This year’s theme may have different meanings for different people in recovery from eating disorders, as well as Clinicians and Recovery Coaches who with with eating disorders. As someone who has overcome Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder – and who has been a Clinician for more than 25 years – I find the message this year to be very empowering.

I used to feel so much guilt and shame about having an eating disorder, and it took me years of suffering in silence before I finally reached out for help. Without that essential assistance, I’d probably still be suffering, would never have become a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist who also provides training and certification in Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ – in fact, I’d probably be dead.

Once I was attending support groups, therapy groups, and participating in individual therapy, I began to feel less guilt and shame – but I had many regrets about the past, which I wished I could go back and change. I can now have compassion for myself, and have forgiven myself for any “mistakes” in my past. Instead of looking back, I continue to look forward, to the infinite possibilities in my life. I say that I have “2020 Vision!”

I also appreciate the theme, “Come As You Are.” I used to believe that I had to achieve and maintain perfection, and then I wouldn’t need my eating disorder any more. However, the opposite was true – the more attached I was to perfection, the worse my eating disorder became. I finally leaned how to Love My Self (which is the first EDIT™ Principle), and to “show up in life” exactly as I am, “imperfections” and all.

I’d like to share an EDIT™ Worksheet with you, to help re-frame the criticisms of the “voice of the Eating Disorder” (ED) into compassionate perspectives, revealed through the “voice of the Intuitive Therapist” (IT), which is the healing wisdom within us all.

CLICK IMAGE
to download & print

PS – As a special GIFT during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, you’ll receive up to $200 OFF certification thru 3/1/20. Whether you’re a Clinician, Health Coach, or just a friend or family member who is struggling, there are certification options for you! Use the Discount Code NEDAW at checkout and receive $50 OFF Level I, $100 OFF Level II, $150 OFF Level II (Mentoring), and $200 OFF Level III (Retreat). ENROLL NOW AND SAVE $$

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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. 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 – EMAIL DR. DORIE – GET CERTIFIED

The post National Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2020 appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

It’s a few days before Memorial Day Weekend, and “Swimsuit Season” is about to begin. Will you venture out to the beach in a bikini, will you be seen in a swimsuit at the pool? Or, will this be yet another summer that you “hide” underneath long-sleeved t-shirts and ankle-length crop-pants, hoping that no one will look at your body, which you deem “disgusting”?

As an eating disorder clinician, it breaks my heart when I hear my clients criticize their bodies in ways that they never would say to another person – not even their worst enemy. Sadly, some of my clients were told by their parents, siblings, or so-called friends that they were “chubby,” that they “needed to get the fat off,” or that they were “such a stick” and needed to put on some weight. If it’s not people my clients know, it’s the “comparing game” played with models, celebrities, and other “ideal” images portrayed in the media.

As someone who has struggled with body image issues, which only fueled the fires of my eating disorders, I am so grateful to be free of the extremely detrimental effects of body shaming. I’d like to share a few things that helped me to improve my body image, so that I could feel comfortable and confident in a swimsuit. Guess what – it had nothing to do with changing my weight, or anything else about my body. It had everything to do with changing my MIND.

Having a positive body image has nothing to do with how you look and what you weigh.  It has everything to do with what you THINK about how you look and what you weigh.  How else can you explain a situation where you “felt fine” and then suddenly “felt fat”?  Did you instantly gain 50 pounds?  No!  But you may think you have. Or, that you have 50+ pounds that you think you “should” lose. Perhaps you think you’re “too skinny and scrawny.” The key is to imagine feeling good in your body.  Size has nothing to do with this.

As previously mentioned, it’s a few days before Memorial Day. I invite you to CHALLENGE the body myths that you have. Gently notice where these judgments came from? Are they helping you to live the life that you truly desire? Who set the “rule” that you have to look a certain way in order to wear a swimsuit – isn’t that why there are so many sizes and styles? Who determined the “weight criteria” to lay in the sun or swim in the ocean – will there be a scale at the beachfront?

BODY IMAGE TIP: TRY THIS VISUALIZATION:  Read through it first, and then guide yourself through it.  Close your eyes and just breathe, relaxing into the moment.  Imagine the last glimpse you had of yourself in the mirror.  Now, get a deeper sense of your body, beyond the image in the mirror.  What physical sensations are you aware of in your body?  Notice the beating of your heart, the movement of your breath, and any other sensations amidst your body’s seeming stillness.  What are the various things that you can do with your body? Imagine all of the different ways your body can move – walking, bending, stretching, running, lifting, climbing, and so much more. How does your body serve you and others? Get a sense of what your body allows you to do and be, and you interact with people throughout a typical day. What is the purpose of your body, at its current size?  Move beyond any judgments about your body’s size, and notice the advantages of being exactly the size you are right now. How can you be your best Self, in your current body? Pause now, and reflect about what it means to be in your body, in this moment. As you imagine wearing a swimsuit, notice the immediate thoughts that come up. Just notice them, without attaching to them. Reflect about where you learned these thoughts. Imagine what it would be like to be free of these thoughts. After all, these are not really YOUR thoughts. And, if you are going to claim a thought which is not your own, how about this one: “YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO WEAR A SWIMSUIT YOU LOVE, AND GO TO YOUR FAVORITE OCEAN (lake, river, pool, backyard sprinkler), AND LOVE YOUR EXPERIENCE!” Why “weight”…

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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

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Dr. Dorie’s UnDiet™ can help undo the damage that diets can do – including negative body image.
LEARN MORE

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 Improve Body Image in a Swimsuit appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

Why Spirituality in Eating Disorder and Addiction Recovery is Essential and How to Unmask the Myths

The post Spirituality in Recovery from Addiction and Eating Disorders 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

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

I’d like to introduce you to Share Holland, who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate and an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician. I supervised Share while she was working with me at my previous office location in Denver. She is a knowledgeable and compassionate therapist, who incorporates the development of intimacy into recovery. You can contact Share with any comments or questions, including how to get started with individual sessions with Share (see bottom of article).
– Dr. Dorie

As a therapist, I often hear about the shame and secrecy surrounding eating disorders. Usually clients experience this pain behind locked doors, in their bedrooms and bathrooms, separate from the rest of the world. There is a fear that many clients have of feeling utterly alone whilst simultaneously thinking that no one could possibly love them if they were “found out.”

Isolation feeds eating disorders. Connection feeds recovery. This begins by allowing eating disorders and intimacy to go hand-in-hand, and through this process the “cure” will naturally unfold.

In my client work, I have seen two primary barriers to intimacy, which can block us from our inherent desire to connect. This causes us to feel alone, separate, and desperate. Here are some ideas to overcome these barriers to eating disorders and intimacy:

1. Intimacy Requires Being Vulnerable: In order to feel connected to others, we have to reveal truths about ourselves, even the ones we don’t like to share. If I only share the positive aspects of myself with someone, then I am robbing them of actually knowing me. We are made up of good and bad, light and dark, and everything in between. How can we truly feel loved if we only share certain parts of ourselves? Many clients think that there is no possible way they will be loved or accepted if they share their deepest, darkest secrets. Although I think everyone has the right to keep things secret or decide when and where they want to reveal more about themselves, I also believe that true love and acceptance comes from an appreciation or understanding of all parts of the self, not just the shiny, happy parts we like to show off to others.
2. Intimacy Requires Being Non-Judgmental: Real intimacy is hard. It requires us to be honest about our thoughts and emotions, which sometimes feels like we are breaking down our protective walls or even peeling off layers of our skin. Rather than admitting to our struggles with food, exercise, weight, or other addictions, we will often judge ourselves to feel safe. This sounds counter intuitive, but it is often the case. It is easier to think that no one will accept me so I have to hide these parts of myself because they are ugly, bad, or wrong. Ultimately, there is no good, bad, or wrong. Perspectives are relative. These are constructs created to keep you in hiding. If you think it’s bad then you can keep it a secret and avoid feeling judged by others. The problem is that you are already judging yourself, experiencing the pain of your own judgments, and missing out on true intimacy.

I am not suggesting that you blurt out every thought in your head to everyone that comes across your path. Unfortunately, like everything else, it is not that black and white. However, I am suggesting that there maybe someone close to you who would understand your struggle better than you may think. Perhaps revealing your challenges with food, exercise, weight, or addiction may allow intimacy in your relationships – which may be your True Hunger.

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Want to cultivate intimacy? Contact Share Holland, MA, LPCC – the author of this blog article. Share is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and has a specialty in mindfulness-based recovery practices at her office in Boulder, Colorado. EMAIL SHARE

Interested in a FREE consultation with Dr. Dorie? 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 and Intimacy appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

My Story: A Business with Roots in Recovery

My name is Dr. Dorie McCubbrey, and I’m the Owner & Clinical Director at Positive Pathways. It all began in January 1995, when I started my business. Or, perhaps it all began in 1975, when I started my first diet – shortly after my 10th birthday. By age 11, I was Anorexic. Although I restored weight, I never received treatment – and I struggled with body image issues, binge eating, and chronic dieting throughout Middle School and High School. In College, in had my first binge-and-purge episode, and by Graduate School, I was voraciously Bulimic. This was my “call” to seek treatment – and I’m very grateful to my therapist, Shelley, and all the friends I made in recovery. By the time I finished my PhD in Biomedical Engineering, my eating disorder behaviors were gone, and in their place was a key message which guided my recovery.

My Message: The Five Principles of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™

There are five parts to my message, which helped me overcome eating disorders, and which help me stay on a healthy path today – Love Your Self, Be True To Your Self, Express Your Self, Give To Your Self, Believe In Your Self. I didn’t read these in a book. I didn’t hear these from my therapist. I didn’t just make these up. This key message was shared with me through my companion animals – a parakeet, a kitten, and a cat. I truly believe this was my Intuition guiding me, through my observations of these animals. At first, I thought this message was just for me. But then I heard another “call” – to share this message with others in recovery from eating disorders.

My Mission: Guide Others to Complete Recovery from Eating Disorders

I first started my business as a motivational speaker, health coach and author in Northeast Ohio. Hearing yet another “call,” I returned to school to earn my Masters Degree in Counseling. My business quickly grew to become a Holistic Health Center – specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, and diet-free solutions to obesity. My first book was released in May of 1998, entitled, Dr. Dorie’s Don’t Diet Book: A New Life Free of the Weight Loss Games. In August of 1999, I heard the “call” of the mountains, and I relocated to Colorado, while I was writing my second book.  How Much Does Your Soul Weigh: Diet-Free Solutions to Your Food, Weight and Body Worries was released in January of 2003 (HarperCollins Publishers). Shortly afterwards, I was approached by readers of this book who wished to be trained in my approach to the treatment of eating disorders and weight issues. Honoring this “call,” I developed my first training programs in 2008. Originally termed “The McCubbrey Approach” by one of my mentors, this treatment method is now known as Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™, with a thorough training program for professionals to become EDIT™ Certified.

My Vision: Positive Pathways of Recovery

When I founded Positive Pathways in 1995, I always imagined that it would be in a Victorian House, with beautiful therapeutic gardens. Although our treatment center is currently in an office building in the Cherry Creek North area of Denver, it is located on the Garden Level – and we do have a small flower garden outside! My original vision also involved a collaborative treatment team – which I started with in Northeast Ohio, and which continues to unfold today. Positive Pathways is a group practice, with two Licensed Professional Counselors, two Registered Psychotherapists, two Art Therapists (one in training), a Registered Dietitian and a Somatic Counselor (in training). On the horizon, watch for the expansion of our recovery services into the treatment of ED-SUD – co-occurring Eating Disorders and Substance Use Disorders (such as alcohol abuse or drug addiction). I’m also in the process of developing a new type of experiential session, which will allow clients to safely reveal and gently break through their “stuck places.” In addition, I’m finishing work on my third book (title to be announced soon) – scheduled for publication in 2018!

Article may be reprinted with the author bio below.

©2015 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. Learn more at: https://www.drdorie.com

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Positive Pathways is now in Evergreen, Colorado! Since this article was written in 2015, a few things have changed! Dr. Dorie’s Positive Pathways business is now located right by Evergreen Lake. Dr. Dorie offers EDIT™ Sessions, Wilderness Therapy, Intuitive/Mindful Meal Sessions, Addiction Treatment, and much more.  POSITIVE PATHWAYS EVERGREEN

Interested in a FREE consultation with Dr. Dorie? 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

The post Positive Pathways Celebrates 20 Years appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.