Tag Archive | Relationship

Finding the Right Therapist to Help You With Your Food Addiction

Nov23

Food addiction is usually tied to some deeply rooted emotional trauma. I say usually only to give the benefit of the doubt.  Personally, I’ve never seen a case that wasn’t.

In my own experience, I have found that a psychotherapist can be a great resource.  When you are ready to delve into that dark place and retrieve the faceless memory that is sabotaging your abundance, talking with a professional can be very helpful.

The new moniker is “talk therapist”  which I suppose does sound better then “psychotherapist”.  But don’t let the generic term fool you. There is nothing small about talking your feelings out.

I prefer a psychologist, a Ph.D. because of their educational background, but a licensed mental health counselor can do a good job too, and at a more economical rate. It can be a tough decision, but the key is finding someone with whom you feel comfortable.

Here are three things to consider:

1. Education and Background:  Where did they go to school? How long have they been practicing? What is their specialty? Do they have experience working with people with food addictions?

2. Location: Is the office close, comfortable and convenient? This is important because you will be spending time there unraveling and and reweaving parts of your life, which may be painful.

3. Do they instill a sense of trust? This is the most important consideration of all. If you are to discover or uncover the hidden feelings behind your food addiction, trust must be the basis of the relationship.

That said, go at your own pace. You’ll have to take some risks. You didn’t contract your food addiction overnight and it won’t go away overnight. And that’s okay.

Risks are a part of life. Just seeking a solution for a food addiction or an emotional problem that has led to a weight problem, is a big risk. Good on you for taking it.

You Define Your Food Addiction

Nov12

You will hear experts talk about food addiction defining it in ways that usually relate to the treatment these experts provide.

The common thread in food addiction is that it is triggered by emotional stress, usually something buried deep inside. Regardless of what the experts say, unless they themselves have struggled with food addiction, trust yourself first.

In the case of women, the compulsive eating or overeating is often associated with issues of sexuality, including abuse.

This is not the only reason for the driving force behind a food addiction. Trauma of many varieties can trigger this kind of irresistible urge to stuff down feelings.

Releasing the emotions and feelings associated with the trauma is imperative if one is to overcome the addiction and return to a healthy emotional state, not threatened by food.

When evaluating the advice of an expert, consider these three things:

  1. Does it ring true to you? In other words, does the treatment “feel” right and make sense to you?
  2. Do they listen to you without interrupting and answer your questions without discounting or invalidating them?
  3. Do you feel comfortable?

Just those three questions. If you feel comfortable with your answers, then you’ve chosen the right person to help you.

Trust is essential in any relationship, so make sure that when you define your food addiction, it matches the definition of the person or persons you have enlisted to help and support you.