More Thoughts about Thinking!

My sincere apologies for the delay in posting! 

I wanted to take the time to let you know about a wonderful prevention program with which some of you may already be familiar.  It is called the Reflections Body Image Program and I recently had the privilege to receive training in this program so that I can implement it with students on my campus.

Right now the program is designed for college students; however, given the promising results thus far I would not be surprised if someone adapts the program to be used with younger individuals.

This particular program is based on the idea of "cognitive dissonance" and has shown tremendous results thus far!

I wrote previously about counteracting body image concerns with this thing called cognitive dissonance (please see my previous post).  Cognitive dissonance is the idea that when you experience psychological/mental discomfort you may be experiencing "dissonance."  When that happens we try to reduce the dissonance and bring ourselves back to a more comfortable state.  Cognitive dissonance happens when you engage in behaviors that are effectively the opposite of a firmly held belief.  For example if you are a female and believe that the "thin-ideal" (i.e., tall, narrow waist, large bust-line, etc.) is what you want for yourself, then you would experience dissonance if you were to try to convince someone else that the thin-ideal is NOT a good idea!  In order to reduce the dissonance your thinking about the thin-ideal would change and move more in-line with the "healthy-ideal."

Although I believe I recommended something similar in my previous post, I would like to challenge you again to intentionally engage in some experiences that will cause you dissonance in terms of your beliefs about unhealthy body image and eating disordered behavior.  One way to do that is to write a heart-felt letter to a "friend" who has the same beliefs you do - and convince them that their beliefs are not healthy!  You can even get specific to your sport.  Convince your "friend" that she does not have to look a certain way in order to perform at her best - but rather practice is a better predictor of improved performance.  Practice will allow your friend to stay competitive in their sport longer whereas unhealthy eating habits and views about body image may damage their body and prevent them from being able to perform well.

Give it a try, let me know what you think, what it was like.  Bring it to your counselor to talk about.  Let me know if you have other ideas about how to shift your thinking!

Comments

[Heather Mann]

This seems like a pretty cool concept. I have tried it, and it is starting to make me see the more negative effects of unhealthy eating and how it will not help in the long run. However, this understanding seems to disappear around food when anxiety rapidly sets in. I will continue trying this and see if it helps more with time. Thanks for the idea! :)

[Christine Selby]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience thus far! And awesome that you gave it a try! I am glad that you had a good initial experience and I am not surprised to hear that under increasing duress you had greater difficulty sustaining this new way of thinking. The more stressed-out/anxious we feel, the more likely we are to fall back on behaviors that we are used to. Keep practicing this new way of thinking. Like any skill, it takes practice and the more you do it the easier and more comfortable it will feel...and someday this may become your "default" rather than your "old" unhealthy thought patterns!

Keep it up! And keep me/us posted if you'd like!

[Heather Mann]

You mentioned that you work on a campus with students. Are you a professor or do you work there to help people with eating disorders? I will be starting college this fall and I’m worried about how it will work out if I am not in a decent place in recovery.

My goal is to become a clinical psychologist specializing in eating disorders, which is another concern because I know that I need to be fully recovered in order for that to become a reality. Any thoughts/ideas? Thanks :)

[Christine Selby]

I responded individually to the previous post; however, I figured I'd post some responses to her questions that may assist others as well.

I am a professor at a university in Maine and I am in part-time private practice as a licensed psychologist, sport psychologist and eating disorder specialist.

For those of you who are planning to attend college, are in college, or have life plans that you would considered to be stressful (even if you're looking forward to it!) I'd recommend identifying treatment professionals who specialize in working with individuals with eating disorders(ideally a licensed mental health practitioner, a physician/psychiatrist and a registered dietition/nutritionist) where you are sooner rather than later. Even if you don't think you need their assistance now you will know who to call/where to go when you do need them. That way you won't have to scramble and be stressed-out about finding help.

For those of you who plan to enter into a helping profession - it is important to be fully recovered before you can be of assistance to others. If you are not, you will likely find that the problems of those you help will be overwhelming and may in fact be triggers for your own unhealthy behaviors. And for your clients/patients that means that you will be less helpful, unhelpful or damaging to them due to your focus on your own problems. So this does not mean that you ignore your problems, but that you attend to them and ensure that those with whom you work are also taken care of - if not by you, then by someone else. So...take care of yourself so you can then help to care for others (including your children!).

Hope that helps some. As always feel free to comment publicly through this blog or directly to me (selbyc@husson.edu). Thanks!