5 Steps to Help Your Clients Reach their Eating Disorder Recovery Summit!

Eating disorder recovery is like climbing a mountain – I was reflecting about this as I reached the summit of Bergen Peak in Evergreen, Colorado (see video below)! It was a long and sometimes difficult journey, but my traverse was eased by those who had created a trail to reach the summit. In addition, I was prepared, carrying the essentials that I needed with me in my backpack, and wearing the right gear. But it all began with my commitment to embark on this journey, and trusting my Inner Guide for Inspiration to complete this climb.

During my own eating disorder recovery, I learned five essential principles, and practicing these principles on a daily basis gradually allowed me to let go of eating disorder behaviors and embrace a new life of freedom! Now, as a Licensed Addiction Counselor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, I share these five principles with my clients. These principles comprise the method I created, Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ – and I provide training and certification for Eating Disorder Recovery Coaches and Treatment Clinicians  to be able to help their clients. EDIT™ Certified professionals are like mountaineering guides, using these five EDIT™ Principles as steps to the summit of eating disorder recovery success.

1. Love Your Self – Commit to the Recovery Journey!
Even if clients have some ambivalence, emphasize their worthiness to recover and live the life they truly want to live! Give your clients essential tools to begin their recovery journey – these are specific EDIT™ Worksheets you’ll provide in an initial session. Using the hiking analogy, you’ll give your clients a backpack (which will be filled in the next steps), and a map (so they don’t feel likely they’re blindly wandering into the unknown). Some clients might wonder, “What about my bathroom scale? And a mirror?” You might explain that a bathroom scale would be a heavy item to carry, and use EDIT™ Worksheets to help them find freedom from weighing (or measuring their bodies in any way). As for the mirror, you can suggest that this journey of recovery will involve discovery of their True Self, which can’t be seen as an image of the body reflected in a mirror. Hold the vision of your clients as their True Self until they can envision this themselves.

2. Be True To Your Self – Enjoy Nourishment for the Whole Self!
This includes the body, mind, heart and soul – or, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of recovery. Introduce the concept of listening to one’s Inner Wisdom, or Intuitive Therapist (IT) within themselves. Start with the EDIT™ Worksheets which help clients access their Intuition, and then guide them with the EDIT™ Worksheets for Intuitive Eating and Intuitive Exercise (or Mindful Movement).  Using eating disorder recovery as a mountain climbing metaphor, emphasize the importance of water, meals and snacks, and assist your clients to add these to their backpack for their recovery journey. To further support the body, your clients need adequate hiking shoes or boots, and trekking poles can make it easier on the knee and hip joints. Remind your clients that this recovery journey is not a sprint, and encourage them to take lots of breaks along the way.

3. Express Your Self – Attend to Thoughts, Feelings, and Authentic Needs!
This is a critical step on the eating disorder mountain climbing journey. Guide your clients to gently notice their thoughts and feelings, and assist them to be curious about their authentic needs (shifting from ED to IT). There are essential EDIT™ Worksheets which facilitate this process. Sometimes the path may be very clear and clients can proceed with ease… celebrate your clients’ successes! And then the path might disappear. have your clients wandered into the weeds (filled with thoughts from the ED mind) instead of the Way of Recovery (filled with hope and encouragement from the mind of IT)? Prepare your clients when the Way gets challenging, such as climbing through scree (broken rock fragments and loose stones that are often at higher elevations, especially nearing a mountain summit). This is when clients are concurrently climbing high and yet “slipping back” to address core issues. Affirm that the Way has challenges, and moving through these leads to workable solutions and more freedom from ED! Offer EDIT™ Worksheets to guide clients to develop healthy coping skills and explore those deeper issues. Clients may appreciate having a journal in their backpack, so they can take note of their challenges and successes on their recovery journey. Sometimes, life can get messy, so be sure that your clients have toilet paper and a trowel (to dig a hole and bury the s*** left behind)!

4. Give To Your Self – Become Full-filled from Within!
Many clients struggle with the concept of “enough.” They might strive to be “good enough,” always striving yet never arriving, it’s “never good enough.” This can be mimicked through ED behaviors, such as restrictive eating to reflect an inner emptiness, or binge eating in an attempt to fill a hole inside. Meanwhile, basic needs are barely being met. It’s like your clients are going in circles near the mountain top, unaware of who and where they really are, looking outside themselves for approval instead of pausing to realize their own Self-validation. Clients will never feel “good enough” listening to the voices of the world, also hearing the chatter from the mind of ED and the inner critic, which keeps them spinning. What would happen if you guided your client over to a couple of trees, where they can hang a hammock (which you thoughtfully put in their backpack)? Encourage your client to truly pause – and just be in the moment. This can be a challenge for clients, so assist them through visualizations and other EDIT™ skills. It’s like there is a spring-fed well that can suddenly appear anywhere your clients are, as long as they can be still and know their Intuitive Therapist is with them. This Inner Wisdom can spring forth, providing full-fillment from within, and clients can finally experience and appreciate their enough-ness. Guide your clients to affirm, “I AM good enough, always have been, and always will be!”

5. Believe In Your Self – Reach the Summit of Recovery Success!
By practicing the first four EDIT™ Principles, clients can begin to see the summit… only to realize that when they reach it, there is another summit that becomes visible. In the eating disorder recovery mountain climbing analogy, this is known as a “false summit.” It’s like working sooooooo hard, only to realize that you haven’t arrived to the top, and there’s still seemingly sooooooo much more to go on the journey. Somehow mustering more strength, the journey continues. But where is this strength coming from? Is it the small-s false self, who can experience moments of freedom from ED by controlling the ED behaviors, reaching a false summit? Or is it the Capital-S True Self, who has found a renewable Energy Source with Infinite Power and lasting Freedom from ED, which is always available by staying aware of one’s Mind? This is the Mind of one’s Intuitive Therapist and True Self, rather than the limited mind of the false self, still caught up in striving-yet-never-arriving, vulnerable to relapses with ED. Remind your clients that they have a compass (another recovery tool you tucked into an easily accessible side pocket of their backpack). The false self’s eyes are limited, but the Eyes of the Soul can see the Way (even in the dark). Clients might feel hopeless, like they’ll never reach the “real” summit, but with their Inner Compass, they Way is clear. At last, the mountain top is reached! Clients are so Grateful, often feeling Joy that they haven’t experience in years or decades. On top of this mountain, they have a 365º view of the world around them. They see other summits they can rise up to, and valleys they can venture into very deeply.  They realize that the journey of recovery can continue, by proceeding with the Confidence of their Intuitive Therapist as their ongoing Guide in Freedom.

“Love Your Self, Be True To Your Self, Express Your Self, Give To Your Self, Believe In Your Self,” you remind your clients, as they conclude their work with you. They smile and nod their head, knowing that this EDIT™ Message is always within their True Self.

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Article may be reprinted with the author bio below.

©2020 by Dr. Dorie McCubbrey. Dr. Dorie is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Licensed Addiction Counselor who is passionate about training professionals to effectively guide clients in recovery from eating disorders. She is the President of the EDIT™ Training Institute LLC, which provides training and certification in her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™.  She also provides sessions for clients who struggle with these issues, either in person or by phone/video. Learn more at: https://www.drdorie.com

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Want more that this “taste” of EDIT™? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized programs for people in recovery from eating disorders and who struggle with weight issues, and  EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – GET CERTIFIED – ATTEND ONLINE RETREAT

The post Eating Disorder Recovery and Mountain Climbing appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

As 2019 is coming to a close, many of you may be thinking ahead to what you’d like your life to be like in 2020. Here are a few tips as you transition from the past into the future:

• Remember to Let Go of the Past – As Joel Osteen shared in a show that was recorded at the end of 2018 (which was recently re-broadcast), “Kiss the Past Goodbye!” You don’t want to move into 2020 holding onto unhelpful thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Nor do you was to cling to anything that has been “weighing you down.” Pause for a moment to reflect about the things from your past that you’d like to release, and imagine how FREE you will feel entering 2020!
• Differentiate Between Resolutions and Intentions – Resolutions are usually set based on an “ideal,” with goals that may not be attainable. For example, the most common resolution is to “lose weight.” The goal might be to “lose 25 pounds.” I jokingly tell my clients who get caught up in the false promises of the multi-billion dollar diet industry, that they can lose 25 pounds if they amputate a leg! They chuckle, and understand what I’m getting at – it’s not weight loss that you really want, it’s what you think weight loss will bring you: improved health, ease of movement, feeling more confident. What would happen if you made these three items your Intentions, and then open to the many way you can move towards this, instead of forcing yourself to diet (which leads to binge eating), compulsive exercise (which leads to injury), and then giving up on your Resolution (most people give in within 2 weeks)!
• There Are No Limits to Your 2020 Vision – What would you do if you knew you could not fail? Remember the second point, and think beyond the number on the scale. Imagine what Perfect Health feels like, and the new thoughts and behaviors that go along with it. Imagine other areas of your life, where you’d like to open to your full potential – your Relationships, your Career, your other Values.

Below is a handout that I use in training people who become certified in my method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ – by the way, if you’re interested to help others overcome eating disorders, now is a great time to enroll in the EDIT™ Training, since you’ll receive up to $200 OFF certification thru 1/10/20. Whether you’re a Clinician, Health Coach, or just a friend or family member who is struggling, there are certification options for you! LEARN MORE

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW & PRINT

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Article may be reprinted with the author bio below.

©2019 by Dr. Dorie McCubbrey. Dr. Dorie is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Licensed Addiction Counselor who is passionate about training professionals to effectively guide clients in recovery from eating disorders, through her Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ Certified program. She also provides sessions for clients who struggle with these issues, either in person or by phone. Learn more at: https://www.drdorie.com

*****

Want more that this “taste” of EDIT™? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized programs for people in recovery from eating disorders and who struggle with weight issues, and  EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE – GET CERTIFIED 

The post 2020 Vision: Set Healthy Intentions for the New Year appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ can lead to complete recovery from eating disorders – which means having a healthy body image; a clear sense of values and identity beyond one’s body; the ability to intuitively and mindfully enjoy all foods without restricting, binge eating, or purging; effective ways of coping with a range of emotions; regular Self-Care practices; relapse prevention skills; and a strong presence of one’s “Intuitive Therapist” to guide ongoing recovery.

My name is Dr. Dorie McCubbrey, the Creator of EDIT™ – which I developed during my own eating disorder recovery. Practicing the five principles of EDIT™ led to my freedom from anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder, and continuing to live these principles in my own life allows me to stay free. This is how I know that complete recovery is possible! Also, as a Licensed Addiction Counselor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, I’ve been using the EDIT™ process with my clients for more than 20 years, and have guided thousands on their journeys of complete recovery from eating disorders.

I truly believe that by practicing the five principles of EDIT™, anyone can find freedom from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, or other issues with food, exercise and weight. Here’s a “taste” of each of the five principles, and what freedom can feel like:

Love Your Self: You look in the mirror, and truly LOVE what you see – your radiant essence, your compassionate heart, your creative mind, and your strong body. You are free from society’s standards of what others think is “ideal,” and you fully embrace your True Self!

Be True To Your Self: You live your life in alignment with your “Intuitive Therapist” – your own inner guide to eating, exercise, and all decisions in your life. You trust your intuition for the type and amount of food your body needs. You rely on your intuition for the flow of mindful movement. You go within to access intuition for relationship guidance, career choices, and moment to moment needs.

Express Your Self: You have skills to safely and fully experience a range of emotions as they come and go through the day. You view your emotions as “messengers,” pointing to areas in your life you need to address. You approach all emotions with curiosity, knowing they are guiding you on your healthy path. 

Give To Your Self: You incorporate Self-Care throughout your day, to “feed your true hunger” – spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. When you are “nourished from within,” there is no need for eating disorder behaviors of any kind.

Believe In Your Self: You wake up every morning, excited for the opportunities in your life! You live as if you’ve never had an eating disorder. Occasionally, an old “ED” thought might pop into your mind, but rather than acting on it, you naturally become curious about it – as “IT,” your “Intuitive Therapist,” takes over. Your ED-IT transformation is what complete recovery is all about!

Article may be reprinted with the author bio below.

©2018 by Dr. Dorie McCubbrey. Dr. Dorie is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Licensed Addiction Counselor who is passionate about training professionals to effectively guide clients in recovery from eating disorders, through her Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ Certified program. She also meets with clients at her treatment center, Positive Pathways PLLC, located in Evergreen Colorado. Learn more at: https://www.drdorie.com

*****

Want more that this “taste” of EDIT™? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE – GET CERTIFIED

The post Eating Disorders: Complete Recovery appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

The fiFTH EDIT™ Principle involves “complete recovery” and lasting freedom from eating disorder behaviors. However, before clients fully commit to their recovery, they are often filled with ambivalence. Sometimes, they want treatment. Other times, they cancel appointments and still find that their eating disorder “works.” If you witness your client in this ambivalence, here’s what you can do to help. The EDIT™ process involves having ED-IT dialogues with clients. Here’s what this might sound like:

ED (false self): I’ll always be eating disordered.

This belief reinforces ED as ones false self identity. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, ensuring the existence of ED indefinitely. However, the harmful effects of ED will eventually extinguish its own existence.

IT (True Self): I have a new life of freedom in recovery.

This belief affirms lasting recovery, with ones Intuitive Therapist (IT) guiding the way. There is a sense of ease, as the True Self embraces ITs new life.

Try this “taste” of EDIT™ – Winning the War Within

Sometimes the client is unsure which wolf they want to feed – false self or True Self, eating disorder or recovery. There can appear to be pros and cons to both. Click on the image below for a downloadable worksheet which you can use with your client, to shift their readiness for change.

Scroll below the image for guidelines about using the worksheet.
CLICK ON IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT

Eating disorder or eating disorder recovery? That is a decision that many clients make every day – and sometimes multiple times a day. It can often feel like a “war within” – as the client’s voice of the Eating Disorder (ED) seems to compete with the recovery wisdom voiced by the Intuitive Therapist (IT). Rather than dismissing ED’s arguments for “giving up on recovery” and “giving in to eating disorder behaviors,” it can be helpful to look more closely at exactly what ED is saying in the client’s mind. Similarly, it can be helpful to guide clients to examine their recovery wisdom in more detail, to notice the risks of their eating disorder behaviors and the benefits of recovery.

This worksheet walks clients through the various ED and IT messages, so they can clearly see the perspectives of both sides. Clients can “win the war within” as they honor ED and IT – and then make a decision where they choose to place their attention. If 51% of the client’s mind is focused on the benefits recovery, while 49% still considers the seeming advantages of their eating disorder – then recovery “wins.” The idea is to gradually guide clients to shift the percentage, so ultimately 100% of their attention is given to IT’s recovery wisdom.

This worksheet can be done in session, or assigned as homework. Suggest that the client start by completing the corner of the grid where their thoughts seem to be the strongest in that moment. For the purpose of illustration, let’s look at the top left corner first. Here, the client can list anything that they can think of that is a negative consequence of their eating disorder. The client can write a list, or just write words to full the box. For example, a bulimic client might write: life controlled by ED, burning my esophagus with stomach acid, rupturing my esophagus, sudden electrolyte imbalance, heart problems, accidental death.

The last statement in the above example might seem quite morbid – and yet that’s the reality of eating disorders. They can be deadly. When reviewing the grid with your client, be sure that they “get it” – any eating disorder behavior can cause accidental death. On the lighter side, now let’s look at the top right corner of the grid. Here, the client can list all of the positive outcomes they can imagine experiencing by staying in recovery. For example, that same bulimic client might write: I get my life back, totally at peace with food, learning to love my body, more friends, maybe marriage someday?

When reviewing this grid with your client, help them to realize that in “giving up ED” and staying in recovery, they open themselves to “a new best friend.” (Was ED really their friend anyways? Or more like an abusive lover?) ED behaviors usually happen in isolation, but recovery happens in connection with others. As clients expand this list of positive possibilities… sometimes fears arise. These are the perceived negatives of staying in recovery. For example: What if I don’t like the “new me”? What if I get really really fat? Will anyone ever truly love me? What if I end up alone?

This grid flows right into the final one – the benefits of quitting recovery, or, the perceived positives of ED. “Maybe ED isn’t so bad after all,” your client sometimes thinks. Here, that same bulimic client might write: ED is familiar, ED feels safe, purging helps me control my weight, I can avoid having to look at what scares me.

This process can reveal where your client is “stuck.” In this example, it’s fear – so you as the EDIT™ Certified practitioner might encourage your client to safely explore their fears with you. What if underneath what seems so safe and familiar (ED) lies their True Self (IT) – and it’s actually ED that’s afraid of IT, as if ED’s survival depends on keeping IT hidden! Guide the client to be curious… I wonder what your True Self is really like? What if your True Self holds the key to your happiness? Would you like my help to get to know the Truth of who you are?

©2018 by Dr. Dorie McCubbrey. Dr. Dorie is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Licensed Addiction Counselor who is passionate about training professionals to effectively guide clients in recovery from eating disorders, through her Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ Certified program. She also meets with clients at her treatment center, Positive Pathways PLLC, located in Evergreen Colorado. Learn more at: https://www.drdorie.com

Article may be reprinted with this author bio.

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Want more that this “taste” of EDIT™? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE – GET CERTIFIED

The post Believe In Your Self appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.