As any eating disorders professional or sufferer knows only too well, it is one thing to start seeking help for an eating disorder and another thing entirely to go the distance and stay on the path to recovery. Key recovery elements such as weight restoration, reducing compulsive exercise, ceasing laxative abuse or other purging methods require a huge amount of determination, strength, focus and above all motivation. Key issues to be explored are listed below.
- What is Motivational Enhancement Therapy?
- Motivation stages
- Benefits for Eating Disorder sufferers
What is Motivational Enhancement Therapy?
Motivational Enhancement Therapy is often referred to as Motivational Interviewing (MI) and is a technique that is used primarily to comprehend how ready or motivated a patient is for recovery whilst at the same time promoting/enabling active participation in order to identify key goals required for change. MI is a particularly useful means to address motivational concerns in patients who lack personal motivation and have been previously very resistant to change. Motivational Enhancement Therapy deals with each patient as an individual at their own pace, recognising that every person has his or her own readiness level and does not usually involve direct persuasion.
Stages of Motivation in Eating Disorder Recovery
Within the MI approach there are five key stages that have been identified and are used to help patients to examine ambivalent feelings they associate with recovery. The goal then is to gradually move the patient through these five stages to a point where they are maintaining a healthy recovery.
Stage one is the precontemplation stage where the individual may be in denial, unaware of their problem or indeed express some unwillingness to change. Stage two is the contemplation stage where one is thinking albeit fearfully about change or remaining unconvinced that help is required. Stage three is the preparation stage where the individual intends to and is committed to change yet may be unsure how to go about it. Stage four is the action stage and sees the patient take clear steps to change while the fifth and final stage is the maintenance stage involving the patient practicing new behaviour and taking relapse prevention steps.
Benefits of Motivational Enhancement Therapy for Eating Disorders
The main benefits of this approach for eating disorders sufferers are as follows: increases confidence in one's own ability to make changes, helps with goal setting, encourages viewing change as something to be worked towards rather than feared, attacks ambivalence, cost-effective, speeds up process of behaviour change and helps the patient understand their recovery and most importantly provides motivation for maintenance and relapse prevention work.
Sources:
Shepphird, S. (2010) 100 Questions & Answers About Anorexia Nervosa Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett
Treasure et al. (2003) Handbook of Eating Disorders Chichester: Wiley
Waller et al. (2007) CBT For Eating Disorders Cambridge University Press
Kate Le Page - Kate Henning-Le Page writes about eating disorders, body image and recovery issues. She specializes in anorexia recovery.
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