Bulimia help – is hypnotherapy effective?

Bulimia help

Bulimia help with hypnotherapy.

I was prompted to write this blog as I have recently treated a bulimic that had been bingeing and purging since she was in her early teens.  She confessed that at the age of 25 somebody had pointed out to her that her behaviour was ‘not normal’. Up until this point in her life she was unaware that she was bulimic and suffering with a serious mental health issue.

It took me back to a time in my own childhood where a very close friend was eating large amounts of food, then vomiting it up. She would take whole boxes of laxatives to purge herself of even the tiniest amount of food. She was super conscious of her body weight and would spiral into complete despair if she had picked up so much as half a pound. Her hair was falling out; she had very bad skin and was extremely volatile and anxious a lot of the time. At that time bulimia help was not as diverse as it is today in terms of alternative therapies.

She was completely unaware that she was bulimic or indeed that her weight control methods were completely abnormal. I didn’t know it at the time but it was later revealed that she had been sexually abused by her step father from the age of 11 years old .

I am not trying to suggest that all bulimics have a history of sexual abuse , but time and time again when I see clients suffering with anxiety, depression, anorexia, bulimia, low self esteem or any kind of mental health issue there is usually a trigger. This could be a traumatic event, a bad childhood, abuse, and bullying, domestic violence. My favourite saying at the moment is ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’.  So sometimes it takes somebody to point out that what you think is normal, is anything but. With that said, most bulimics are completely aware that what they are doing is abnormal and will go to extremes to hide their binge/purge behaviour from family, friends and loved ones, this often makes it very difficult for family members to seek bulimia help for the sufferer.

Research does show that factors such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, bereavement, emotional neglect, and poverty in adolescence can result in body disorders particularly in young women. The resulting low self esteem, guilt and negative self belief caused by these kinds of traumatic events perpetuate the self punishment, self injury and self destructive behaviour (1).

In order to treat the bulimic disorder, the underlying anxiety needs to be treated first.

Trying to stop a bulimic to stop bingeing without addressing the underlying issues only creates more anxiety for the bulimic. Negative self belief needs to be addressed, self esteem needs to be re-built and overall belief systems challenged, anxiety levels need to be reduced, and new coping mechanisms introduced.

Research shows that CBT intervention (Cognitive behavioural therapy) can elicit a rapid positive outcome for bulimic clients. (2)

With Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy I work to challenge an individual’s belief systems, identify triggering events and re-build self esteem.  I use a variety of techniques including regression to not only uncover significant traumatic events that may have contributed to the onset of bulimia but also to de-sensitise and or/reframe any traumatic event that may be present. I challenge thought patterns and beliefs with a combination of CBT methods and hypnosis. I help facilitate practical de-railing techniques to help move through the binge purge cycle. Most bulimic are excessive by nature, but this can be channelled into positive outcomes.

If you are interested in bulimia help and would like to try hypnotherapy, please contact me on 01634 307030 or email me on enquiries@dohypnosiskent.co.uk.

Although bulimia does not have a dedicated page on my website currently, I do treat bulimics as long as you are not in need of hospitalization or in house treatment. Bulimia will require an absolute minimum of six sessions. Please see my prices page for information on block prices.

For more information on bulimia please see the NHS  website which has a wealth of information

https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Bulimia/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Research quoted in this blog.

(1)Psychiatria Danubina, 2015; Vol. 27, Suppl. 1, pp 336–338 Conference paper © Medicinska naklada – Zagreb, Croatia. Can violence cause eating disorders ? Maria Rosaria

http://www.hdbp.org/psychiatria_danubina/pdf/dnb_vol27_sup1/dnb_vol27_sup1_336.pdf

(2) MacDonald, D. E., McFarlane, T. L., Dionne, M. M., David, L., & Olmsted, M. P. (2017). Rapid response to intensive treatment for bulimia nervosa and purging disorder: A randomized controlled trial of a CBT intervention to facilitate early behavior change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85(9), 896-908.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000221

Please note results may vary from person to person. There are never guarantees when undergoing any form of therapy and for this reason we do not offer any guarantees for any of our hypnotherapy services. *