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.

FREE WEBINAR – MONDAY, MARCH 16
Click the link below to watch recording:
https://www.drdorie.com/coronavirus-webinar/

Coronavirus news is pretty much anywhere you look. What about the coronavirus and eating disorders? As COVID-19 spreads across the United States and around the world, how are people with eating disorders being impacted? Are there specific steps that those in recovery from eating disorders can take, not only to reduce the risk of the coronavirus but also to prevent their eating disorders from worsening as a means of coping with anxiety, fear, powerlessness, loneliness, and other intense emotions? Can counselors, psychologists, social workers, dietitians, recovery coaches and other health professionals – as well as friends and family members – offer unique assistance?

Impacts of the Coronavirus on People with Eating Disorders:

As those of us involved in the treatment of eating disorders know, one of the causes of eating disorders is “trying to be in control when things feel out of control.” According to numerous news updates, the spread of COVID-19 is far from “under control.” Here are a few things that I am noticing in my clients, as well as what my supervisees and mentees are reporting in their client populations. It is my hope that this information can give you insights into what interventions can be implemented:

• Anorexia Nervosa and Coronavirus: Extreme anxiety due to disruptions in eating disorder rituals and routines; avoidance of gyms and increased exercise outdoors, even in poor weather; worsening restriction through the justification that grocery shopping in crowds is unsafe; worsening isolation due to fears of coronavirus community spread; worsening of co-morbid issues such as Mood Disorders, Personality Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Substance Use Disorder; much higher risk of severe symptoms of COVID-19 if the coronavirus is contracted, due to underlying health issues related to Anorexia Nervosa.
• Bulimia Nervosa and Coronavirus: Extreme anxiety due to disruptions in eating disorder rituals and routines; avoidance of gyms and increased exercise outdoors, even in poor weather; worsening restriction through the justification that grocery shopping in crowds is unsafe; hoarding of binge foods which can worsen binge/purge behaviors; worsening isolation due to fears of coronavirus community spread; worsening of co-morbid issues such as Mood Disorders, Personality Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Substance Use Disorder; higher risk of severe symptoms of COVID-19 if the coronavirus is contracted, due to underlying health issues related to Bulimia Nervosa.
• Binge Eating Disorder and Coronavirus: Extreme anxiety due to disruptions in eating disorder rituals and routines; hoarding of binge foods which can worsen binge/purge behaviors; worsening isolation due to fears of coronavirus community spread; worsening of co-morbid issues such as Mood Disorders, Personality Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Substance Use Disorder; risk of severe symptoms of COVID-19 if the coronavirus is contracted, due to underlying health issues related to Binge Eating Disorder.

Action Steps that People with Eating Disorders Can Take:

Of course, you’ll want to follow the guidelines to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, as offered by your local and state government, as well as the National Center for Disease Control and International World Health Organization. As a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist with more than 25 years of clinical experience, here are a few strategies that I can suggest for those with eating disorders to reduce the risk of contracting the coronavirus while also practicing Self-Care as an essential aspect of eating disorder recovery:

• Name your emotions while realizing YOU are NOT your emotions: For example, “I feel afraid,” rather than personalizing the emotions, such as, “I AM terrified!” Separate the feeling (fear) from your Self. YOU are not fear, terror, etc. You may FEEL afraid, terrified, etc. – but like waves in the ocean, these feelings can come and go, when you avoid attaching to them and let them go. In addition, you can FEEL more than one emotion at once – try to name some supportive emotions you may also feel, such as, “I feel hopeful, creative, loving.” Acknowledge that some emotions FEEL more comfortable than others. Become aware of emotions which are based on the past or the future, rather than the here-and-now. These are some core practices of mindfulness-based therapies, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Realize that YOU are NOT your emotions. As Pema Chödrön is quoted as saying, “You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.”
• Be aware of attaching “facts” versus “fiction” to your emotions: For example,  “I feel afraid because the coronavirus is killing millions of people (fiction), and eventually we’re all going to get it (fiction), and there is nothing I can do to avoid getting it (fiction), and everybody is going to die (fiction)…oh my gosh, I’m terrified!” You can see how “fiction” can spiral into catastrophic thinking, and extreme emotions. One of the basic principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is that events result in thoughts that trigger emotions. If we have “irrational thoughts” about events, this can cause unhelpful and intensely painful emotions. Pausing to notice thoughts, and focusing only on facts (without added fictional stories), is essential. “The coronavirus has killed thousands of people worldwide.” Fact. “I feel worried.” Emotion based on fact. “There are steps I can take to stay safe.” Fact. “I feel relieved.” Emotion based on fact. “My eating disorder won’t make the coronavirus go away.” Fact. “My eating disorder can worsen my risk of getting the coronavirus.” Fact. “I intend to stay focused on recovery and Self-Care.” Fact. “I feel empowered.” Emotion based on fact.
• Stay connected with your eating disorder recovery community: Many support groups are now being offered online, through chat rooms and video conferencing. Check with local and national eating disorder organizations for more information. I offer “virtual therapy sessions” through HIPAA-compliant platforms, so you don’t need to leave your home in order to have a session with me, here in my state of licensure in Colorado. Most therapists, dietitians, and even medical doctors are able to offer tele-health services in your state. Health and Life Coaches have been conducting sessions-by-phone for years, and there are no boundaries created by state lines (coaches can provide services anywhere in the world). Through my business, the EDIT™ Training Institute, people have become certified as Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinicians and Recovery Coaches. Find an EDIT™ Certified Clinician or Coach Here

Action Steps to Help People with Eating Disorders:

Someone you love may be struggling with an eating disorder, and you may be noticing that their behaviors are becoming worse, possibly as a way of coping with the coronavirus outbreak. Or, you may be a mental health clinician or health coach who is aware that underlying health issues (such as eating disorders) can worsen the severity of the coronavirus. Here’s how you can help, even if you don’t have training to provide support, recovery coaching, or therapy to those with eating disorders:

• Friends & Family: Be a role model for someone in recovery. Demonstrate coronavirus precautions such as hand washing, while illustrating how to avoid obsessive/compulsive behaviors. Offer to grocery shop together, while showing how to appropriately use hand sanitizers and exhibit social distancing. In nice weather, go to a park and take a walk together, or practice gentle movement such as yoga, using online instructional sources. Offer to cook meals and eat together. Keep your own thoughts and emotions in check (refer to the points in the section above). Be compassionate if the person you love does use their eating disorder behaviors as a means of coping. As them if there is anything else that you can do to help. Download FREE EDIT™ Resources or become an EDIT™ Certified Peer Support Provider to learn additional skills
• Clinicians & Coaches: People with eating disorders and other mental health issues really need your help right now! Many of you may be working from home for a period of time. You can use HIPAA-compliant audio and video conferencing to have sessions with your clients while they remain in their own homes. Here are a few resources to consider: doxy.me, wecounsel.com, zoom.us. Since coaches are not bound by HIPAA regulations, you can use Skype, FaceTime, or a standard phone call. Be aware that clients with a previous history of eating disorders may have a recurrence as a means of coping. Or, clients with Substance Use Disorders may not be able to obtain alcohol or other drugs, and they can develop eating disorders as a replacement. Are you equipped to diagnose and treat, or coach clients with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder? The EDIT™ Training Institute offers FREE EDIT™ Resources and ONLINE EDIT™ Certification to become an Eating Disorder Recovery Coach or Treatment Clinician.

If a higher level of care is needed, Eating Disorder Treatment Centers report being equipped for the coronavirus.
We’re all in this together! Let’s be hopeful, inspired and creative. We can make a unique difference for others.

FREE WEBINAR – MONDAY, MARCH 16
Click the link below to watch recording:
https://www.drdorie.com/coronavirus-webinar/

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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

*****

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

From Halloween to Thanksgiving to Holiday Parties into the New Year – food seems to be everywhere. Here are a few strategies to help your clients (or yourself) to find balance with emotions and eating. This can help overcome the temptation to binge (and then possibly purge), or to engage is restrictive behaviors which result in feelings of deprivation (and then possibly a binge/purge). Try these EDIT™ Skills to break the ED cycle, and enjoy this Holiday Season:

1. Trust Your Intuition with Food Choices – Get in touch with the foods you truly love. I mean, LOVE. Is it really the Halloween on every corner display in the grocery store? Or, Aunt Martha’s fruit cake that you feel obligated to eat to please her? Or, those store-baked cookies someone brought to the Holiday Office Party? Think back to your own pleasant memories of this time of year. Maybe you really LOVE apples dipped in caramel, or the turkey stuffing the your Nana used to make, or your Grandma’s shortbread cookies. Make your own list of “favorite foods,” and see if you can focus on these as your food choices. When you’re shopping specifically for apples and caramel, it’s easy to overlook all the candy. When you’re bringing your Nana’s stuffing to the family gathering, maybe you can say to Aunt Martha as she passes the fruitcake, “No, thanks, I’m stuffed!” (Yes, pun intended). And, at the Holiday Party, people will be asking, “Who baked these cookies? I want the recipe!” I hope this strategy helps you to focus more on enjoying the foods you love, while connecting more with others.
2. Check In with Your Feelings Often – Notice the sensations in your body, as well as your predominant emotions. Be curious about a possible link between your emotions and your body sensations. Rate these sensations on a scale from 1 to 10, and if they seem very intense (a 9 or 10), pause to a coping skill to bring the intensity down to a manageable level (a 4 or 5. Consider using the EDIT™ Worksheet (at end of article) to help you develop ways to meet your specific needs. Take a photo of the completed worksheet, so if you are feeling emotionally vulnerable before a holiday event, you can pull out your phone for a quick reminder about emotional balance. This is an effective way to avoid using ED behaviors to cope.
3. Give the Gift of Self-Care – Yes, to your Self! This is a busy time of year, and much of the focus can be about, “What costume should I make for my daughter? What is the best gift for my boss? What present should I get my nephew, Jimmy?” All of this, on top of the regular responsibilities of everyday life. Be sure to beep recovery as your #1 priority, and reflect about simple Self-Care you can enjoy every day – perhaps a 5-minute morning meditation, pausing for a cup of tea in the afternoon, or buying yourself a gift (and wrapping it)!

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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 

*****

CLICK IMAGE to VIEW & PRINT WORKSHEET

The post Eating Disorder Recovery Tips for Food Holidays appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I just re-planted some cucumber seeds in my garden, to replace a small plant that didn’t do so well. I live in the mountains outside of Denver, Colorado – and it’s been a very cold Spring-into-Summer here.

As an avid gardener, I’m a bit baffled when my plants don’t thrive here – but as the saying goes, “it’s always something.” Living at high altitude, where certain plant species don’t grow well. An overly cold start to the season, including snow and hail. Deer and elk breaking the garden fence and eating my seedlings! But despite the challenges, I persevere.

For me, there is nothing more rewarding than picking that first cherry tomato, biting into its warmth from the sun, and savoring every succulent taste! All of that plant food and water, fencing to protect my plants while still allowing me access to provide care, and research about how to best support my garden’s growth in this mountain climate – all of it is so worth it, when the harvest comes in.

I hope you can see my metaphor by now – how growing a garden is much like growing a business – specifically, an eating disorder recovery coaching, clinician counseling, or nutrition and dietitian business. And, how we need to provide that nourishment, safe environment, and best practices to support our clients.

In the 25+ years that I’ve owned a business for the treatment of eating disorders and related issues, I’ve encountered many obstacles along the way. I’ve learned a lot of things the hard way. But somehow, I continue to find my way.

Here are three eating disorder business growth tips for you, using a garden metaphor:

1. Seek to Give vs Get – of course we all have bills to pay, and we “need to get money.” But if that is your focus, it’s like screaming at a tiny seedling, “GIVE ME A TOMATO, NOW!” Get out of your own fear, scarcity, failure – and shift into hope, abundance and success. Ask the very important question, “What is the best way that I can be of service to others?” and await the answer.
2. Open Up to Your True Gifts – the answer may surprise you. I moved to the mountains outside of Denver, Colorado last year, and I thought that this was so that I could focus 100% on training clinicians in my method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ – and, so that I could finally finish my next book, which I started many years ago. It’s like the raspberries that I want to grow here – I need to create a very secure type of fence, so that the bears will not break in to devour my delicious crop! That’s going to require a lot of time. As much as I love raspberries (and the idea of “living the author’s life”), I am being called in a different direction right now. I’m driving 45-minutes back into Denver, three times a week, to meet with eating disorder and substance use disorder clients (“Are you kidding me? I just moved from Denver, where I could WALK to my old office!”). There is an incredible need for my services as a Licensed Addiction Counselor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (I’m sure you all know about the “opioid epidemic,” and I specialize in working with clients who struggle with eating disorders and substance use disorders). YES – the raspberries (and my next book) can wait until another season.
3. Partner with Others – it doesn’t have to be so hard! My neighbor is training to become a Master Gardener. My other neighbor across the street has an elaborate garden system, with drip irrigation, fencing all around and hail screens above, plus screens below the garden boxes (so the pocket gophers don’t pull her crops into their borrows and consume them)! Although I know a lot about gardening, mountain gardening is new to me. These women are experts at what they do – why wouldn’t I ask questions and seek advice from them? Likewise, there are many resources and people who are available to help you grow your business. My colleague offered me her office space Denver, on Thursday mornings, when she wasn’t using it. I had always envisioned my business being in a Victorian Home – and what do you know, that’s exactly what this is! And, I don’t need to pay for the mortgage, nor the upkeep of the house, nor furnish any of the rooms. Ah, it doesn’t have to be so hard! From Thursday mornings, I expanded my business to other days of the week. I planted that “Victorian House” seed a LONG time ago – sometimes those seeds take a while to sprout, and what pops up out of the ground isn’t exactly what is expected (“What? I though I planted a cucumber! What do you mean I’m getting a sunflower?”). Oh, how beautiful! Sometimes our ideas take a long time to manifest. Sometimes our results take a long time to see. Sometimes what we thought would be, isn’t – its actually something even better. Seek the help that you need, and be open to the unexpected signs along the way. Depending on your own area of focus, you can add an eating disorder recovery coach, eating disorder clinician, eating disorder dietician, and eating disorder medical doctor to the “recovery garden” that you provide for your clients. Keep in mind that you can consult with professionals who may not live in your area (like me)!

I hope you will successfully “grow your garden” – plant your seeds with positive ideas about the work you LOVE to do, stay open to how you can best be of service in your community (notice the new seeds you can plant or the sprouts which just show up), and seek guidance from others with expertise to help grow your garden/business. You will reap a significant harvest (dare I say, money?) – but ONLY because you are seeking to GIVE your true gifts to others. That first “cherry tomato” – your first client who thrives, in freedom from ED, and the next, and the next –  YES! It’s all worth it! My best advice is – despite the challenges, persevere!

*****

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 Eating Disorder Business Growth Tips 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.

You may have heard the Cherokee story, about two wolves who are fighting. One wolf is evil, and the other wolf is good. The legend states that both wolves are within each of us, and the wolf that wins the fight is the one we feed. 

The wolves could also be considered “selves” – one “false self,” and the other “true self.” Well-known psychoanalyst D.W. Winnicott is credited with coining these terms in the 1960s. The true self is the original sense of self at the time of birth, which continues to be “fed” throughout healthy development. The false self is “born” in an attempt to compensate for inadequate nurturing, and is “fed” by adhering to other people’s opinions and demands. 

Psychotherapist Stephen Cope explains, “The false self is born when the environment does not welcome the self to be as it is… When we are separated from our capacity to be with life the way it is, especially in our early development, our capacity to self-soothe is severely impaired. Our need for soothing and confirmation from external sources will be chronic and insatiable.”

Eating disorders are an example of this false self, obsessively seeking to self-soothe. The wolf of this false self has an insatiable hunger, which binge eating cannot satisfy, nor starvation deny. The wolf is “fed” through eating disorder behaviors, but it’s never enough. Amidst the false self’s obsession, the other wolf is forgotten. It’s as if there is no true self. The false self – eating disorder – becomes one’s identity. 

Cope continues, “The false self, though initially an effective adaptive strategy, can eventually become a learning disability. It requires us to shut down our connection with the direct feedback from our bodies, our biocomputers… Our ideas about who we should be can be so powerful that they deeply impair our capacity to see who and how we really are. Over time, the ego becomes so invested in the false self that it begins to believe in its reality. Any threat to the false self, then, or any obstacle to the manifestation of its demands, becomes a threat to life itself. We will defend, to the death, whatever we consider to be ‘me.’ ”

No wonder our clients often resist treatment – and sometimes die as a result of their eating disorders. If their eating disorder is who they are, then who would they be without it? Having forgotten about their true self, the fear is that without their false self, there would be no self. They cling to their eating disorder like their life depends on it, even though their eating disorder is taking their life away. 

It is essential to guide clients to realize that their eating disorders are not who they are. It is equally essential to assist clients to discover their True Self, hidden beneath the false self of their eating disorder (note that I deliberately capitalize “T” and “S” for emphasis). Recovery is about remembering and “re-feeding” one’s True Self. 

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BLOG ARTICLE – is an excerpt from a full article published on the Gürze/Salucore Eating Disorders Resource Catalogue website, at this link: https://www.edcatalogue.com/hungry-wolves-false-self-true-self-eating-disorder-recovery/

PRESENTATION – on this topic which offers 1 CE (through NBCC), learn more and register  on the Gürze/Salucore Eating Disorders Resource Catalogue website, at this link: https://gurze.thrivecart.com/false-self-and-true-self-ce

DOWNLOAD HANDOUT – which goes with the presentation here: https://www.drdorie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Hungry-Wolves-Handout.pdf

©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 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 Disorder Recovery – False Self vs True Self 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.

“Drunkorexia” is not a clinical term – it was coined by the media to describe the combination of heavy drinking along with restrictive eating. A study conducted by the University of Houston in 2016 revealed that 80% of students surveyed demonstrated binge drinking in combination with eating disorder behaviors, such as fasting and/or excessive exercise before drinking, or self-induced vomiting during or after drinking. Reported effects were “getting drunker quicker,” or “drinking without weight gain.” The former may be indicative of an Alcohol Use Disorder, while the latter may point to an Eating Disorder such as Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.

Although other articles about drunkorexia may make light of these issues, or even promote them as a means of “dieting by drinking,” this is in fact a deadly diet. Having either an eating disorder or substance use disorder can be fatal, but a dual diagnosis can increase risk of sudden death due to alcohol poisoning, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance from purging, or other medical complications.

In drunkorexia, it’s as if eating disorders and alcohol use disorders are “feeding on each other” – where the eating disorder may be driving someone to drink as a means to numb appetite, or the alcohol use disorder may trigger fasting or purging to increase the effects of alcohol when tolerance is high. This makes treatment and recovery more complicated – it’s common for individuals to “addiction-switch,” trading the eating disorder for the alcohol use disorder, or vice-versa. Integrated treatment approaches are the key to recovery, where the root cause of both the eating disorders and alcohol use disorders can be addressed.

If you or someone you love is struggling with these issues, here are some recovery tips:

1. Be honest with yourself  – write down the type and quantity of alcohol you consume, how many days each week you drink, and also note the disordered eating behaviors you use (meal-skipping, purging, etc), and why you use these behaviors (to prevent weight gain, to intensify the effects of alcohol, or both).

2. Tell someone  –open up to a trusted friend that you think you may hav a problem. Saying this out loud is the first step to recovery, and making a change in your eating and drinking behaviors.

3. Reach out for peer support – attend eating disorder support groups (the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders sponsors groups around the world), and sobriety support groups (try Alcoholics Anonymous, Women for Sobriety or Life Ring).

4. Consult with a professional – an eating disorder specialist, addiction counselor, or physician can provide an assessment and diagnosis, and can offer treatment strategies for you. While peer support can be helpful to know you “aren’t alone in the struggle,” mental health and medical treatment are the keys to long-term recovery. Eating Disorder Recovery Coaching and Addiction Recovery Coaching can also be helpful to learn recovery skills to practice in your everyday life.

5. Reflect about your values – you might think that you value being an ideal weight or having a fit body, so you justify your drunkorexia behaviors to maintain your low body weight. But what about your value of your health? Or, you might think that you value having friends and fitting in with the crowd, so you justify your drunkorexia behaviors to drink excessively just like everyone else in your peer group. But what about your value of connection with others? What do you really want – to look good – or, to be loving towards yourself and others, and truly loved by others? Food for thought!

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

*****

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

Take this Quiz to Find Out if You Are Dealing with Drunkorexia:

(click on image to download and print a pdf file)

Use these Tips to Avoid Drunkorexia Issues:

(click on image to download and print a pdf file)

Try this EDIT™ Worksheet for Interventions with Drunkorexia:

(click on image to download and print a pdf file)

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

What is the link between eating disorders and spirituality?
Can healing an eating disorder also become a path of self-discovery?
Are eating disorders and spirituality keys to the deeper levels of recovery?

Perhaps there is a reason why the things that we consider bad, unhealthy, broken, and dysfunctional still exist. If it’s here, it is serving a purpose. Everything serves, and there is wisdom in all of it.

A common practice used in working with eating disorders is to quiet the voice of “ED” or the eating disorder. However, I believe that no aspect of ourselves should be disregarded. Instead, everything about ourselves can be embraced in order for us to transcend or move beyond a limiting, painful perception of the world.

I think re-encouraging a split within the psyche where the eating disorder is a problem only adds to the client’s feelings of internal conflict. Instead, we can include the eating disorder as a part of the client and find a deeper meaning in the experience.

As a therapist, I will often ask the following questions:

• What wants to be said or heard?
• How did the eating disorder protect you when you were younger?
• What part of the unconscious wants to become known?
• And how is it perfect that it became intolerable and caused you to seek help?

Many eating disordered clients can feel like they are living inauthentically. Maybe they are living according to family or societal standards that have been internalized or introjected.

The eating disorder can be a form of rebellion, a reaction against the socialized self, and can provide insight into how the client wants to authentically show up in this world.

By uncovering what may be underneath the voice of the eating disorder, I have seen many clients become closer to a more empowered and expressive side of themselves that is willing to set boundaries and speak their truth. Rather than rejecting the parts they don’t like and pretending they are not there only to have them resurface later, clients learn to be with the uncomfortable aspects of themselves, integrate them, and become bigger than them.

Ultimately, eating disorders and spirituality become a path toward recovery of the True Self – where clients learn about themselves on a deeper level and discover who they really are.

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Want to incorporate spirituality into recovery? 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

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