Eating Disorders - A Case Study

Martin contacted me after looking at the website. He was clinically obese and found it impossible to loose weight despite the numerous numbers of diets he had been on over the past 15 years. Martin was single and lived with his parents; he worked for the local authorities and had a limited social life. Through the use of CBT we noticed the patterns to his eating behaviours and how he ate to comfort himself and when he was happy with himself. In fact Martin would eat when he experienced any emotion as a way to comfort or reward himself. Together over the course of 6 months we disrupted his dysfunctional eating behaviours, increased his self confidence and he took up exercise on a regular basis, starting with walking and swimming and as his confidence grew he joined a dancing club and learned to salsa. Learning to dance was a lifetime goal for Martin. We also explored a healthy eating regime. It was very useful for Martin to combine exercise with enjoyment and this also helped him to reduce his social isolation and make new friends. He continues to loose weight at a steady pace and feels that he has been ‘released' and is enjoying his life for the first time.