Today, obesity is seen as a common health problem. Obesity is defined as an increase in body fat ratio and is most commonly evaluated by calculating the body mass index (BMI) (BKI = weight (kg) / height (m²). A body mass index between 18.5-25 kg/m² means a healthy weight. , BMI of 25-30 kg/m² means possible increased risk, BMI of 30 kg/m² and above means obesity.
According to the World Health Organization data, there are more than 1 billion overweight people in the world. In Turkey, approximately one-third of the female population and approximately one-fifth of the male population are obese. According to the latest data, the prevalence of obesity in our country is 21% in men over the age of 30 and 43% in women.
Although many methods are used in obesity treatment. The prevalence of obesity is increasing day by day. This situation has shown us that focusing only on physical symptoms is insufficient in the treatment process and has led to new treatment/therapy processes within the scope of understanding the underlying factors, that is, what pushes the person to constantly eat. Especially mechanical approaches focused on "weight gain-weight loss" applied in the treatment of obesity. It is observed that if the person does not lose weight as desired, especially at the beginning of the process, it causes loss of motivation and at the same time, there is a tendency to gain back the lost weight.
The main purpose of treatment/therapy is not for the person to "focus on weight", but to discover the psychological factors that cause obesity. should be. The person who discovers these will have the ability to use his creativity and flexibility regarding the things he needs to change, instead of focusing on his weight.
As life goes by, there are various roles we have from the moment we are born. While we are in these roles, the basic tasks we must fulfill and our expectations from life and our environment are actively in play, and we must get through each phase/each role without getting stuck or traumatized. In obesity, the roles are gathered and confined to the body. In the earliest period, the person was only provided with the role of "eating, sucking, needing breast". All emotions felt are anger, joy, pain, etc. Emotions such as these are repressed into the body, that is, into the role of "eater". Emotion and body are intertwined in indistinguishable parts. It becomes.
Obese individuals are disturbed by the delay in pleasure, they cannot postpone the pleasure. Tolerance towards delaying gratification can be learned or unlearned in the early mother-infant relationship.
Delaying the feeding/breastfeeding pleasure and calming the baby during this period depends on the "mother". When the baby asks for the breast, it is necessary to recognize its biological clock and consider that the baby may need skin-to-skin contact in the face of unnecessary sucking behavior, and the baby's needs must be met. The fact that the mother does not realize the biological needs of the baby and responds to the baby with breast every time it seeks pleasure causes the person to "bury" her feelings in food. When the baby realizes that food is a connection with the outside world, a means of calming and is easily accessible, he loses all the control that protects him from "overeating".
In the early period, socialization occurs when the baby begins to realize the distinction between himself and the outside world. After socialization, it enables one to notice the view of "others" and the formation of ideas about the body. The first person the baby socializes with is its mother, who gives it "care". The mother's failure to perceive the baby as a whole, looking at him with eyes that are disgusting, flawed, in need of correction, dull and unnoticeable, disrupts the first socialization experience. Obese individuals have intense body image disturbances. When they look at themselves from the outside, they perceive their bodies as flawed, just like the first eye to look at them. The disorder in body perception enters a vicious circle with the deterioration in social functions.
“Inadequacy” is another condition in the obesity spiral. This deficiency is seen primarily in the mother-infant relationship. Whatever the mother experiences, the baby experiences it in a way that is trapped in its body. The mother either overfeeds the baby due to her own insufficiency and the child does not realize that he is full, or due to the mother's negligence, when the baby encounters food, he eats constantly to fill the mother's void. Binge eating in individuals struggling with obesity is based on this period. It is very difficult to exist in the world with an intense feeling of inadequacy. As the person becomes more and more spiritually diminished, It begins to take up more space physically in the world. Taking up space physically is the unhealthy part of what cannot be done spiritually. At the same time, deficiency first reduces the tolerance for feeling painful emotions, but then it spreads to all areas and the person becomes unable to embrace any of his emotions. Even if most obese individuals talk about a very sad event, they laugh and talk about it as if they were talking about joyful things. This is an indication that emotions are intertwined and cannot be accepted.
For the Healthy Treatment of Obesity;
Spiritual Discharge: Obese individuals have difficulty staying in the moment and being "here and now". Being disconnected from the moment makes communication difficult and also makes it difficult to recognize and express emotions. Therapy methods based only on verbal expression may slow down the process or be inadequate in this sense. Therapy methods in the form of "psychodrama or art therapy", which include action methods, are more functional for the therapy of obese individuals. Working by moving brings about emotional relaxation and allows the person to release spiritually.
Being Someone Else: Being the "other" by leaving one's own role provides a new perspective and allows one to have one's own. It enables the recognition and release of non-existent emotions. When a person becomes someone else, he has the courage to look at himself and his body with an impartial eye. Most importantly, "being someone else", which provides the opportunity to get out of the body and look at oneself, also improves the body perception.
Discovering the Factors That Promote Orientation to Food: Discovering the person's entire psychological background and viewing food only as a "physical factor" is a process that reduces and eliminates binge eating attacks.
Embracing Emotions: All emotions must first be felt "deeply". Particularly during the therapy process, a person's intense crying is very functional. Accepting one's emotions and experiencing them, such as crying, eliminates the disturbing effects of unwanted emotions.
Development of Problem Solving Skills: Solving the difficulties experienced without pressing on the body. It includes learning "coping strategies" to be achieved. Having the power to say "No" is another important factor in this sense.
Feeling Oneself Special and Realizing One's Power: Perceptions of oneself as "inadequate and worthless", which develop as a result of all early hang-ups, are reflected in the body. It is extremely important for the person to experience the feeling of feeling special "because he/she is the only one" as opposed to creating a distorted image.
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