Persons who have battled an eating disorder can have a hard time trying to figure out their ongoing diet once they have received help for their disorder. Going to the grocery store can be a daunting task to figure out which foods to buy and which ones to stay away from. Labels can be confusing with low-fat, low-carb, gluten-free, non-GMO, and many other descriptions that can cause confusion without the proper food knowledge.
Many eating disorder sufferers view food as the enemy instead of as a basic need to stay alive. With that type of mentality, exposure therapy is a useful way to see food as a means to remain healthy and alive. By exposing someone to the phobia, anxiety, provocation, or trauma, they can learn how to develop coping skills to deal with their fears head on. Someone with an eating disorder can learn to confront their food fears with some direction from their therapist.
Getting to the root cause of an eating disorder is the first order of business in therapy. Food is merely a symptom of an eating order and understanding the issues that caused it can withhold someone from abusing their body. Fear typically surrounds what someone should or should not eat to maintain a healthy outlook on food. Exposure therapy can be a way to aid a person with an eating disorder to make better choices regarding nourishment by allowing them to work though the aversion they have.
Using exposure therapy allows stress and anxiety to become minimized. In the case of an eating disorder, a person who does not want to eat probably has less interest in buying, prepping, and preparing food for themselves. Dieticians have become effective in guiding clients through the grocery store to help them improve their food knowledge or assist them in getting more comfortable around food. With FaceTime, a dietitian can ride along in the shopping cart to advise a person who has no idea what to shop for suggestions to make the chore much easier.
With the help of their dietitian and their therapist, exposure therapy has worked for those who want to improve their mindset involving the perspective of food with someone with an eating disorder. A virtual dietitian is a great tool for someone to gain a healthier relationship with food.
Serenity Oaks Wellness Center is a 5-week extensive treatment program that can help someone that needs assistance to stop their alcohol and drug use. Once they are done with our program, we are not finished with showing them how to abstain from drugs and alcohol. Our THRIVE Alumni Mentor Program can be useful in the next phrase of your recovery.
