1. Determine What Therapy Is Best
During the diagnosis process for bulimia, you will undergo a psychological evaluation. This is essentially a lengthy interview where you'll talk about the symptoms of bulimia you have, their severity and how they have affected your normal day-to-day behavior. You will also take several psychological tests and assessments during your evaluation. The purpose for all this testing is not only to determine whether or not you have bulimia, but also to provide a starting point for your therapist, who will be trying to determine the best kind of therapy to treat your bulimia.
2. Use Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Change Your Thinking.
Cognitive behavior therapy starts with the belief that you and your thoughts are ultimately responsible for how you act. This is useful when dealing with bulimics who are perfectionists, have low self-esteem or are driven to fit society's idea of being beautiful by being thin. Cognitive behavior therapy works because it targets these beliefs and behaviors. Through talking, the therapist discovers what thought processes lead you to be bulimic, then helps you replace those processes with new ones. This doesn't happen all at one time. It can take months for the therapist to change the behaviors that need to be eliminated in order to be more effective. Ideally, the result is to give you new positive beliefs and habits in place of the ones that led you to become bulimic.
3. Mend Relationships with Interpersonal Therapy
Several issues with interpersonal communication can lead to someone becoming bulimic. The pent-up stress and aggression that can end in binge eating may result from someone not knowing how to properly express their feelings. This is where interpersonal therapy comes in. When a therapist engages in interpersonal therapy, they investigate your relationships and how you react when interacting with others. Their goal is to improve your interpersonal skills and help you come up with ways to react when you are confronted with adversity. This will help relieve the stress and frustration that leads to binge eating and bulimia.
4. Take an Active Part in the Therapy
Regardless of the therapy you receive, it will go better if you are an active participant in it. Be open with your therapist about what is working and not working with your therapy, and tell them if you notice any side effects as a result of your treatment. Since the only person who really knows what is going on inside your head is you, your insight will be a valuable part of the bulimia therapy.
