CBT by Condition

Guide

CBT‑E for Eating Disorders

Important: Eating disorder care can involve medical monitoring and nutritional rehabilitation. CBT‑E should be delivered by trained clinicians. This page is educational only. See our Medical Disclaimer.

Overview

CBT‑E (enhanced CBT) targets processes that maintain eating disorders: over‑evaluation of weight/shape, dietary restraint, binge/purge cycles, and avoidance of feared foods and situations.

Why CBT‑E helps

  • Regular eating: establish 3 meals + 2–3 snacks to reduce biological vulnerability to bingeing.
  • Exposure: approach feared foods/situations and reduce safety behaviors.
  • Body image work: broaden attention, reduce checking, and challenge evaluative assumptions.

Journaling prompts

  1. Meal log (time, content) and urges (0–100). What helped me follow the plan?
  2. Feared food exposure: prediction vs. outcome; safety behaviors dropped.
  3. One compassionate statement about my body I practiced today was…

Use structured logs alongside care; see How to Journal.

Selected readings

  • Fairburn, C. G. Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Eating Disorders (CBT‑E manual).
  • Guidelines for BN/BED/AN emphasizing medical safety and multidisciplinary care.

When to seek care

Medical instability, rapid weight change, or severe behaviors require urgent evaluation. Coordinate CBT‑E with medical and nutritional support.

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