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

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Today is “International No Diet Day.” This is an opportunity to say NO to diet-deprivation, NO to scale-stepping, and NO to weight-worries! 

Just for today, what would it be like to give yourself permission to have a “forbidden food,” in a safe and enjoyable way? Think of a food that you truly love, but try not to eat, because you tell yourself, “I can’t stop once I start eating ______, so I’ll just stop eating it.” The next thing you know, the food that you consider OK to eat is very limited, and most of it you dislike, but you tell yourself, “It’s worth it to keep eating this way, because I don’t overeat now, and I’m losing weight!” Until you realize you can’t eat “this way” any longer, and you “give in” to your food cravings, over-indulging in all of the foods that you’ve deprived yourself of. We always want what we “can’t have.” Then, one cookie becomes too many, because 100 is not enough. However, if you CHOOSE to have a cookie, and pick out ONE from a local bakery that is your FAVORITE, and then you sit with a friend who is also enjoying her delectable delight – suddenly you experience the freedom with food that you truly yearn for!

Just for today, what would it be like to NOT step on the bathroom scale? Or, if you have already checked that number, what would happen if you didn’t allow it to define you? You are so much more than a number! If you stop and really think about it, does the scale ever let you have a good day? If the number states the same (or Heaven forbid goes up), then you berate yourself, and vow to be even more disciplined with your diet. Even if the number goes down, you might feel a moment of success, which quickly fades way as you shift into panic about how you’ll be able to keep losing weight, and eventually maintain the weight you lose. So, no matter what you weigh, you don’t have a good day. And eventually, you become like 95% of dieters, who regain weight they lose, usually ending up weighing more than when they started the latest diet. This is a phenomenon known as “diet-induced obesity,” caused by rebound weight gain in response to chronic dieting. 

Just for today, what would it be like to let go of your weight worries? Maybe your Mother keeps telling you that you should lose weight (sorry to point fingers, all of you Moms out there). Or your doctor (see Mom? It’s not all your fault!) – or SOCIETY’S STANDARDS. Who set these anyway? Who decided that fashion models, actresses, or media stars portray ideal beauty? From curvy Marilyn Monroe to stick-thin Twiggy, how should women look? What if the way each of us looks RIGHT NOW it exactly the way we “should” look? We each can set our own “ideals,” based on being our True Self! And, for the doctors out there, who set the BMI (Body Mass Index), and decided that patients “should” be a “normal” weight as determined by the BMI standard? There can be “Health At Every Size” (HAES®) – and for the science behind this, LEARN MORE HERE

I hope that my diet-free message inspires you to LIVE FREE – even if it’s just for today! If you’re HUNGRY for MORE of my “DON’T DIET DITTIES,” join me for these special events and offers: 

• May 6th @ 2:15pm (EASTERN time):  FACEBOOK LIVE
  Did you miss it? Click the link to watch the recording!
• May 6th @ 8-9pm (EASTERN time): FREE GROUP CALL
  Did you miss it? Click the link to get the recording!
• 50% OFF Dr. Dorie’s UnDiet™ ORDER NOW
  Downloadable Self-Help Program – SPECIAL PRICE TODAY ONLY
• FREE with any EDIT™ Certified Registration SIGNUP NOW
  Get Dr. Dorie’s UnDiet™ download – FREE GIFT TODAY ONLY

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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. 

*****

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

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It’s Valentines Day, a day to celebrate LOVE! Most of us associate this day with the love for an intimate partner, but this can be a day to celebrate any kind of love – for your friends, family, companion animals, nature… and how about loving that image in the mirror?

This blog post is designed to accompany a video, where I share a little bit about my own journey of recovery from heating disorders, and how to improve body image by practicing the first principle of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ which is Love Your Self. You can view the video on my Facebook Page

That may seem easier said than done! I discovered how I could love certain parts of myself, like my personality, or my hobbies. Regarding my body, I hated the image in the mirror for many years, and avoided looking in the mirror as much as possible.

But I was determined to make peace with that image in the mirror, because a “messenger on my path” kept saying, “I Love You!” to me (that’s a story for another blog post). The bottom line is, I decided to listen to this messenger, and try to say “I Love You!” to my own reflection in the mirror.

I started with things I could like about my body, even if it was something like my fingernails. Eventually, I began to appreciate other parts of my body, recognizing things that my body allowed me to do, regardless of shape or size. For example, having strong legs to carry me throughout the day.

Finally, I realized that I was feeling “split” – I was developing a sense of love for the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of my Self, but still had criticism about my body. How could I love only certain parts of my Self, when all parts made up the whole Self? To love any part, I knew I needed to love the WHOLE of my Self, including my body!

That was a breakthrough for me. My body wasn’t “ideal” according to society’s standards, but that didn’t matter! What a relief to let go of striving to be a “perfect” (yet false self), and to come to a place of seeing my True Self in the mirror, and loving what is!

Click on the image below to download and print the EDIT™ Worksheet
to help you learn how to improve body image and Love Your Self 

*****

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 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 How to Improve Body Image 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.

*****

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.

I’d like to introduce you to Kristen Ales, who is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician. Kristen 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 at a wilderness therapy center. Although she does not meet with anyone who is not a patient at the treatment center, I can incorporate wilderness therapy into sessions. Evergreen, Colorado is the perfect place to experience the healing aspects of nature!
– Dr. Dorie

My name is Kristen Ales, and I am the newest EDIT™ Counselor Intern at Positive Pathways, from the Transpersonal Wilderness Therapy Program at Naropa University. You’re probably thinking, “Wait – what kind of therapy?” Don’t worry, I am here to give you a brief introduction of myself and the world of Wilderness Therapy.

Transpersonal psychology is a relationship of the Self and spiritual connection to our world. It is not only looking at the different parts of our Self – Body, Mind, Emotions, Spirit – but also connecting those parts to the earth, relationships, growth and human potential.

Transpersonal psychology combines the teachings of the psychology trail blazers – psychoanalysis, behaviorism and humanistic psychology – as well as many other aspects of human experience and spirituality. We are conditioned from our past experiences; we develop a system that works for us as individuals in order to survive.  In this development, we acknowledge the “ego” and “Self” in all of its complexities, intertwined into our culture and history. We create relationships and intimacy through empathy for others and ourselves. The “transpersonal” are the experiences that we cannot fully describe, from our “heart space” that holds our limitless potential. Transpersonal psychology not only looks at the different parts of ourselves as a whole, but also acknowledges our wholeness as a part in the complexity and mystery that is the universe.

Wilderness Therapy is about creating a relationship with nature, and also promoting a sense of self-sufficiency and autonomy. When we are in relationship with another person we cannot predict how they will react to our behaviors, and vise versa. When in relationship with another person we are experiencing ourselves in the form of one our many identities, shielding our ego in one way or another. In nature, there is no reason to bring anything other than your Self. Your behavior is not dependent on others responses–the weather doesn’t care if you cry, become angry, or even become naked in celebration of life. In nature, we can be our full Authentic Selves without the worries of societal norms. In nature, we can begin to question ourselves without worries of identity. In nature, we can discover our True Self.

With this freedom, we can begin to make changes to support eating disorder recovery. Experiences that are made memorable by way of vulnerability and authenticity are where we can begin to transform. The outdoors provides a place and space for transpersonal work to be done. In nature or in any sort of new setting we are more receptive to new experiences and changes within. These little changes, however big or small, become “tastes” of the genuine that reside in all of us. A new skill set or knowledge base that begins to cumulate in a toolbox (or backpack) you didn’t know existed.

I was recently asked what the most significant memory in my life has been thus far, and I responded, “When I started to get to know my Self.” The moment I truly started to learn about my Self is when I made the conscious choice to work as an outdoor school naturalist in Yosemite Valley, leaving behind a corporate position in San Francisco. I consciously chose to work outdoors, exposing students to the wonders of the universe, and breaking away from routine. I was unaware that this experience would highlight parts of my Self that I did not know existed. I found that there were parts of me that were spiritual, playful and whimsical, inquisitive and exploratory – and also an adrenaline junkie!

Self discovery can be exciting, but it can also be a painful and exposing process. It is difficult to bury what has already been dug up. The outdoors provided the space I needed to process new parts of my Self – authentically – instead of trying to cover them up to continue on the strategic path I had created as my ego self. In the outdoors, I could choose my own path — I began to listen and watch the world more closely and learn what my needs were, not in relation to others, but what was true for me. I now go to the mountains, oceans and deserts for guidance — and somehow they always lead me to the path I need.

*****

Looking for guidance with WILDERNESS THERAPY? KRISTEN ALES, MA (the author of this blog article) is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and is currently employed by an wilderness therapy 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 wilderness therapy into their 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

The post Wilderness Therapy & Eating Disorders appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

Love Your Self – it might seem like a great concept, but how can you put it into practice, when you struggle with body image issues? You might think, “I will love myself when ___.” Fill in the blank: I lose xx pounds, my thighs don’t jiggle, I have flat abs, my arms are toned, I can fit into my skinny jeans… When I sculpt/mold/change my body into… what?

The perfect body. What is this, anyway? Would your body ever be good enough? Or, despite the changes that you make to your body, would you continue to have body image issues? What if your body is already good enough, just the way it is?

The body others love. Whose love are you really seeking? Is it worth it to become someone you are not in order to get others’ praise? If others love your body, would you love your body? Or, would you continue to have body image issues? What if your body is already lovable, just the way it is?

The body that is fit. Who determines what fitness is? If you can run a mile, 6 miles, or 26 miles? What does fitness look like? Even if you’re a fitness model, would you still have body image issues? What if your body has its own powerful abilities, just the way it is?

The body that fits in. Are you looking to fit into society’s standards of beauty? Do you really want to just blend in with the crowd? If you look just like everyone else, would you be happy? Or, would you still have body image issues? What if your body is beautiful in its own unique way, just the way it is?

The body that gets what it wants. Want a new job, new relationship, new life? Do you want your body to be used like a lure to get these things? Would you keep changing your body until you get them? Even if you could use your body to get what you want, would you still have body image issues? What if you are more than your body, and by being your True Self you can attract anything you desire?

Your True Self is your Whole Self – body, mind, heart and soul. Pause for a moment to reflect about these different aspects of your Self – and see if you can find one quality about each that you like. Maybe you value your heart-quality of being a good friend. Perhaps you appreciate your mind-quality of being a good writer. Possibly you enjoy your spiritual-quality of connection with nature. And, you just might like your smile.

Liking Your Self is a great place to start – keep thinking of one new quality you like about your Whole Self every day, and Loving Your Self will follow!

*****

©2016 by “Dr. Dorie” McCubbrey, MSEd, PhD, LPC, CEDS – the Owner & Clinical Director of Positive Pathways and Creator of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™.  

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 Body Image Issues: How to Love Your Self appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I’d like to introduce you to Amanda Grace Caldwell, who is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician in Houston, Texas. She was a Counselor Intern under my supervision from September, 2014 through May, 2015. She is a big fan of the EDIT™ Worksheets as clinical tools, and in this blog article, she explores a worksheet about values clarification, using the example of family values. She is a knowledgeable and compassionate therapist, and you can contact her with any comments or questions, including how to get started with individual sessions (see bottom of article).
– Dr. Dorie

EDIT™ Worksheets | Love Your Self
Self-Image #5 | My Values

Aesop once said, “Don’t let your special character and values, the secret that you know and no one else does, the truth—don’t let that get swallowed up by the great chewing complacency.” Aesop was onto something. Values are at the essence of who we are and that’s the great secret—what we value is who we are when no one else is looking.

The voice of ED enjoys wrecking havoc in the lives of our clients. The clients we sit with might have difficulty naming what they value because ED has gained a foothold in their life. It is our job as intuitive therapists to help our clients find freedom from ED and an important part of this journey is helping our clients connect with his or her values.

The “Love Your Self – My Values” worksheet is used to walk clients through the process of becoming reconciled to one’s True Self. When using this worksheet with a client, first walk through each value and make sure the client understands what each means. Encourage your client to fill in the “other” space if they know of a value that isn’t listed on the worksheet.

Have your client circle their top ten values. Before they begin, have them circle the number one value that stands out to them. Explain to your client that this is a snapshot of what a client values right now, in the present moment. Other values might become a part of their lives later on.

Let your client describe the importance of each value on their list. Why did the first value they circled stick out to them? What about that word resonated with them? As your client talks through each value, ask them questions such as:

1. When did this value first become important to you?
2. Who taught you about this value?
3. How was this value lived out in your life before ED?
4. How was this value lived out in your life after ED?

Help your client assess how ED has affected the things he or she has deemed important in life. How will continued recovery help your client connect with the things they value? After your client has walked through their list and assessed how ED has affected the truth of who they are, ask your client what is one value on the list they would like to pursue. What value would they like to own in a deeper way?

At the end of the session encourage your client to select one value to focus on for the upcoming week. If your client chose “Family” as a value, what is one way they can feed this value during the week? By ending the session this way, the client will be able to walk away with one tangible way they will be able to connect with their True Self again. And just as Aesop said, our clients will have a chance to once again connect with the “secret self” they hold inside.

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Looking for guidance with VALUES CLARIFICATION? AMANDA GRACE CALDWELL, MA (the author of this blog article) is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and is currently working towards her counseling license in Houston, Texas. You can contact her with comments or questions, or to become a client! – EMAIL AMANDA GRACE

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

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