Which of the Following is Not Part of Stage 1 of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Eating?
Which of the following is NOT part of Stage 1 of cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating?
The initial phase of treatment consists of cognitive restructuring and exposure therapy. This helps patients identify and challenge unhealthy thought patterns that lead them to engage in binge eating or other impulsive behaviors.
In addition to recognizing patterns, therapy also includes teaching skills that can be utilized outside of therapy sessions. These include problem-solving strategies, coping techniques and emotional regulation techniques.
At this stage, patients learn strategies for resisting between-meals eating. This may involve taking a walk or leaving the kitchen temporarily to get away from temptation.
Treatment for anxiety disorders typically takes place one-on-one or in a group setting, though it’s also possible. Eating between scheduled meals and snacks, commonly referred to as “residual bingeing,” can cause patients considerable stress and increase the likelihood of relapse.
Another essential aspect of treatment involves keeping food records at regular intervals to monitor how much and what they eat, as well as how they feel after eating. This enables patients to recognize when their eating behavior needs to change when they don’t adhere to rules, and that fear of weight gain or bingeing isn’t an unavoidable reality.
The therapist can assist the patient in recognizing their rigid dietary rules and beliefs that support them. While these can often be extreme or restrictive, they don’t have to lead to a negative body image.
CBT for Eating can challenge these dietary rules so they are reformulated according to the patient’s new understanding and beliefs. For instance, they might be replaced with a continuum thinking strategy such as “I can eat whatever I want without feeling guilty about it.”
Exposure therapies, which gradually introduce small amounts of anxiety-inducing situations and activities into a client’s life (e.g., gradually increasing time spent at the supermarket or dentist’s office), are forms of cognitive behavioral therapy and have proven successful for people suffering from phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, or panic disorders.
In 2017, NICE and Dutch guidelines reiterated that cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating (CBT-ED) was the most successful treatment option for nonunderweight adults with eating disorders. Furthermore, CBT-ED was recommended as a primary form of therapy for underweight individuals due to its higher success rate compared to other forms of treatment.
