Jeff Schwartz is a neuropsychiatrist. I've been rereading his book The Mind & The Brain* at the gym. I read it for the first time about a year ago, before I was interested in raw food.
Rereading it with a new perspective has caused a light bulb to go off related to the issue of food addiction. Dr. Schwartz created an approach to treating OCD that had the highest success rate of any treatment ever studied. He also was one of the first people to prove that the human brain can change merely due to focused effort by the individual.
His approach has 4 steps:
- Relabel (recognize that certain thoughts and urges are merely the result of OCD)
- Re-Attribute (realize that OCD symptoms are the result of a faulty circuit in the brain and are not one's true thoughts or feelings)
- Refocus (turn one's attention to other pursuits in the face of difficult to control urges brought on by OCD)
- Revalue (be truly aware that one's OCD urges are not worth succumbing to)
By following this approach OCD patients are able to weaken the previously strong "OCD Circuit" in the brain to the point where OCD becomes increasingly manageable.
Addiction takes on a very similar form to OCD in a different part of the brain. One could even go so far as to say that OCD patients are addicted to succumbing to their urges because that behavior has become so ingrained in their brains. But they are able to change that. And that's why I think food addicts can change their behavior as well.
Applying Dr. Schwartz's OCD Treatment plan to Food Addiction:
- Relabel: Recognize your desire for unhealthy foods (or foods in excess) as merely the result of long time food addiction.
- Re-Attribute: Realize that wanting unhealthy foods is the result of a confused pleasure center in the brain that continues to believe that food will make you happy. It's wrong and you know it!!
- Refocus: When you're craving an unhealthy food or have a sudden desire to eat everything in sight STOP what you're doing. Relabel, Re-Attribute, and most importantly, find something else to do. Go for a walk, play video games, garden, dance, knit, call a friend, go for a drive. Anything that will be engaging enough to help take your mind off of your craving and keep you occupied enough not to give in to the craving.
- Revalue: Realize that you are stronger than your cravings. That your brain is sending you incorrect signals based on short lived pleasure derived from food in the past. That continuing to fight your cravings will only make them weaker as you build a healthier brain.
This was not an easy journey for Dr. Schwart's OCD patients and it's not likely to be an easy one for a recovering food addict either. The refocusing step of this process is the most vital and also the most challenging. Ignoring your cravings, especially when they are at their most intense, can be very difficult. Focusing your attention on something else will not only help distract you from your craving but will also help you build healthier brain connections.
* Schwartz, Jeffrey M. The Mind & The Brain. New York: 2003.
Check out Jeffrey Schwartz's books on Amazon
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment