For Today - A Disease of the Body, Mind and Spirit

I'm continuing with question six on the Slipping and Sliding reading and writing exercise.  I read Appendix B of the OAII book, an essay called "Disease of the Body" by an American medical doctor, Peter Lindner.

The underlying proposition in question six is the idea that "my main problem as a compulsive eater is in my mind rather than in my body."

It's pretty clear from Dr. Lindner's description of what he observed in the 1970s in OA in the United States that OA in Canada in 2016 continues along the same strengths and patterns.  I wish more physicians would investigate OA rather than simply counsel eating less, moving more, over and over, and when that doesn't work, anti-depressants, and when that doesn't work, bariatric surgery.  And when that doesn't work -- well, I've met more than a couple failed bariatric surgery patients in OA, desperate and full of self-loathing that their disease caused them to have major surgery on their digestive systems.

Dr. Lindner talks about surrendering and the process of finding comfort and support in accepting and depending on a power greater than ourselves.  He writes (OAII, p.237):

Psychologically, the obese individual is helped to attain a sense of the reality and nearness of a greater power which replaces one's egocentric nature.  ... Hence, one no longer needs to maintain a defiant individuality but can live in peace and harmony with the environment, sharing and participating freely, especially with other members of the group.  ... The obese individual no longer defies, but accepts help, guidance, and control from the outside.  As OA members relinquish their negative, aggressive feelings towards themselves and toward life, they find themselves overwhelmed by positive feelings of love, friendliness, tranquility and a pervading contentment.

Yep.  That's right.  And the more I can maintain my willingness, my surrender, my wholeness in spirituality, the more positive feelings I have. 

He acknowledges that slips do happen.  But in OA we can be honest about our struggles, our relapses, our mistakes and we are "neither judged nor scolded" (OAII, p. 240).  Part of this process is restoring faith in ourselves and in others. 

I have been working with ideas of cognitive behavioural therapy -- the idea that if we slow down our thoughts, especially automatic or default thoughts.  Then, take a good look at how they make us feel, consider what thoughts run "hot" in our emotions, and then assess the evidence, for and against, the validity of that hot thought, we may be able to start to change negative thoughts over time.  In turn, this improves our mood.  It's hard to do. 

CBT teaches that these automatic thoughts tend to share certain characteristics and in recognizing those traits, we can start to challenge the thoughts.  The types of automatic thoughts that lead to bad emotions include:

• should statements:  I shouldn't have done that; I've got no right to feel that way;  I shouldn't feel so sad, this is crazy, what the hell is wrong with me?
• labelling:  He's a SOB (maybe, maybe not); I'm stupid; I'll probably make a fool of myself;
• mind reading:  obviously my friend didn't call me back today because I'm not important to him;  she is only being nice to me as a favour to my father;
• blaming:  this is entirely my fault; if she had only done x, I wouldn't be so angry;
• all or nothing thinking:  nothing ever goes right for me; I always have too much to do;
• fortune telling:  I'm sure I'll screw up, I never keep weight off;
• emotional reasoning:  I feel really scared so this airplane must not be safe.

In his OAII essay, "Disease of the Body" Dr. Lindner indirectly references CBT and applies it to OA.  He writes (p. 240):

There is no other organization, lay or professional, that has such a profound influence on the compulsive overeater's thinking; and after all, it is our thoughts that precede our emotions, and it is our emotions that make us eat inappropriately and become physically obese.  Recovery in OA is on all three levels.

Today is day 10.  It's been turbulent, upsetting, full of disturbed sleep, nightmares, tearful moments, and periods of exhaustion, headaches and panic.  But I am getting better.  Body, mind and spirit.

Blessed be.