More Than Just The Food: The Underlying Components of Eating Disorders and Multifamily Therapy

What the heck is an eating disorder anyway?

An eating disorder is a disease of disconnection. It will try its best to disconnect victims from their families, friends, and most of all, themselves. Think about the course of your own eating disorder. At its worst point, were you more focused on your friends and family or maintaining the disorder itself? Did you have a life, or was your life preoccupied with the demands of your disorder?

The logic behind the therapy

No, no. We’re not just making this stuff up.

Psychoeducational multifamily therapy group brings loved ones, friends, or anyone that a patient feels is important to them together. The goal is to fight the eating disorder by reconnecting. Research has shown that by bringing together people dealing with similar difficulties and pushing their problems to a forefront, feelings of universality and cohesiveness are formed in realizing the struggles that every family and patient is experiencing. Trust me, you are not alone. However, differences in issues that are brought up are equally important. Studies show that the existence of difference within the connection (e.g. openness to different feelings, concerns, and perspectives) is what empowers you to disconnect from the eating disorder.

Well, that’s great and all, but what about getting rid of this thing for good?

It really works, I promise!

The recovery of eating disorders is a timely, difficult process, and as you probably can understand, it’s not a disorder that is frequently immune from future relapses. How does multifamily therapy group help prevent these relapses? Well, first of all, it teaches your family members how to help you. A major complaint of both patients and parents is a lack of understanding of the other. Patients are ashamed and shut down to expressing their emotions, while parents are confused about the right ways to encourage and intervene.

How many times has one of your parents said something infuriating such as “why can’t you just eat this?” or “it’s worrying me how thin you look.” By teaching family members what you need to hear when you’re continuing your progress, when you’ve slipped up a little, and when you really need encouraging, you’re enabling them to reach out to you. This component of multifamily therapy group has been shown to greatly improve the number of eating disorder relapses.

In addition to improved relationships with yourself and other loved ones, multifamily therapy group has also been linked with numerous other successes in the treatment of eating disorders. It seems that the therapy is providing at least some levels of long-term success. Reductions in the desire to practice eating disorder behaviors, actual implementation of these behaviors, and a perceived decrease in these behaviors as reported by parents have been found following the implementation of the therapy. Additionally, quicker recovery periods following relapse, shorter inpatient stays, and higher levels of both patient and family member satisfaction have been reported.

“A few weeks ago I had the best weekend as far as food goes,” said a 34-year-old woman and recovered anorexic who underwent multifamily therapy group. “When you learn to feel good about your relationships again, the food just comes.” Whether or not you know it now, you’re going to feel better when you commit to the journey of recovery.

Okay, fine. This pain in the butt, super-involved family stuff will eventually make me feel better…with a lot of hard work. But what’s wrong with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)? Change the way I think about food, and let’s get on with it.

You have to be in control of your thoughts (ahem…by doing things like eating!), before you can begin to change them.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as 123 CBT. CBT has had tremendous success in treating a wide variety of disorders by working to fix both illogical thoughts and their resulting behaviors. However, eating disorders are not included on this list for several important reasons.

CBT is for fixing thoughts that people know are irrational and just can’t seem to shake. It is especially effective at treating phobias. For example, someone who is afraid of flying is typically aware that his or her fear is irrational. He or she knows that people travel on planes every single day of the year and that statistically, planes are a safer method of travel than driving a car. Still, their behavior of abstaining from flying remains. Over a period of time, a cognitive-behavioral therapist can help this person. They are not physically affected by this problem nor are they emotionally affected in ways beyond the actual fear of flying.

Eating disorders are a little different. Earlier I talked about your parents not knowing the right things to say, particularly things concerning your eating disorder. Well, let’s be fair, and look at the situation from their perspective. You probably aren’t always receptive to their help and, at times, you become very upset or angry at their comments. It’s true that everyone does this at some point, but your eating disorder only makes it worse.

If you look at the literature, it makes a little more sense. When compared to women without eating disorders, women with eating disorders perceived happy and neutral looking faces more negatively. They also paid significantly more attention to angry and fearful faces than neutral and happy faces.

These emotional difficulties can definitely hinder your ability to assess someone’s expression, verbal tone, and intention. The longer you’ve gone without properly eating, the more your brain will be affected and the more these misperceptions will occur. While CBT can be very effective once emotions can be rationally explained and perceived, multifamily therapy group specifically addresses these common communication issues and helps implement changes among yourself and your friends and family.

“Noone ever said it would be easy, just that it would be worth it.”

If you work hard in multifamily therapy group, you’re putting yourself on the right track to conquer your eating disorder. If you’re not yet in a place where you want to recover, do it because you need to. Do it because you want to be healthy and live. Do it for the people who you love and care about. Do it for your future. Do it for all the things you’d never be able to do if the eating disorder continues to disconnect “you” from YOU! You can do this. By enrolling with us, you’re already well on your way to the beautiful journey of recovery. Congratulations!