The Pleasure Principle: What It Is and How It Can Improve Your Relationship to Food and Your Body Through the Practice of Intuitive Eating
Friday, June 24th, 2011
The Pleasure Principle is simply this: Our bodies are wired to move towards pleasure and avoid pain. We naturally gravitate towards things that taste, smell and feel yummy and delicious. We naturally avoid the opposite. To try to fight the pleasure principle, as so many diets encourage us to do, is to fight one of our most basic instincts. Is it any wonder then that so many diets fail?
Is a Spring Cleanse a Good Idea for those with Food, Weight and Body Image Issues?
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
Spring is the ideal time to cleanse and rebuild from the sluggishness and inactivity of winter. According to Chinese Medicine, spring corresponds to the liver and gallbladder organs in our bodies. During the winter we tend to consume diets heavier in protein, fats and dairy, which can all overburden these organs. When congested, the liver and gallbladder can also cause more feelings of depression, irritability and anger. Spring is the time to detoxify, give the liver a good cleansing and boost our digestion, resulting in better moods and increased energy levels.
It’s About Relationships, Not Food!
Monday, January 24th, 2011
Beginning in infancy, relationships, food and feeding become intertwined. Think about it: Baby cries and baby gets fed. Someone has to do that feeding, and that someone is usually holding the baby and relating to him or her. So, from our earliest memories, food and being fed is one of our first ways of connecting to one another. As we grow and develop, social events often revolve around mealtimes; whether it is family dinner or a social gathering with friends, we are enjoying the nurturing that food and company can provide.
Nurturing Yourself during the Holidaze
Monday, December 13th, 2010
Holidaze is not a misspelling. I use it because it is so indicative of what the holidays can feel like—a holy daze! As we run around buying gifts and preparing our foods and celebrations, it is so easy to forget ourselves and go far beyond our limits. When the gift opening or the meal or party that we’ve been so busy planning and preparing for finally arrives, we wonder why it’s hard to enjoy it. We wonder why we feel so exhausted, strung out and stressed. This article is a reminder to remember yourself in the rush of the holidays. What would it be like to really nurture yourself during this season?
Food + Sex – What’s Weight Got to Do with It? (Maybe) Everything!
Sunday, October 24th, 2010
Although research has shown little conclusive evidence of the correlation between eating disorders and sexual trauma, it is a different story in my psychotherapy office. I will always explore any potential link between a client’s struggle with food, weight and body image issues and their history of sexual trauma. Below are a few clinical examples of how my clients’ struggles with their eating disorders were directly related to their sexual trauma.
How Does your Relationship with Food Affect your Personal Relationships?
Thursday, August 5th, 2010
At first glance it might seem like there could not be any possible connection between struggles with food/ weight/ body image and personal relationships but I have yet to see a client struggling with disordered eating who doesn’t also have issues in their relationships or issues with their lack of relationships.
Using EMDR to Address Eating Disorders
Saturday, June 19th, 2010
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. A big name for a relatively simple but highly effective method for dealing with trauma or what I like to call “emotionally stuck places.” It involves what is called bilateral stimulation of both hemispheres of the brain with a variety of methods.
Geneen Roth at Spirit Rock on her latest book: “Women, Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything’’
Saturday, May 8th, 2010
The title of Geneen’s latest book is big and bold. I had to finally meet this woman whose older book; ‘When Food is Love’ had such a big impact on shifting me out of my own eating disorder more than 15 years ago. After all she was coming to my neck of the woods; Spirit Rock, less than 10 miles from my home! My expectation mounted as I got to the Spirit Rock parking lot, which was overflowing. The meditation hall was the most full I had ever seen it. And there she was, this tiny blonde woman with a big smile. I liked her instantly. She seemed friendly and accessible. This initial impression was confirmed once she began to talk.
Do You Eat to Handle Anxiety? 3 Simple Steps towards Handling Anxious Eating
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
3 Simple Steps towards Handling Anxious Eating
What is a Healthy Body Image?
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
First of all what is body image? Body image is how I look- right? No! Body image is a mental idea about your physical body and how you look. Body image is something that constantly changes as it is based more on feeling than fact. This also makes it very vulnerable to distortion.
Mindful Eating – A Way To Enjoy More Quality vs Quantity
Monday, December 21st, 2009
Mindful eating is about paying attention to what you eat. Actually focusing on the flavors, textures and subtleties of what you are putting in your body. It is not about eating while you are thinking of your bills, the kids, how many calories, watching TV etc. For most of us this is a tall order. There are so many distractions and people, places, things pulling on us, who has time to really pay attention to what they are eating? What is even the point?
What if it’s Not About the Food? Sharing my Personal Struggle with Food and How Healing Happened…
Sunday, April 5th, 2009
Yes, I was once a food addict and at the whims of emotional eating bouts that left me exhausted and filled with self loathing. At the time I thought I would never find a way out of the not so merry-go-round of the fasting/ feasting cycle that had it’s grip on me. The breakthrough was when I first began to make the connection that perhaps it was not about the food… so, what was it about then?
How Pleasure Can be a Much Better Motivator than ‘I Should’
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
So what happened to the New Year Resolutions to lose that weight, go to the gym and stop sugar? Or did you not even bother with resolutions this year because you didn’t want to set yourself up for failure? Who does?
Food, Family and the Holidays
Friday, October 12th, 2007
If you tend to struggle with food, weight and body image, holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas can be particularly challenging, because they revolve so much around food and mealtimes. For the food addict*, it can feel like there is no escape. Unlike other addictions food is not something you can simply go cold turkey (pun intended) especially this time of year.
