How to Develop Neuronal Networks to Cure Eating Disorders

A neuronal network is a group of connected neurons (brain cells) which are related to certain behaviors or certain functions in the body. The human brain has thousands of neuronal networks for different human behaviors or functions. An eating disorder takes an enormous amount of brain space because the disorder creates many neuronal networks, each related to certain eating disorder behavior. For instance, people have certain neuronal networks for their binging - purging behavior (bulimia), another one for starving (anorexia), others for taking laxatives or over exercising etc.

This is why when someone starts a particular destructive behavior; it is extremely difficult to stop doing it because multiple new neuronal networks get built. These newly activated neuronal networks soon turn into a chain reaction within the brain. One neuron connects onto many others and they all start to shoot electric impulses which are spread to the connecting neurons and the reaction goes on, forming strong bonds that straighten with use: e.g. false emotions and feelings, like I am too fat.

These eating disorder's networks get activated when people put into action faulty behaviors and start abnormal action like binging, purging, starving etc. These actions are in relation to stressful bothersome thoughts about food and self image and can be brought on by being called fat by a friend or even jokingly by a family member.

There is only one way to cure an eating disorder and that is to stop activating these abnormal behavioral neuronal networks. Only by creating new networks and replacing the old ones with more flexible and healthier ones, can the destructive eating disorder behavior be stopped.

How can this be done?

Well, it is all about changing people's response to the thoughts they have. When people have these bothersome destructive thoughts about starving or binging-purging and their thoughts tell them "Go binge-purge or starve". If they actually dismiss these thoughts by changing focus and doing something constructive: like going to a movie, doing a hobby, anything to take their thoughts away from the eating disorder impulse. They can start to build new neuronal pathways that are not subject to the faulty destructive eating disorder thinking.

Most eating disorder sufferers say that they are aware of the thoughts they have but just can't resist them because it is not easy to do, so they go for what their thoughts tell them to do as the easy way out.

But what will happen if they try to resist their bothersome thoughts? What will happen if they try to resist these thoughts for a while, at least for 2-3 weeks?

If a person decides not to accept her/his stressful thoughts or the false messages sent by the brain and start focusing on doing other constructive behaviors for at least 2-3 weeks, than the neuronal networks start to re-wire themselves forming new networks. The old ones responsible for the unwanted behavior like starving, binging-purging, etc will begin to fade because they are not used any more. Eventually these old ones will be replaced with new healthy, flexible neuronal pathways.

It is what you do, not what you feel that is the key. Many people think that their thoughts and feelings are their reality, but they are not. It is how you respond to your thoughts and what you do that matters the most.

To conclude, if a person starts doing something else (some other behavior) instead of responding to their faulty eating disorder thoughts and feelings, their brain will form new healthier more flexible pathways or neuronal networks.

Of course this is not easy to do as the destructive eating disorder thoughts are very strong and the willpower to overcome them by yourself is enormous and outside most people's ability to do by them self. But luckily there are other ways to beat this problem, go to http://www.eatingdisorder-cure.com for more information on how to re-wire your brain and stop your eating disorder.