The Eating Disorder Is Voldemort: On Using Metaphors in Treatment

When some patients start treatment for an eating disorder it can be emotionally and physically uncomfortable. In my work as a therapist I try to educate my patients as to why this feeling is normal. On top of the patient’s discomfort, sometimes it can be hard for loved ones to understand what someone with an eating disorder is going through while in treatment. Therapists routinely use metaphors for both of these reasons, in my opinion. The use of metaphors makes something that was previously unknown, relatable. I think it can be helpful to relate new concepts and hard topics to something familiar in order to make it easier to comprehend. Working in an eating disorder inpatient and partial hospitalization program you have to quickly teach your patients concepts, skills, tools, but most importantly psychoeducation about what is going on with them. A big part of this psychoeducation is normalizing the fact that when a patient goes against an eating disorder it will be emotionally uncomfortable and feel wrong. I have had children, adolescents, and adult patients; all of them, well most of them, know Harry Potter or are Harry Potter fans. Using Harry Potter as a metaphor is my absolute favorite when it comes to eating disorder treatment. I am not sure if anyone has used this before or thought about it like this, so I wanted to share with you all the Harry Potter metaphor I’ve been using for eating disorder treatment and recovery. I want to share this so other eating disorder...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Anorexia Binge Eating Books Bulimia Creativity Eating Disorders Health-related Psychology Treatment Women's Issues Binge Eating Disorder Bingeing Body Image Source Type: blogs