Transitional Eating Recovery: How Intensive Outpatient Programs Can Help
President Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” Here Kennedy simply illuminates the reality of life. We are all in a constant state of flux. Broken down further, life is a series of continuous changes. Ultimately, "life is transition.” Why should eating recovery be any different?
Whether it is a change from one town to another, a switch from one job to the next, or the addition of a new member to the family, transitions are one of the constants of life. For some of us, adjusting to these transitions comes quickly and does not affect our emotional or behavioral state. However, for many others, transitions of this nature can be frightening and bring up a lot of emotions and anxiety. These emotions can lead to negative behaviors, and for some of us that experience transitions in this negative way, it can lead to eating disorders.
One of the most pivotal transitions that any of us with eating disorders may ever make is the transition into eating recovery. It can also be one of the most terrifying. However, just as life is a series of transitions, eating recovery can be the same. From the transition to getting help to the transition from inpatient care to an intensive outpatient program (IOP), eating recovery can be the metamorphosis we need to get well and create the life skills to help us deal with life's transitions in the future.
Understanding Life Transitions and Eating Disorders
There is no concrete answer to what causes eating disorders. Even if there were, just as everyone is unique, so too would be the specifics of their disorder. However, while there is no definitive answer, scientists have come up with some causes that tend to show up universally in the eating disorder spectrum.
According to “Eating Disorders” by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), “Eating disorders are very complex conditions, and scientists are still learning about the causes. Although eating disorders all have food and weight issues in common, most experts now believe that eating disorders are caused by people attempting to cope with overwhelming feelings and painful emotions by controlling food.” Life transitions can be where these "overwhelming feelings and painful emotions" arise from.
NAMI further explains that “Times of change like going to college, starting a new job, or getting divorced may be a stressor towards developing an eating disorder.” Individuals that feel like they are alone in struggling to cope with transitions should know that they are not alone. Just as they are not alone in struggling with an eating disorder, they are not alone in seeking a program of eating recovery.
Going Through Transitions in Eating Recovery
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), there are many effective treatment options for eating recovery. These include utilizing “individual, group, and/or family psychotherapy, medical care and monitoring, nutritional counseling, and [using] medications.” These are certainly not all of the treatment options for eating disorders. However, they can be a strong foundation for an eating recovery plan.
These treatment options can also be used in a transitional eating recovery plan. The important thing to remember is that when it comes to eating recovery, a customized treatment plan is imperative. No two individuals are alike. How can we expect them to react the same way to the same eating recovery plan?
While no two recovery plans should be the same, some universal aspects can be found in most plans. This is especially true when it comes to transitional recovery. That is because there are universal “stages” that individuals will go through. Sometimes called the “continuum of care,” these stages include the initial engagement with eating recovery, the early recovery stages, the maintenance stage, and the community outreach and support stage. An IOP is part of the maintenance stage.
Utilizing an Intensive Outpatient Program in Eating Recovery
An IOP is a way for individuals that have gone through the more “intense” stages of eating recovery to begin to transition back into their lives in a successful, comfortable, and confident way. It is also a great way to begin the process of coping with transitions.
An IOP allows individuals to maintain a strong connection to their eating recovery plan as they also begin to incorporate that plan into their daily lives outside of a recovery facility. Ultimately, an IOP is a final stage in the evolution of admitting a problem, accepting help for that problem, addressing and taking action toward that problem, and allowing that help to mitigate and manage that problem throughout the rest of our lives.
Transitioning into a life of long-term eating recovery is no easy road to take. However, it is one that we don't have to travel down alone. President Kenedy also said, “If not now, when?” From the first day to transitioning to outpatient care, there are professionals whose primary purpose is to create an eating recovery plan to help us succeed. We just need to transition over and let them.
Here at be Collaborative Care, we have a focus on "transitions." Whether it is an individual's transition from one set place to another place in their life that brings them into our care or making sure that an individual has a customized plan to transition back into the “real world” after an inpatient stay, we can help. An intensive outpatient program (IOP) can help individuals transition and maintain forward momentum in their continued eating recovery journey. If you feel that you or a loved one may be struggling with an eating disorder, know that you are not alone. Call be Collaborative Care today at (401) 262-0842 for more information on intensive outpatient care and other treatment options for long-term eating recovery.
