IMPROVED BODY IMAGE: The first EDIT™ Principle, Love Your Self, can guide you to improve self-image and overcome body dysmorphia (a distorted perception of specific physical features). You will discover how to change the critical attitudes you have about your body into a positive sense of your whole Self. Using guided imagery, mindfulness meditation, and interactive take-home techniques, you can heal the disconnect between mind and body to create an integrated experience of overall well-being. Complete recovery from eating disorders begins with a foundation of complete Self-Love.

RENEWED SENSE OF SELF: Sometimes it can feel like your eating disorder is your identity – but recovery from eating disorders is about remembering who you really are! The eating disorder thoughts and behaviors are a “false self,” almost like a mask, projecting who you think you should be and hiding what you don’t want others to see. Underneath this mask lies your “True Self” and its Intuitive Wisdom, waiting to resurface. You will discover what your mask represents, and gradually peel away its layers, revealing the truth of who you are. You will learn the essential aspects of the parts of yourself you’ve tried to keep hidden, and you’ll genuinely want to be free of the mask you’ve been wearing. Through the exploration of your core values, beliefs, purpose, goals and dreams, you will reconnect with your True Self at the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual levels. Free of the mask of your eating disorder, you can truly be happy with your authentic answers to the question, “Who Am I?”

ENHANCED INTUITIVE EATING ABILITIES: The second EDIT™ Principle, Be True To Your Self, opens you to your intuitive wisdom which can guide your recovery. You’ll make peace with food by challenging your diet myths, gradually making changes to improve your nutrient intake, and implementing strategies to overcome eating-disordered behavior. You will not follow a meal plan, count exchanges, or weigh/measure your food – instead, you will discover the approach of Intuitive Eating, where you will learn how to honor your hunger by selecting the type and amount of food that your body truly needs. By following an intuitive process, you can enjoy the true freedom of complete recovery from eating disorders and food addiction.

HEALTHY INTUITIVE EXERCISE HABITS: If your intuition can guide you in making decisions with your life, your relationships, your career, and your eating, then it can guide you with your exercise choices, too! With an intuitive approach to exercise, you’ll find freedom from the rigors and exhaustion of compulsive exercise behaviors, and discover how to have fun with fitness once again. Consider your Intuitive Wisdom like an Inner Personal Trainer, who has your optimal health and wellbeing in mind. Would this trainer yell at you to force you through a workout, even when you’re exhausted? Would he or she set goals about weight loss or body fat reduction, with a grueling workout regimen to follow every day of the week? Or would you be supported to find fitness activities which you truly enjoy, and encouraged to listen to your body, exercising in the amount your body truly needs – including more rest and relaxation?

BALANCED MOOD: When you’re in your eating disorder mindset, you’re obsessing about something – what you ate, what you shouldn’t have eaten, what you’ll do to get back on track, and so on. With all of that chatter in your mind, there isn’t much room to think about how you feel – except feeling fat, which isn’t an emotion! As you begin your journey of recovery, you may feel out of touch with your emotions. But as your recovery progresses, you’ll learn how to identify your feelings and needs, with an ability to successfully navigate through the “highs and lows” of life events. You’ll feel sad without the depths of depression, and excited without the tension of anxiety. You’ll be able to truly feel your feelings, rather than numbing them with your eating disorder thoughts and behaviors. You’ll come to rely upon the wisdom of your own Intuitive Therapist to help you enjoy an overall balanced mood.

RESOLUTION OF CORE ISSUES: You may have a sense of what some of your core issues and current triggers are, or you may have no idea why your eating disorder began and what sets it off here and now. Through the third EDIT™ Principle, Express Your Self, you’ll learn healthy coping skills to replace eating disorder behaviors. You’ll also gain insights into your core issues, and discover your unique path of healing. You’ll also discover how to effectively handle your current triggers, so the pain of your past doesn’t continue to be reactivated.

INTUITIVE SELF-CARE PRACTICES: You may have a sense about what you “should do” to take care of yourself, but find that you don’t follow through. Intuitive Self-Care takes you beyond your “shoulds,” to an Inner Knowing about what you truly need – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. To “Feed Your Hungry Body,” you could enroll for a cooking class, or try yoga or tai chi. As “Food For Thought,” you might decide to learn a new language, or take a class to learn a new skill. To “Feed Your Hungry Heart,” you could schedule coffee dates to deepen your individual connections with friends, or you may reach out to former classmates or other friends you’ve lost touch with through Facebook. As “Soul Food,” you might learn how to meditate, or explore mindfulness practices for your everyday life. You’ll discover how easy it is to make your new Intuitive Self-Care practices your priority, because you’ll feel so good – much better than your eating disorder behaviors ever could!

SPIRITUALITY IN RECOVERY: As the author of How Much Does Your Soul Weigh? (HarperCollins, 2003), Dr. Dorie suggests, “You might be worried about how much your body weighs, but in all of your efforts to control your eating and your weight, what burden are you placing on your mind, your heart and your soul?” The EDIT™ method incorporates perspectives from Transpersonal Counseling, also know as Spiritual Psychology, which can help you explore a holistic sense of Self, which includes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects.

STRATEGIES FOR ONGOING SUCCESS: The EDIT™ philosophy is that complete recovery is possible – that you can be free of your eating disorder behaviors, and in fact live as if you never had an eating disorder! Although complete recovery is possible, relapse is also possible – but it can be prevented. EDIT™ Certified professionals are trained to recognize the warning signs of relapse, and can work with you to plan ahead for prevention. You’ll discover how to trust your own Intuitive Therapist within you as your guide – so you can enjoy the freedom of complete recovery, today and every day!