At first, throwing up the large amount of food consumed in a binge may seem like the answer to staying slim, but in reality, the vast majority of bulimia sufferers want to stop bulimia and put an end to this destructive condition. Self-induced vomiting is far from the ideal solution to weight gain. It is masking deep unhappiness and leads to more psychological and physical problems.
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder and is nine times more likely to occur in women than in men. Onset is usually between 13 and 20 years of age. Most bulimics make themselves vomit to prevent weight gain, although some choose to exercise heavily or quickly to offset the calories.
Self-induced vomiting becomes an addiction that can be all-consuming, as life is planned around eating and vomiting, exercising excessively, and fasting. This becomes a deeply unhealthy cycle of binging and purging that leads to serious physical and mental health problems. Bulimics find themselves trapped in a binge/purge carousel unable to escape and stop the bulimia.
Physical problems resulting from this condition are serious and include chronic acid reflux, malnutrition, pancreatitis, ulcers, electrolyte imbalance leading to heart problems and seizures, reduced fertility, and cessation of menstruation. Many suffer dental erosion caused by frequent vomiting. Long-term use of diuretics, laxatives, and enemas to cleanse the body also has health consequences.
Psychologically, bulimics suffer from low self-esteem and feelings of guilt that result from binge eating.
Although addicted to their condition, dominated by thoughts of food, and often deeply concerned about their health, patients are also eager to be free of it.
There are a variety of treatments. Drug therapy has not been found to be consistently effective. The most common treatment is CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), in which bulimics develop coping strategies, such as recording the amount of food eaten and episodes of vomiting to highlight the emotional ups and downs that cause a binge-purge session. CBT has shown efficacy.
In addition, however, many people have found a route out of this hopeless cycle through the healing benefits of hypnosis and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). This highly effective therapy has enabled patients to regain control of their lives and escape this torturous addiction by learning to eat like a healthy and happy person.
Hypnosis and NLP work by retraining the mind. The myriad benefits gained through the use of these techniques include control of emotions, stopping the urge to vomit, learning helpful rather than destructive ways to think about food, and eating healthy and normal. Users of this treatment report how easy it is to change even after one session, whether it’s with a therapist or just listening to a powerful hypnosis recording. This plants the seeds of recovery within the minds of patients, helping them stop bulimia and think in new, healthier ways, giving them the chance to be free of the condition forever.