Emotional eating is a form of dissociation. If you aren’t familiar with the term dissociation, it is the ability for the brain to separate from pain. When injured in an accident, your brain can block physical pain in order to survive. Our brain does the same thing with emotional pain. Life exposes us to a […]
In his amazing book Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving, Pete Walker discusses how trauma impacts a person’s ability to cope even years after the traumatic events in childhood. Even if you didn’t have your emotional or physical needs met in childhood, I strongly recommend reading this book. He has an excellent chapter on emotional […]
What does childhood trauma have to do with eating? Everything!! When we don’t have our basic needs met in childhood, food becomes a powerful tool and ally for survival. If we aren’t physically or emotionally safe in childhood, food often becomes one of the only things we can control or use to escape. When food […]
Emotional eating seems is so common. There are very few people who never struggle with it on some level. If you eat when you aren’t physically hungry, it is emotional eating. You might think it is just mindless or you are only eating because it looks/tastes good, but I doubt that is the case. In […]
Binge eating and self-compassion seem like they don’t belong in the same sentence. Anyone who struggles with binge eating probably struggles significantly with self-compassion and regularly engages in negative self-talk. Calling themselves names, beating themselves up and using shame based tactics in an effort “to get back on track” is often what comes after the […]
Eating disorders and more than likely, all compulsive behavior disorders, emerge from attachment wounds. What do I mean by that? We come into this world needing attachment to survive emotionally and physically. We are powerless and vulnerable. We require another person to meet all of our needs and teach us how to meet our own […]
I don’t self-disclose much, so here goes…. I have battled with food the majority of my life. I have a pretty dismal trauma history. Food became an escape. It became a way to numb and then, when I discovered purging and compulsive exercise, it took on a life of its own. Now, it doesn’t have […]
If hunger isn’t the problem, food isn’t the solution. Easier said than done when it comes to emotional eating, right?! When you have struggled with emotional eating for years, food seems to be the solution for any emotion, even the positive kind (celebration anyone?). Why does this happen? More importantly, how do you do it […]
A negative body image will kill your weight loss goals! Most people seek me out to lose weight. I don’t help them lose weight, but I help them remove emotional barriers that keep getting in the way of their weight goals. With that in mind, it is safe to say my clients don’t love their […]
My specialty is Binge Eating Disorder. Since February is Eating Disorder Awareness Month, I wanted to tell you a little more about it. When it comes to diagnosing BED, these are the DSM criteria: Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following: Eating, in a discrete period […]
Michelle Lewis has been working in the mental health field since 2001. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Weber State University and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Utah. She is passionate about helping others achieve their goals.
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