[From Bjorn Simonsen (2006.05.19,12:00 EUST)]
I watched a TV program about anorexia and bulimia yesterday. A group guided
by professor Soedersten at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden
argued that anorexia and bulimia simply is about forgetting to eat correct.
Listening to their arguments and their method of treatment I, of course,
thought upon PCT and conflict between controlling systems as the root for
all psychological distress.
My little and earlier knowledge about anorexia and bulimia is that it is
diagnosed as a psychiatric problem and often treated in a Freudian way. I
know modern psychologists in Norway almost look upon anorexia and bulimia in
a behavioristic way even though they will not admit it. They express that
anorexia is an disease that comes into being because young people compare
themselves with other seemingly successful young people and generate little
by little the disease.
I write this mail because I have not seen other PCT-ers write about anorexia
as a perfect illustration of conflict. And because some of you are able to
tell me more.
I will write some points about conflict and touch parts of the anorexia
development as I, with very modest knowledge about the disease, see it.
I think many (all) young children establish a goal expressing their wish for
"quality of life" (I think again Tim A. Carey show us a perfect illustration
of a level that sets the reference for conflicted systems).
Most young people learn to eat from after their birth, and they daily
control their perceptions for food.
Some (many) young people are taken up with their appearance, and they daily
control their perceptions for appearance.
Most young people are neither aware of their appearance when they eat nor
aware of eating when they brush their teethes in the morning or when they
mirror themselves by other occasions.
But some young people think upon food when they mirror themselves or think
upon their appearance when they eat. Most of them forget this coupling when
they run away to school and their awareness focus on other things.
Then we have the small group of young people who experience a conflict
between their wish to eat and their wish to appear. There is not a problem
with these ideas on their own, all people have such ideas. The problem
occurs because a little group of young people think upon fat when they
control their appearance and they think upon appearance tolerances when thy
control their eating. This lead to a constant error between what they wish
and what they perceive.
I think many people experience traces of such conflicts, but their awareness
relocates, maybe because of reorganization and the interior errors diminish.
But there is a small group of young people who experience interior error
and where reorganization need very long time to diminish the interior error.
Some of them die because of deficiency of nourishment before the interior
error diminishes.
I have written this mail because I appreciate points of view from you who
knows this better than me. I have sent a copy to Tim A. Carey because I
think he has written an interesting book about MOL. But I didn't find any
cases of anorexia. I have a hope that he will give me a word if I am wrong
and have to study his book once again.
I have also sent a copy to professor Soedersten at the Karolinska Institute
in Stockholm. I don't think he knows about PCT and so should it not be.
There is the chance that the mail goes to the wastepaper basket. So is also
life.
bjorn