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

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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.

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

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

Eating disorder treatment at Positive Pathways has several new options! Take your eating disorder recovery to the next level through experiential sessions with Dr. Dorie at her new office in Evergreen Colorado. Try our two eating disorder support groups, including an Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ skills group and a new Expressive Arts group. In addition, affordable eating disorder treatment is available through sessions with our new Counselor Interns from Naropa University. See details below:

WELCOME to our new eating disorder treatment team members Jennifer Stein, BA and Jeung-il Tsumagari, BA – both Masters-level students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Naropa University. Jennifer brings her special interest in mindfulness meditation, and Jeung-il has a concentration in Art Therapy and offers this therapeutic option in her individual sessions and groups.

SUPPORT GROUP options for eating disorder recovery include our Monday Night Group entitled, “Don’t Diet – EDIT!” which features an exploration of the five principles of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ and the practice of recovery skills to overcome anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, food addiction, and other issues with eating and weight. Try our NEW eating disorder support group on Tuesday evenings, featuring expressive arts, facilitated by Art Therapy Intern Jeung-il Tsumagari.

DR. DORIE’S NEW OFFICE for eating disorder treatment is located in Evergreen, Colorado! Join Dr. Dorie for traditional counseling sessions, or try an experiential session including options of wilderness therapy, mindful meal sessions, and much more. This is your opportunity to deepen your eating disorder treatment by living the principles of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ in your session experience with Dr. Dorie. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday appointments are available. LEARN MORE: EVERGREEN OFFICE

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Interested in a FREE consultation? 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 NEW Eating Disorder Treatment Options 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.

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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.