Thursday, August 9, 2007

DICHOTOMOUS (BLACK-AND-WHITE) THINKING

"I am perfect or a failure. I am thin or fat. I starve or binge."

Dichotomous thinking, leaving no room for the in-between, is a common feature of eating disordered individuals. This type of thinking often leads clients down a path of continued pain and suffering. Realizing or getting help to realize that, one can not be the best at everything. Being perfect or the quest to find the perfect body is often the goal of these individuals.
The female clients that I have worked with have found it to be essential to uncover why they have such a need to please and to be the best at EVERYTHING. For the most part, they have lost sight and are not aware of the impossibility of the task they have set for themselves by thinking this way. They have been living there lives with the notion..."If I work hard enough", "I will not make a mistake" or "If I eat I'll be fat; if I don't eat fat, I'll be thin."
With self discovery via coaching and assistance most clients are finding that their world was such and that those that are focused and committed to making changes are better able to do so.
(*Some cases are recommended to seek additional psychotherapy and or treatment.)

1 comment:

Chaton T. Turner said...

Interesting discussion obout dichotomous thinking.