ReAttach Protocol for Eating Disorders: A Trans-diagnostic Systemic and Strategic Approach

Abstract

Eating disorders are complex psychosomatic conditions that have a massive impact on the personal lives of mostly relatively young individuals. Since eating disorders show overlap in symptomatology, a network approach to treat underlying trans-diagnostic factors would be appropriate. ReAttach is a trans-diagnostic intervention for adults and children that can be tailored for patients with eating disorders as a multi-family approach.

In this article, the authors describe the ReAttach Protocol for patients with eating disorders. The authors publish this protocol for ReAttach Specialists and Affect Coaches trained in the ReAttach specializations. Besides basic skills, this protocol requires a thorough knowledge of the C.A.T. (Computer Adaptive Tool to tailor sessions), the W.A.R.A. (Wiring Affect with ReAttach), the M.I.S.T. (Mapping the Individual State of Mind) and the New Mind Creation.

In the ReAttach Protocol,  validation of the need for self-control gets special attention. It is also striking that ReAttach uses the hypothesis that loss of connectivity due to adverse affect is the cause of alienation from the body. Working with this hypothesis, the authors recommend identifying with the body during social cognitive training so that the body becomes part of the self-concept again. The authors use cognitive bias modification to train adaptive skills,  necessary for further recovery. Eating disorders are life-threatening and are associated with patterns of insecure attachment. Therefore, the New Mind Creation is indispensable as a learning requirement in the ReAttach Protocol for eating disorders.