Cognitive Distortions in Eating Disorders

Cognitive Distortions in Eating Disorders

 So, first thing’s first… what are cognitive distortions? Cognitive distortions, a term first coined by David Burns in his 1981 book Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, are negative ways of thinking that are inaccurate, misinformed, and designed to increase negative feelings about ourselves, others, and the world around us. Basically, cognitive distortions are up to no good and can contribute greatly to the development of (and worsening of) eating disorders. Another bad part about them is that our brains tend to lean towards cognitive distortions during times of distress and negative experiences, which, I know what you’re thinking, is the WORST time for that to happen. And you would be right - cognitive distortions tend to come around at the worst possible time and generally make already negative thoughts worse.

Here is a list of the ten most common cognitive distortions and brief definitions/examples of each relating to eating disorders:

1.     All-or-Nothing/Black-and-White Thinking:

·      “I am either thin or fat”; there is no in-between.

2.     Over-Generalization:

·      “I acted on this one urge, so that means I will never be able to stop acting on urges and won’t recover.”

3.     Discounting the Positives:

·      You are unable to take in any compliments from others, either because you feel like you don’t deserve it or because it may turn into an expectation for you to meet.

4.     Emotional Reasoning:

·      Feeling a certain way makes it true; “I feel fat” means “I am fat.” Or “I feel hopeless” means “I am hopeless.”

5.     Mind-Reading:

·      Thinking you can know what will happen or what others are thinking; “Nobody will like me unless I am thin.”

6.     Personalizing and Blaming:

·      Things are always done to you on purpose or blame is put on others instead of taking responsibility; “He hung out with that girl because he would rather see her than me.” Or “My mother’s dieting caused my eating disorder.”

7.     Magnification or Minimization:

·      Think either mountain out of a mole hill or mole hill out of a mountain; “There are no clothing stores that will have anything that will ever fit me” or “My eating disorder behaviors aren’t that bad right now.”

8.     Mental Filter:

·      You went six days without an ED behavior and acted on one urge, but you only focus on your one slip up without recognizing that you went 6 days without one.

9.     Should Statements:

·      “Should’ing” all over yourself or giving yourself expectations that are not real or true; “I should be able to do this without any help.”

10.  Labeling:

·      Identifying yourself with one incident; “I acted on a behavior today” becomes “I am a failure.”

 As you can see, many of these play off one another and tend to compile until you are all-out catastrophizing what started out as a small situation or thought. Not to worry though, because there are ways to deal with these malicious thought patterns! The use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skills can be very useful in managing these uncomfortable and damaging thought processes. If you identified with any of the cognitive distortions listed above and find that they are similar to thoughts you have experienced before, then AMAZING! Identifying the triggers for these thoughts and recognizing that the thought patterns are harmful and illogical are the first steps in taking them down a notch. In the Skills Groups that we offer at Focus Integrative Centers, our therapists teach helpful methods and techniques to our clients to assist them in combatting the cognitive distortions they experience, but you can work on this with your individual therapist or even on your own, as well! Next time you find yourself having a cognitive distortion, you can do some research or talk to your therapist about the following key skills in helping with cognitive distortions:

·      Cognitive Defusion

·      Thought-Feeling-Action chains

·      CBT Triangle

·      Socratic Questioning

·      Un-hooking

·      Fact-Checking

·      “Putting Thoughts on Trial”

·      W.H.A.T. and H.O.W.

If you’re in search for a therapist or counselor of your own, please reach out to us. Our Knoxville team specializes in eating disorders, body image issues, trauma, EMDR, anxiety, depression, grief, relationships, and many other areas of mental health. We’d be glad to help with emotional issues you’ve been struggling with.

 

Contributed by Hannah Crawford, MS, NCC, Program Therapist, at Focus Integrative Centers, Knoxville, TN

Resources:

Burns, D. D. (1981). Feeling good: The new mood therapy. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

 Costin, C., Grabb, G. S., and Rothschild, B. (2013). 8 Keys to recovery from an eating disorder: Effective strategies from therapeutic practice and personal experience. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.

 

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