Let's Beat Bulimia
Let's Beat Bulimia
By
Martin Shirran
Submitted On March 04, 2016
Removing the Bulimia Blinkers...
A horse wears blinkers to stop them seeing either behind them, or from being distracted by what's going on beside them; their vision is restricted to see only what's ahead... in front of their eyes...
Recently new psychological approaches developed around the well-documented and researched Time Perspective Theories (TPT), as developed by Professor Philip Zimbardo and his team at Stanford University in San Francisco USA, coupled with the new scientific research and understanding in the field of Neuroplasticity (NP), may together offer a radical new approach in the treatment of Bulimia.
Removing the blinkers, TPT is based on the in-depth understanding and importance of a person's perspective of time and how it dramatically affects their daily lives; and it does. Every choice, or decision, we make is determined by our perception of time, often without us even being aware of it. As Zimbardo says in his book, time gives us direction and depth in our lives, which we can as an example use to better our health, if we so wish, and if we are aware of it.
Neuroplasticity research has advanced in line with brain-imaging technology. It has confirmed two things; firstly that our brains never stop growing, and secondly, maybe more importantly, that our brains can adapt and continually change. You really can learn to think and behave differently, regardless of your age: in effect your brain can be reprogrammed.
Let us explain... When someone is thinking about doing something rash, for instance making a large purchase on their credit card, maybe buying a cinema-sized TV that they know deep down they cannot really afford: they stop, hopefully, thinking about the consequences over the coming months of having to struggle to pay off the debt. They consider if they will still be able to afford the planned family holiday, maybe they think back to their past, ill-thought through, extravagant purchases that they have come to regret. At that stage, since they have an unbiased time perspective, past, present and future, it results in them making a hopefully far more informed decision.
Similarly, when a person is thinking about driving home when they have had maybe one extra drink that they believe has pushed them over the drink drive limit, they too, stop and think about the consequences on their and their family's lives, the future effect on their income should they lose their licence: they may think back to 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.
They could of course, in both instances, have had a bias in their time perspective and been classed as Present Hedonistic, thinking only about the Here and Now. But thankfully, they automatically, and without consciously being aware, widened their perspective of time, and viewed the situation from a more, dare we say it, educated and informed position, further considering the consequences of their potential actions. They adjusted their perspective of time and used that information to make their decision.
An analogy commonly used to describe individuals who are classed as being Present Hedonistic in TPT relates to those addicted to cocaine use: the addict almost always thinks only in the here and now. Their perspective of time is considered biased; they are present thinkers.
Recently a therapeutic approach where both TPT and NP are interwoven and used in combination to help treat a diverse range of problems has produced increased success levels in individuals. The unique method which involves the underpinning of TPT with NP, has resulted in the level of successful outcomes of those suffering from Bulimia being piqued.
The method has been used to help treat a truly diverse range of issues, from helping couples with relationship problems, to assisting individuals battling with Depression, to name but two. But it was in regard to the treatment of those wishing to overcome Bulimia that the new approach became exciting.
Research based on information gathered from individuals suffering from a range of eating disorders indicated that many had a biased perspective of time around food and eating issues. It was identified that they were, in the authors words, wearing blinkers; their time perspective with regard to their eating habits was biased and very narrow, focussed almost exclusively on the here and now. They were Present Hedonistic with regard to excessive binging: they wanted the pleasure of food, and they wanted it now.
It is easy to imagine a person who has been successfully following a treatment protocol to combat their Bulimia, maybe seeing a steady progress and movement towards normality around food, she is starting to feel good about herself and her appearance, maybe they have already started to believe that they can fully recover, permanently.
One evening when out with friends, on the way home they call at a burger bar. She has already eaten. She agrees to just go in and wait with them whilst they order: she is, after all, on her road to recovery. Then she sees her friend's burger and fries in front of her; it smells and looks appetising. She sees her friends ordering and eating it; she wants one too, and in a heartbeat gives in and orders one for herself, maybe thinking she could in fact eat two, regardless of the fact that she has already eaten dinner. In that moment she became Present Hedonistic...
The perceived pleasure from the burger and fries will sadly last for just a few short minutes; it will start to turn to fat in her body in just a few hours, her low self-esteem and self-confidence, along with feelings of self-loathing, will rapidly follow: she has broken her route to reccovery. This is often followed by the all-to-common feeling of "Well I've blown it now, I may as well just give in."
But how different could the outcome have been, if she had been trained to think differently, in effect to be reprogrammed, to widen her perspective of time around food? What if she had stopped for just a few seconds in that burger bar, and seen herself not having had the burger, six months down the line with her friends on the beach in Ibiza, wearing her new bikini, feeling, and possibly looking like a million dollars, overflowing with self-respect and enjoying her increased energy levels? What if she had thought back to how she felt about herself maybe a year ago, before she had allowed the Bulimia to take control of her life, or maybe remembered the level of depression she had experienced the last time she had 'messed up' and blown her plan.?
Might it be possible that if she had been trained in both TPT and NP that she would have made a completely different decision; the perceived narrow pleasure of the burger, when viewed against the wide array of past positive and future positive thoughts and potential outcomes, would have introduced a far more balanced perspective in her thinking?
The authors noted that it's common for a person to have a healthy time perspective in one area of their lives, but not others.
For instance: it's not unusual for an overweight person to be in total control of their alcohol consumption, yet always give in when offered a bar of chocolate, a person can almost effortlessly resist trying cocaine all their life, yet regularly succumb to a Big Mac; and how an ex-smoker can turn down the offer of a cigarette without thinking, but throw in the towel at the prospect of a chicken korma? These people, like many others, show restraint in other areas of their lives. So, if a person suffering with Bulimia was trained to re-programme their brains, as in Neuro Plasticity, and introduce a more healthy perspective of time, then take that same element of control and apply it to their eating habits, then outcomes could be very different.
At a clinic in Southern Spain, the underpinning approach has been used extensively in the field of Bulimia treatment, this is used in conjunction with a number of proven psychological interventions, playing an ever growing role in the treatment Bulimia.
The treatment, is completed during multiple sessions on a non residential basis. It involves an extended dedicated session around Time Perspective skills, and incorporates elements of Neuroplasticity awareness, allowing them to help individuals reprogrammed their thinking around food.
Following the development of the approaches involving Zimbardos TPT and the unique underpinning of it with NP, the authors were invited, to present a synopsis of their work at two world conferences.
A horse wears blinkers to stop them seeing either behind them, or from being distracted by what's going on beside them; their vision is restricted to see only what's ahead... in front of their eyes...
Recently new psychological approaches developed around the well-documented and researched Time Perspective Theories (TPT), as developed by Professor Philip Zimbardo and his team at Stanford University in San Francisco USA, coupled with the new scientific research and understanding in the field of Neuroplasticity (NP), may together offer a radical new approach in the treatment of Bulimia.
Removing the blinkers, TPT is based on the in-depth understanding and importance of a person's perspective of time and how it dramatically affects their daily lives; and it does. Every choice, or decision, we make is determined by our perception of time, often without us even being aware of it. As Zimbardo says in his book, time gives us direction and depth in our lives, which we can as an example use to better our health, if we so wish, and if we are aware of it.
Neuroplasticity research has advanced in line with brain-imaging technology. It has confirmed two things; firstly that our brains never stop growing, and secondly, maybe more importantly, that our brains can adapt and continually change. You really can learn to think and behave differently, regardless of your age: in effect your brain can be reprogrammed.
Let us explain... When someone is thinking about doing something rash, for instance making a large purchase on their credit card, maybe buying a cinema-sized TV that they know deep down they cannot really afford: they stop, hopefully, thinking about the consequences over the coming months of having to struggle to pay off the debt. They consider if they will still be able to afford the planned family holiday, maybe they think back to their past, ill-thought through, extravagant purchases that they have come to regret. At that stage, since they have an unbiased time perspective, past, present and future, it results in them making a hopefully far more informed decision.
Similarly, when a person is thinking about driving home when they have had maybe one extra drink that they believe has pushed them over the drink drive limit, they too, stop and think about the consequences on their and their family's lives, the future effect on their income should they lose their licence: they may think back to 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.
They could of course, in both instances, have had a bias in their time perspective and been classed as Present Hedonistic, thinking only about the Here and Now. But thankfully, they automatically, and without consciously being aware, widened their perspective of time, and viewed the situation from a more, dare we say it, educated and informed position, further considering the consequences of their potential actions. They adjusted their perspective of time and used that information to make their decision.
An analogy commonly used to describe individuals who are classed as being Present Hedonistic in TPT relates to those addicted to cocaine use: the addict almost always thinks only in the here and now. Their perspective of time is considered biased; they are present thinkers.
Recently a therapeutic approach where both TPT and NP are interwoven and used in combination to help treat a diverse range of problems has produced increased success levels in individuals. The unique method which involves the underpinning of TPT with NP, has resulted in the level of successful outcomes of those suffering from Bulimia being piqued.
The method has been used to help treat a truly diverse range of issues, from helping couples with relationship problems, to assisting individuals battling with Depression, to name but two. But it was in regard to the treatment of those wishing to overcome Bulimia that the new approach became exciting.
Research based on information gathered from individuals suffering from a range of eating disorders indicated that many had a biased perspective of time around food and eating issues. It was identified that they were, in the authors words, wearing blinkers; their time perspective with regard to their eating habits was biased and very narrow, focussed almost exclusively on the here and now. They were Present Hedonistic with regard to excessive binging: they wanted the pleasure of food, and they wanted it now.
It is easy to imagine a person who has been successfully following a treatment protocol to combat their Bulimia, maybe seeing a steady progress and movement towards normality around food, she is starting to feel good about herself and her appearance, maybe they have already started to believe that they can fully recover, permanently.
One evening when out with friends, on the way home they call at a burger bar. She has already eaten. She agrees to just go in and wait with them whilst they order: she is, after all, on her road to recovery. Then she sees her friend's burger and fries in front of her; it smells and looks appetising. She sees her friends ordering and eating it; she wants one too, and in a heartbeat gives in and orders one for herself, maybe thinking she could in fact eat two, regardless of the fact that she has already eaten dinner. In that moment she became Present Hedonistic...
The perceived pleasure from the burger and fries will sadly last for just a few short minutes; it will start to turn to fat in her body in just a few hours, her low self-esteem and self-confidence, along with feelings of self-loathing, will rapidly follow: she has broken her route to reccovery. This is often followed by the all-to-common feeling of "Well I've blown it now, I may as well just give in."
But how different could the outcome have been, if she had been trained to think differently, in effect to be reprogrammed, to widen her perspective of time around food? What if she had stopped for just a few seconds in that burger bar, and seen herself not having had the burger, six months down the line with her friends on the beach in Ibiza, wearing her new bikini, feeling, and possibly looking like a million dollars, overflowing with self-respect and enjoying her increased energy levels? What if she had thought back to how she felt about herself maybe a year ago, before she had allowed the Bulimia to take control of her life, or maybe remembered the level of depression she had experienced the last time she had 'messed up' and blown her plan.?
Might it be possible that if she had been trained in both TPT and NP that she would have made a completely different decision; the perceived narrow pleasure of the burger, when viewed against the wide array of past positive and future positive thoughts and potential outcomes, would have introduced a far more balanced perspective in her thinking?
The authors noted that it's common for a person to have a healthy time perspective in one area of their lives, but not others.
For instance: it's not unusual for an overweight person to be in total control of their alcohol consumption, yet always give in when offered a bar of chocolate, a person can almost effortlessly resist trying cocaine all their life, yet regularly succumb to a Big Mac; and how an ex-smoker can turn down the offer of a cigarette without thinking, but throw in the towel at the prospect of a chicken korma? These people, like many others, show restraint in other areas of their lives. So, if a person suffering with Bulimia was trained to re-programme their brains, as in Neuro Plasticity, and introduce a more healthy perspective of time, then take that same element of control and apply it to their eating habits, then outcomes could be very different.
At a clinic in Southern Spain, the underpinning approach has been used extensively in the field of Bulimia treatment, this is used in conjunction with a number of proven psychological interventions, playing an ever growing role in the treatment Bulimia.
The treatment, is completed during multiple sessions on a non residential basis. It involves an extended dedicated session around Time Perspective skills, and incorporates elements of Neuroplasticity awareness, allowing them to help individuals reprogrammed their thinking around food.
Following the development of the approaches involving Zimbardos TPT and the unique underpinning of it with NP, the authors were invited, to present a synopsis of their work at two world conferences.
Martin Shirran, is clinical director you can read the views of
past clients that have suffered with Bulimia using this approach at http://eliteclinics.com/bulimia.aspx read the stories of past clients, listen to radio interviews, form your own opinion.
For more information he can be contacted at mail@eliteclinics.com
For more information he can be contacted at mail@eliteclinics.com
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