Eating Disorders, COVID-19 and the Holidays – OH MY!  2020 has been a difficult year for all of us, and especially for those in recovery from eating disorders. Eating disorders happen in isolation, and recovery happens in connection with others. So, what happens to those in recovery from eating disorders, when we are supposed to avoid travel and not gather together? A variety of emotions can surface, I find that I’m using a specific Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ worksheet with most of my clients (see below).

Many of my clients in recovery from eating disorders are expressing emotions such as anxiety, depression, frustration, sadness, grief, irritability – to name a few! There are specific aspects of relief which eating disorder behaviors can provide. For example, when feeling stressed, eating can offer a calming effect. Binge eating can increase that effect, at least initially. Then, feelings of guilt and shame can ensue, which can lead to purging behaviors for some people with eating disorders. When emotions feel out of control, other people dealing with eating disorders may find themselves attempting to feel in control through restrictive eating, meal skipping, or fasting.

All of these emotions can be exacerbated for people with eating disorders, as they attempt to cope with the Holidays and COVID-19 restrictions. What specific emotions are people with eating disorders feeling? What purpose are the eating disorder behaviors serving? What alternatives to the eating disorder behaviors can be considered, as a means of meeting ones true needs?

As people with eating disorders cope with COVID-19 during the Holidays, this worksheets is an excellent resource. You can click on the worksheet below, to view and print. This EDIT™ Worksheet has tips to help your clients better manage their emotions and access their true needs, instead of using eating disorder behaviors as a means of coping.

This EDIT™ Worksheet can be a great tool for YOUR clients – whether you’re an EDIT™ Certified Eating Disorder Peer Mentor, EDIT™ Certified Eating Disorder Recovery Coach, or EDIT™ Certified Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician.

If you’re NOT EDIT™ Certified, now is a great time to get started, with 50% OFF EDIT™ Certified Level I thru December 31st, 2020. YOU might need something to focus on if YOU’RE feeling isolated right now. YOU can make a unique difference for people with eating disorders need YOUR help, especially during this challenging time of the Holidays amidst COVID-19. CLICK HERE & GET CERTIFIED for only $245!

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, through her Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ Certified program. During COVID-19, Dr. Dorie offers sessions by ZOOM for people in recovery from eating disorders. 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, COVID-19 & Holiday Coping Skills appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

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.

*****

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

*****

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.

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)!

*****

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.

While in graduate school to become a counselor, I wrote a paper about “Ecopsychology,” which was an emerging field, involving the relationship between the environment and the human psyche, or the natural world and our inner world. A newer field has emerged, called “Wilderness Therapy,” which involves an integration of nature into the therapeutic process, to facilitate healing in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Now, as a Licensed Addiction Counselor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, I’m always looking for ways to bring nature into my work with clients. This may be through the use of wilderness metaphors in my dialogues with clients, by taking mindfulness walks with clients outdoors, or by leading workshops and retreats in wilderness settings. My new office is located right by Evergreen Lake, with access to walking and hiking trails right outside the door!

I’m excited to be offering a 3-hour Wilderness Therapy Workshop on Saturday, June 23, 2018. In this small group of up to 8 members, we’ll take an easy walk into a nearby nature area. I’ll be guiding participants in a variety of nature-based therapeutic techniques, which are designed to enhance intuitive abilities – what I call the Intuitive Therapist within us all. Whether you are in recovery from an eating disorder or addiction, or if you’re simply on a path of personal growth, I invite you to join me for this special event! See flyer for details, and register by midnight on June 16 to get the Early Bird rate!

CLICK FLYER TO VIEW & PRINT

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

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 Wilderness Therapy Workshop 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 third EDIT™ Principle involves emotional awareness, being curious about the messages of emotions, and learning healthy coping skills – instead of engaging in eating disorder behaviors due to the inability to regulate emotions or to tolerate intense emotions. We need to guide clients to stop “putting on a happy face” – that there are safe ways to experience ALL emotions. The EDIT™ process involves having ED-IT dialogues with clients. Here’s what this might sound like:

ED (false self) – “Just put on a happy face, and try to fit in.”

The false self is very good at pretending that everything is “fine,” and acting in a manner to evoke acceptance from others. The false self may be compensating for past experiences where it was unsafe to show certain emotions. Eating disorder behaviors serve to keep emotions hidden. Any expressed emotions are “safe” masks the false self wears.

IT (True Self): “I am grateful for my range of emotions, and freedom of expression.”

The True Self has insightful emotional awareness, healthy emotional expression, and safe emotional vulnerability. There is an ability to experience intense emotions, using a variety of coping skills as needed. All emotions are authentic expressions of the True Self.

Try this “taste” of EDIT™ – The Mask

The false self is attempting to be an “ideal self” to please others and be accepted, while hiding a “shadow self” – any qualities which may result in criticism or rejection. Eating disorder behaviors are hidden in the “shadow,” but this is where the True Self has been hidden, too. Click on the image below for a downloadable worksheet which you can use to guide your clients to uncover the “gold” in the shadow.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT

©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.

*****

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 Express Your Self appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I’d like to introduce you to Abby Hansen, who is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician. Abby was a Counselor Intern under my supervision at Positive Pathways from August, 2016 through May, 2017. She is a knowledgeable and compassionate therapist, who is currently employed an an eating disorder treatment center. Although she does not meet with anyone who is not a patient at the treatment center, I can incorporate art making into therapy sessions. You never know what the creative process will reveal!
– Dr. Dorie

What are some core issues in eating disorders? Are there themes that almost always show up in eating disorder recovery? Why is art therapy so effective to explore these core issues in eating disorders?

My name is Abby Hansen and I am an EDIT™ Counselor Intern at Positive Pathways. I am currently finishing up my Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Transpersonal Art Therapy from Naropa University in Boulder, CO.

I have been working with folks struggling with eating disorders at various levels of care for the past six years. Over time I have picked up on a few themes or core issues in eating disorders treatment that almost always show up. I’d like to share why I believe art therapy can be such a beautiful part of eating disorder recovery, where healing of these core issues in eating disorders can unfold. 

1. Identity – “I am sick, and if I am not sick, who am I?”
The eating disorder often began as a very useful coping mechanism utilized to help during a difficult situation in life. Over time, the eating disorder becomes less effective as a way to cope, and winds up holding one back from who they really are. Art is innately unconscious – every mark we make on a page is the visual language of our soul. When we take the time to slow down and pay attention to our imagery we realize we have never left ourselves. I believe the more time we spend with our artwork the more time we spend with ourselves.

2. Perfectionism – “If I can’t do this perfectly, I am a failure.”
This sounds familiar, right? All-or-nothing thinking is such a common way of maneuvering in this world, in many ways it can keep us motivated in life but in other ways it can set us up to feel like we can’t do anything right. This is especially true for someone struggling with an eating disorder. Art can help with this, too! Clients can challenge their perfectionism using art materials. Maybe you gravitate toward colored pencils or markers because they are not messy, easy to control, and predictable in terms of mark-making. Practicing with less controllable materials such as water colors, clay or paint is a great way to challenge the eating disorder thoughts around being perfect. Give yourself permission to mess up, or get your hands dirty. It is a simple way to practice incorporating flexibility in your life.

3. Secrets – “I can hardly trust myself, how can I be expected to trust others?”
The eating disorder behaviors usually live in a very private world – therapists are sensitive to this, and know that developing trust in relationships is not the easiest thing for someone who is struggling. And yet, the client is almost always craving connection and companionship. Any relationship needs vulnerability to work. Art can be that middle ground or that safe place between the therapist and client. When sharing verbally feels too hard, art can provide that container for expression. The secrets can live in the art instead of the body and the client can communicate how they feel using metaphor. This can feel like a less risky way of being vulnerable.

These are just a few core issues in eating disorders recovery, and certainly there are more. Art therapy allows for a lot of flexibility with treatment planning to explore these and other core issues – plus, it can be fun! I want to emphasize that there is no need to “be an artist,” or even to have any experience using art materials in order to do art therapy. Just bring your “beginners mind,” and we’ll explore art therapy together!

*****

Looking for guidance with ART THERAPY? ABBY HANSEN, MA (the author of this blog article) is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and is currently employed by an eating disorder treatment center. Although she does not work with clients unless they are patients at the center, Dr. Dorie is available to meet with clients who wish to incorporate art making into their therapy sessions.

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 Art Therapy in Eating Disorder Recovery appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I’d like to introduce you to Ashley Eyre, who was a Counselor Intern under my supervision at Positive Pathways from August, 2015 through July, 2016. She is now who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate and an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, who continued under my supervision at my previous office location in Denver. Ashley currently meets with clients in Boulder, Colorado. You can contact her with any comments or questions, including how to get started with individual sessions (see bottom of article).
– Dr. Dorie

When considering eating disorders and art therapy, how can clients enhance their recovery through the separation from “ED” (what they might call their eating disorder)? Common with clients suffering from disordered eating, is the assumption that the internal dilemma is truly about calories, weight and food (Johnston, 1996). In introducing art to the therapeutic process, we can begin to access that which hides behind the disordered eating pattern (Brooke, 2008). Though there are several effective eating disorder and art therapy interventions that can help access our deeper selves, the “Create an Image of the Eating Disorder” intervention is extremely powerful.

Using clay or paper and oil pastels (or any other drawing material), the therapist invites the client to create and image of the eating disorder. They will then invite the client to give this disorder a name, a face, does he/she have a body? How big is this character? This eating disorder and art therapy intervention assists clients in recognizing that they have both an authentic self and a voice of their disordered eating pattern. By externalizing and characterizing the eating disorder, the client can begin to separate their true self from this false self; the disordered eating that developed as a coping strategy. Further, the client can begin to dialogue with the eating disorder, give it a name and express their true feelings about the influence that this character has had on their lives. Additionally, the individual can also thank the character of the eating disorder for the coping methods that were provided during the clients time of need. As the separation process begins, a lot of thoughts, feelings and emotions will surface. While assisting the client in processing through the loss of this false self, the client is also led and assisted in developing new and more effective coping strategies.

Through this process alone, a lot of information can be uncovered. Some clients experience anger as they begin to realize that this voice is NOT their own and that they do not want to listen to it anymore. Some actually realize that their eating disorder is likened to a friend that lives with them on a daily basis and that separating will involve a significant grieving process. Further, as we begin to dialogue with the eating pattern and investigate its nature, we can continue to distinguish and delineate the thoughts and patterns involved. When the therapist and client can look at a thought together, they can examine it carefully and ask whether it is our client’s true self speaking or whether it is the voice of ED, the eating disorder. ED will become trickier and trickier as he doesn’t want to be ignored.

Powerful recovery opportunities can unfold with eating disorders and art therapy exploration. As our clients realize the areas of their lives that ED is ruling, they have to be creative and counter his dominance with their true self. As they listen and act more consistently with the guidance of their authentic desires, needs and goals, they can begin to rely less and less on ED and start heading towards their full potential.

References:
Brook, S. (2008). The Creative Therapies and Eating Disorders. Springfield, IL: Charles Thomas
Johnston, A. (1996). Eating in the Light of the Moon. Oceanside, CA: Gurze Books

*****

Want to experience ART THERAPY? Contact Ashley Eyre, MA, LPCC – the author of this blog article. Share is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and conducts Art Therapy at her office in Boulder, Colorado. EMAIL ASHLEY

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 Art Therapy: Separating from ED appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

© Erica Faulhaber 2016 – this blog article may be shared in its entirety, including copyright and contact information. Reprint only with permission from the author. Article adapted and reprinted by Positive Pathways, PLLC with permission.

*****

Want to explore trauma recovery? Contact Erica Faulhaber, MA, LPCC – the author of this blog article. Erica is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and has a specialty in trauma recovery at her office in Lakewood, Colorado. EMAIL ERICA

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 Trauma: Journaling for Recovery appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.