Disordered Eating

  • Are you fed up with your relationship with food affecting your life?
  • Do you eat more than your body enjoys?
  • Are you exhausted by constant efforts to control food, or being caught up in cycles of binging, starving, purging and dieting?
  • Would you like to have a healthy, relaxed relationship with food?
  • Would you like to feel comfort and ease in your body when eating alone & with others?
  • Would you like to be in tune with your body – eating nourishing food you enjoy, when you need?

Whether your relationship with food is uncomfortable or sheer hell, I believe Focusing and IFS can help you stop beating yourself up, and start listening to what is really going on underneath.  We don’t over-eat, break diets, over-control our food or any other food behaviour because we are bad, weak willed or controlling. Our behaviours around food are often attempts, albeit often not very effective, to help us protect precious life qualities. 

As parts of yourself are heard, healed and released this can lead to sustained and lasting change and a healthier relationship with food that’s in tune with your body.  Undertaking a journey with IFS/ Focusing can lead not only to changes in your relationship with food, but also to your whole life.

‘One to One’ sessions

Helping people with eating issues is very close to my heart, and I have a wealth of personal and professional experience.   Everyone one is unique and your relationship with food will be particular to you.  If you would like a relationship where food can be an enjoyable nourishing part of your life IFS/ Focusing can support you to be where YOU want to be.

30 years of disorder eating – my breakthrough

For nearly 30 years I suffered from a torturous relationship with food, compulsive overeating, bulimia, yoyo dieting, obsessive food planning, starving, and purging. Struggles with food hijacked my life, and eventually led to a period of day hospital treatment.

I spent years in different support groups, received psychiatric treatment, saw nutritionists and although all of these were valuable my breakthrough came when I learned to listen to the places within me through Focusing and then later with the insights IFS brought.

For the first time there was a safe, welcoming space where I did not need to stuff things down with food or suppress parts of myself anymore.  I started to listen to the places in me that wanted to binge or starve.  I discovered how they were using my relationship with food to try and take care of me.  Parts with harsh, critical voices, who controlled every mouthful were worried I’d get fat and be rejected.  Places that binged wanted to give me comfort or a break from my relentless pushing myself to achieve.  There were places that were scared of what would happen if I lost control and anxious places that didn’t want to let go of using food as a way to cope with feelings.   There were long lost parts of me that for years I had judged and they all had something valuable to share.

As I listened my eating patterns began to change and my relationship with food became more nourishing.  Even when life was at its most challenging and my eating was a bit shaky, instead of getting lost in harmful food behaviours and painful self-attack I was able to compassionately listen to myself.  I now eat regular meals, I enjoy treats and I can even have an open box of chocolates in the cupboard, something I never dreamed would be possible!

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