Abstract

Depth of client experiencing has been associated with positive therapeutic outcomes across theoretical orientations. Experiencing describes a particular mode of cognitive-affective processing in which clients use internal felt experience as the basis for self-examination and the resolution of personally significant issues. Given evidence that eating disorders are associated with particular disruptions of cognitive-affective processing, it is likely that experiencing plays a role in the successful treatment of eating pathology. However, no study to date has examined the relationship between experiencing and outcome in eating disorder treatment. The purposes of the current study were to examine depth of client experiencing during cognitive-behavioral treatment for eating disorders and to investigate the relationship between experiencing and outcome. Regression analyses suggested no significant relationship between depth of experiencing and outcome. However, results indicated that a restricted range of experiencing occurred during the treatment, which may have limited the possibility of detecting a relationship. A number of factors that may have contributed to the restricted range of experiencing in the sample are considered and discussed.

Degree

PhD

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Psychology

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/