The Problematic Dieting Cycle

By now, it has become common knowledge that dieting is not an effective strategy for permanent weight loss. It does not give us the tools we need to change our relationship to food nor does it help us to discover or address the causes of our unwanted eating habits. Furthermore, repeated failures to manage our weight through dieting cause us to feel powerless and defeated and decrease our self-esteem. Our need to comfort ourselves increases and our dependency on food intensifies. We will, then, continue our problematic eating habits in the attempt to relieve our uncomfortable emotions and our stress. Indeed, we will try, again, to fill an inner hole or need that can not be filled by food.

 A Permanent Solution

It is a compassionate thing that we do for ourselves when we break this cycle. The only permanent solution to a problematic relationship with food is to address the underlying unfulfilled needs, stress, problematic beliefs, or past trauma. Wether the cause is rooted in our life being out of balance in the present or in negative past experiences and repressed emotions, Mindfulness, Somatic therapy, and Guided Visualization give us the opportunity to identify and transform the causes of our addictive eating behavior.

 Making the Unconscious Conscious

When feelings, thoughts, and body sensations are unconscious, they have a powerful effect on us. When they are conscious they automatically loose much of their power and are available to be met, worked through, and transformed. MIndfulness assists us in making these unconscious processes conscious and naturally begins bringing them into balance. Guided Visualization allows us to explore causes, emotions, beliefs, and past experiences that are less than conscious and to heal them on both conscious and unconscious levels.

 Fulfilling Unmet Needs

In the process of exploring unconscious emotions, thoughts, and body sensations, the reasons we reach for comfort food or that extra helping need to be identified. Do you eat to reward or entertain yourself because you work so hard and do not give yourself enough relaxing or play time? Do you eat in the attempt to “cancel out” or “numb out” an uncomfortable present experience or the memory of a past one? Do you eat because that is a way to feel like you are loving yourself? Do you eat to deaden an underlying feeling of fear, stress, or anxiety or to cover up an uncomfortable emotion like loneliness, disappointment, sadness, or anger?

 The Permanent Weight Management Solution

Rewards, entertainment, relaxation, comfort, love, and a sense of well-being are all very real needs and you deserve to have them met!  Because turning to any addiction, food included, only creates more problems and suffering, healthy and truly satisfying solutions must be found. Some of these solutions may be activities or life style changes that will add needed self-nurturing and balance to your life. Permanent healing comes through the discovery of our own personal and positive resources, the release of long held negative beliefs and repressed emotions, the creation of new life patterns and habits, and learning to love and nurture ourselves.

Through the Mindful meeting and transformation of previously unconscious beliefs and emotions and connecting and strengthening your own positive inner resources, and you will not only let go of the food addiction you have struggled with for so long but you will step into your own personal power and your ability to create the happy and healthy life you so deserve.

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