Sherry is awesome. She has had many eating issues. Yet Sherry changed and now models the successful approach for active eating disorders brain and genes change.  She has been an active bulimic with thoughts of tantrum rage like “screw you” and “I’m going to let go and do for me.”   Her purging behavior had been eliciting feelings of doubt, shame, guilt and the undoing was loss of self control.  Her life got to a point in her forties of going down the drain so to speak.  This prompted or madly drove her, at forty-four, to begin focused psychotherapy with brain exercises specifically from an eating disorders specialist.  She worked once a week in session, while doing her daily workbook/playbook brain exercises with a commitment focus.

Sherry noticed considerable positive changes after only six sessions and had six more sessions to complete. The bulimic deterioration that brought her to therapy began to reverse.  It is no wonder, because Sherry is a lifelong self-educator and she engages her mind in something like classes or seminars.  In other words Sherry knows how to give it her full attention.  This was the exact ingredient to became successful at changing her brain

The question to ask is how can you apply this concept of changing your brain and genes to be free of eating disorders (or any eating issue) brain patterns or negative behavior triggers?  It is documented by Doidge that brain exercises in some situations are more effective than medications.  Furthermore talk therapy as in psychotherapy is known to lead to every bit as much brain change as medications do for depression and anxiety.  Anxiety and depression are certainly a challenge for those suffering from any eating disorder, eating issue, or doctor ordered diet change.

“We know, and this is one of the fabulous discoveries of the twentieth century, that when learning occurs what happens in, say, a four hour learning session, is that the number of connections between nerve cell A and nerve cell B might go from 1,300 connections to double that,” says psychiatrist Norman Doidge. “It works by getting under the skin of our DNA, through turning certain genes on to make new proteins, which then move down the cell to make new structural connections.  What this means is that thought turns genes on and off.”  Wow!

Let’s look at an application of focused attention that changes the brain.  In using specific workbooks, playbooks, brain exercises/techniques, and the commitment to continue, a trained eating disorders therapist can help facilitate those positive brain changes.  Psychotherapy supports the individual in processing and letting go of negative feelings and negative thinking so that one can continue to be committed to using their focused attention.  Sustained effort needs to be encouraged by supportive safe others such as one’s therapist, accountability partner in learning, a sponsor, or support group etc. 

For those that want results now would I ask you to begin an exercise program of running ten miles starting today? Do you think you could be successful?  Or would you be more successful if you started a walking program to build stamina and slowly increased it incrementally to running a one half mile then to one mile and so on.  Then you would find you are growing in so many ways while changing your brain with correct thoughts.

           
According to Doidge one needs to give what one is learning full attention to create change in the brain.  That’s counter to what multi-taskers or book readers who quickly devour the information in a book do.  In his book, “The Brain that Changes Itself,” Doidge powerfully points to the discovery that thoughts can change the structure and the function of one’s brain.  This applies to old age as well.  What a breakthrough and it’s being called the most important in neuroscience in four hundred years.  Doidge gives examples showing eighty –year- olds renewing their memory functions to the level of a person twenty years younger.  Doidge calls this a great example of adult plasticity or malleable brain that can and does rewire itself when it is damaged. 

Scientists are slow to recognize new truths.  It takes time to make it’s ways in the traditional belief system.   The idea of a flexible brain and its possibilities are shaking those old beliefs or old truths.  If the past belief has been that the brain is like the heart and is only mechanistic, then if one function and location is damaged, this rules out change.  This past belief has been called neurological nihilism.  In other words this past belief said, “You’re stuck with mental limitations for life.”  Not so.

• Science is wrong.  That is neural science. 
• The truth today is the brain has plasticity and you can use that knowledge to change your brain in many ways. 
• There are so many ways to heal that no matter what your old beliefs are, many of new brain exercises can help you. 
• What might be the plan that can help eating disorders , eating issues & brain change?  We learn that our thoughts can switch our genes on and off, altering our brain anatomy.
• We then learn to use our imagination as a tool to “make it so” with this new brain model. 
• Books that begin with an initial eating disorders quiz can help you to find your weak areas. These weak areas are then given specific tools and exercises for strengthening.   You can find a workbook, playbook, journal, study guide and step-by-step approach that will give you the means to change your brain.
• The many myths regarding weight loss that can lead to eating disorders need to be put to rest. These continue to tease society into complacency and victim-hood.

After confronting those past “dieting” myths, you can look for authentic clear cut brain exercises and actions that support personal empowerment plus the actual changes in the brain and the genes. Could this lead to healing eating disorders and eating issues on every level?  Is this truly the breakthrough action formula for proven brain change for all ages?  Yes.