You can befriend your body.
(Yes, really.)
Your body is your home, and when you’re at odds with it, those feelings of disgust, guilt,
self-hate, and obsession with perfection can overthrow your life.
But hope is on the horizon.
So, what is an eating disorder?
An eating disorder is any intentional change in eating habits that are abnormal or intentionally unhealthy, like dramatically restricting calories, not eating at all, or eating a very large meal and immediately throwing it up on purpose. (You can’t survive long like that — anorexia is the #1 cause of mental health fatalities in the U.S.) Eating disorders look vastly different between different people, but all of them revolve around what you put in your body, how you go about it, and how you reflect on it before, during and afterwards. It’s often tied to body image, body dysmorphia (when you think your body looks differently than it actually does), and low self esteem. Anorexia and bulimia are the most common eating disorders.
While it manifests differently, common symptoms include:
- Binge eating
- Restrictive eating
- Induced vomiting
- Over-exercising
- Use of laxatives
- Dehydration
- Dizziness/Fainting
- Low blood pressure
- Irregular menstruation
- Social isolation
- Guilt
- Brittle nails, hair loss, dry skin, dry hair
- Depression & anxiety
- Bruising
The two most important things you should know about eating disorders?
1 | It’s not your fault.
Eating disorders are especially stigmatized as being self-afflicted, but anorexia or bulimia aren’t any different than anxiety or depression. Instead, it’s a different way that your feelings of hurt are making themselves known. And there’s help for that hurt.
2 | An eating disorder isn’t a life sentence. (Not even close.)
You can be just as in love with your body as you are with your spouse, dog, or favorite vacation spot. It’s excruciating and exhausting to constantly be at odds with the only body you have, but through MindBodyWise therapy, threads of a new self-image and body image start to emerge. It’s about quelling the anxiety and quieting that booming voice of your eating disorder so you can break the cycle and create a healthy relationship between who you are and the foods you eat. No more broken promises to yourself. No more obsessive thoughts about food. Just freedom, pure and simple.
Our work together:
Even though it doesn’t always feel like it, healing and recovery are absolutely possible, especially when the “Bodymind” is integrated so seamlessly into the treatment plan. By blending movement, stretching, and verbal processing, I create custom safe emotional spaces for exploration. No matter what you do, say, or experience, you’re always “right” and welcome here.
Your journey towards whole healing is all about resetting those intricate patterns of your body, mind, and heart, creating new ways of relating to yourself. I’m talking about accessing the core of your eating disorder, so we can gain control of your body and settle your mind. Free from pain. Free from the stress of trying to find another thing that might help. Just gentle, complete self-acceptance that’ll have you befriending your body while gaining awareness and freedom from the plethora of symptoms that completely suck the life-force out of you. You deserve joy.
The healing can happen.
I’m here to help.
