Eating · CBT-E Broad Modules
CBT-E Perfectionism Module
Broad-CBT-E maintainer — treated directly when it drives the disorder
Clinical perfectionism is one of the four broad CBT-E maintainers. Standards that would exhaust anyone, self-evaluation almost entirely based on achievement, and behaviors (checking, redoing, avoiding failure) that keep the standards in place. When perfectionism is a maintainer, treatment has to target it directly.
Where my perfectionism shows up (not just food)
- Work / school — redoing, over-preparing, missing deadlines to get it 'right'
- Appearance — clothing, hair, makeup, symmetry
- Relationships — never asking for help, curating what people see
- Exercise — must be a certain length, intensity, streak unbroken
- The recovery process itself — 'doing recovery perfectly'
The behaviors that maintain it
Domain
Perfectionist behavior
What I'd do 'good enough' instead
SUDS
One 'good enough' experiment this week
Broadening my self-evaluation — domains I want to base worth on
Perfectionism keeps the ED in business
If self-worth depends on achievement, food and shape become another achievement domain. Loosening perfectionism broadly is often what lets the shape/weight over-focus loosen at all.