Black-and-white thinking, also known as all-or-nothing or polarized thinking, is often labeled as a barrier to recovery for autistic individuals with eating disorders. But what if this mindset isn't a flaw to fix, but an adaptive response designed to protect and conserve energy in an overwhelming world? In this episode, you’ll learn:

The role of black-and-white thinking in neurodivergent individuals
How rigid thinking develops as an adaptive survival mechanism
How combined autism and anorexia impact cognitive processing
Why traditional treatment approaches can increase trauma
Practical strategies to explore flexibility in recovery
The philosophy of choice and the "dizziness of freedom"
Breaking free from binary thinking using the yin-yang framework

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📝 Read the blog post of this episode

The Truth About Black-and-White Thinking in Autism and Eating Disorders