What is bulimia nervosa?
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves episodes of binge eating followed by purging with periods of normal eating in between that can affect your physical and mental health.
It may feel overwhelming, or uncertain, and it is common to feel shame while struggling with this, but it’s important to remember that you are not alone and there is always hope of a full recovery. There are many people out there who have gone through this condition and have recovered successfully so do not lose hope. This article will help you find your path toward recovery.
What causes bulimia?
The cause for this disorder has not been definitively identified but there are several factors that may contribute to its development:
- Genetics – family history of mood disorders or substance abuse increases the chance of developing bulimia nervosa.
- Psychological – stressors such as low self-esteem, perfectionism, difficulty setting boundaries between work/personal life, or traumatic events can trigger bouts of bingeing followed by purging behaviours.
- Physiological – Bulimia nervosa may also be caused by an imbalance of certain chemicals in your brain (specifically serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine), which could lead to feelings of being not in control when it comes to food your intake.
Whatever the causes of Bulimia, remember that it can be cured and you can recover from this condition with a little determination.
What are the symptoms of bulimia?
Bulimia nervosa can have some impact on your daily life. If you suspect that you have bulimia, it is important to seek treatment to get clarity on what is going on beyond the behaviour. Bulimia symptoms can include:
Obsession with food
The first symptom of bulimia nervosa is an obsession with food. You might look at pictures or recipes, think about when you can eat certain foods, or even plan a meal before you go out to eat. Because of this obsession with food, people who have bulimia often do not feel good about the amount of food they eat. As a result of the weight gain they try to compensate for their overeating by purging after a meal.
Eating in secret
It’s not uncommon for someone with bulimia nervosa to eat in secret. You may hide your food or eat only when you’re alone so that no one can see or judge you for your eating habits.
Purging after eating
You might purge after eating, by vomiting, fasting or by other means. Purging is a way of getting rid of calories or food you’ve eaten—and it may be the only way you see yourself as being able to control your weight.
What can help - bulimia treatment
Bulimia treatment can help you learn to manage your eating disorder, stop purging and control your eating. Bulimia treatment is designed to help you reduce binge eating by understanding the core issue, and then developing new ways of thinking about food and your body, as well as find other ways to cope with difficult emotions.
Getting support for Bulimia Nervosa
We provide online therapeutic sessions with emphasis on improving your lifestyle and health, both mental and physical. This is a journey we go on together, mutual exploration of both the physical and the mental, the spiritual and emotional.
Counselling and therapy for Bulimia
Therapies can have huge benefits and can bring you to a new relationship with yourself and food. Some common types are as follows:
Psychotherapy for Bulimia
Psychotherapy can help you in treating eating disorders by understanding the root causes, as well as the practical aspects of recovery. You’ll meet with a therapist on a regular basis, who will listen carefully to what you have to say and ask questions about your thoughts and feelings in order to understand more about how your eating disorder affects you. You may find it helpful to talk about your experiences from the past and explore how they may have contributed to developing bulimia nervosa.
CBT for Bulimia
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that helps you to change the way you think and behave.
This can help with bulimia nervosa, as it can help you to challenge your thoughts and behaviours, manage your emotions, and develop skills for coping with life.
CBT is good in the short term, not in the long term.
Counselling for Bulimia
Counselling for bulimia nervosa is a way of talking about your feelings and understanding them so that you can develop better ways of managing them. You may have bulimia because you don’t feel good about yourself – for example, if you have low self-esteem or problems with body image.
Counselling can help you understand why you think this way, and help you to developer a new relationship with your thoughts that will make life easier.
Benefits of therapy for Bulimia
Therapy has been shown to be effective in treating bulimia nervosa. It can help you develop coping strategies and learn new ways of thinking about your eating disorder. It can also help you understand the root cause of your eating disorder, which may prevent it from recurring in the future.
Talking about how you feel
The first and most important benefit of therapy for bulimia nervosa is that you can share your feelings with a trained professional who will listen attentively. This is often the first time you’ve really talked about how you feel and why, and it may be uncomfortable at first. But with support from your therapist and practice talking about your emotions, you’ll find that it gets easier every session.
Building a connection to your body
The third benefit of therapy is building a connection to your body. This means learning how to feel what’s going on inside of you and taking care of those needs. A therapist can help you learn how to do this by guiding you through exercises that help you maintain a healthy weight by focusing on different parts of your body and recognize sensations in them.
Challenging negative thoughts
The second benefit of therapy is challenging your negative thoughts. As you’re probably aware by now, one of the main symptoms of bulimia nervosa is having a distorted view of yourself and your body. One way to overcome this is to challenge your negative thoughts through CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy).
Bringing motivation to change
Fourth, therapy can help you to bring motivation to change. If you are feeling stuck or hopeless about being able to change the way that you are eating, then working with someone can help adopt regular eating habits by breaking the cycle of self-criticism and negative thought patterns.
Support groups after treatment for Bulimia Nervosa
Support groups are a great way to find individuals who understand what you’re going through. It’s also a great way to stay motivated and get out of your headspace, particularly if you’re having trouble focusing on recovery. Support groups can help you realize that it will not last forever and that you’ll be recovered.
The people you meet through these meetings help you see things in new ways—new perspectives on old problems, new solutions for old problems—that are invaluable in the years even after the end of treatment.
Question & Answers
BULIMIA THERAPY - FAQ
What defines bulimia?
Bulimia is an obsession with the body and eating, it is an emotional experience where people starve themselves, and then eat, and often purge afterwards, definitions of eating disorders are often very fixed, we prefer the fluid approach, where the label is not important.
How do you diagnose an eating disorder?
We don’t get involved in diagnosis, you will need a psychiatrist to diagnose you, we prefer not to use labels, and see people as human, help them with their humannes rather than giving labels.
Do you offer dual diagnosis therapy for bulimia and drugs?
Can you help me with my weight?
Your weight will be effected by your eating and purging, it is natural, and it is not a point of focus but it will change over time in therapy your ability to make decisions will also change so it will become easier, you will be less emotionally driven in the moment.
What is the best therapy for bulimia nervosa?
There is no one size fits all, we would suggest you avoid anyone with this selling tactic, and be guided by your heart and mind to find a relationship with someone who helps you feel understood.
About The Author
Jason Shiers Dip.Psych MBACP
Jason Shiers is a Certified Transformative Coach & Certified Psychotherapist. Jason has been working with addictions and people in recovery for over 25 years now and is always looking towards the innate mental health that is inside everyone.
This therapy is a holistic view of the mind body taking approaches from psychological understandings, somatic practices and spiritual explorations such as non duality and advaita vedanta.
Jason has been cited in multiple articles about addiction, therapy, coaching and mental health and is a regular contributor to many different websites.
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