselves and their appearance. , perhaps you have already begun to believe that you can recover completely, permanently.
One night, when they are out with friends, on the way home they call a burger joint. She has already eaten. She agrees to go in and wait with them while they tidy up: after all, she is on the road to recovery. She then sees her friend’s burger and fries in front of her; she smells and looks appetizing. She sees her friends ordering it and eating it; she wants one, too, and in a heartbeat gives up and orders one for herself, perhaps thinking she could actually eat two, regardless of the fact that she’s already had dinner. At that moment she became Present Hedonistic…
Unfortunately, the perceived pleasure of the burger and fries will only last a few minutes; she will start to turn into fat on her body in just a few hours, her low self-esteem and self-confidence, along with feelings of self-loathing, will quickly follow: she has broken her way to recovery. This is often followed by the common feeling of “Well, I’ve screwed up now, I’d better give up.”
But how different might the outcome have been if she had been trained to think differently, indeed to be reprogrammed, to broaden her time perspective around food? What if she had stopped for a few seconds at that burger joint and seen herself without having eaten the burger, six months later with her friends on the beach in Ibiza, wearing her new bikini, feeling and possibly looking like a million? dollars, brimming with self-respect and enjoying your increased energy levels? What if you had thought about how you felt about yourself maybe a year ago, before you allowed bulimia to take control of your life, or maybe you remembered the level of depression you had experienced the last time you had “wrong” and blew his plan.?
Is it possible that if she had been trained in both TPT and NP she would have made a completely different decision? Would the limited perceived pleasure of the hamburger, when viewed against the wide range of positive past and future positive thoughts and possible outcomes, have introduced a much more balanced perspective into her thinking?
The authors noted that it is common for a person to have a healthy perspective on time in one area of their life, but not in others.
For example: It is not unusual for an overweight person to be in complete control of their alcohol intake, but always relent when offered a bar of chocolate, a person can almost effortlessly resist trying cocaine all their lives, but regularly succumbs to a Big Mac. ; And how can an ex-smoker turn down the offer of a cigarette without thinking, but throw in the towel at the prospect of chicken korma? These people, like many others, show restraint in other areas of their lives. So if a person suffering from bulimia were trained to rewire their brains, as in Neuroplasticity, and introduce a healthier perspective of time, then take that same element of control and apply it to their eating habits, then the results could be very different. .
In a clinic in southern Spain, the underlying approach has been widely used in the field of bulimia treatment, used in conjunction with a number of proven psychological interventions, which play an increasing role in bulimia treatment.
Treatment is completed over multiple sessions on a non-residential basis. This is a dedicated session expanded around Time Perspective skills and incorporates elements of neuroplasticity awareness, enabling them to help people reprogram their thinking around food.
Following the development of approaches involving Zimbardos TPT and the unique basis of this with NP, the authors were invited to present a synopsis of their work at two world conferences.
