Belvoir Fortress Secret Passage

Suppose I said, "Stop looking for eating disorder recovery." I'm a therapist in Los Angeles who's been specializing in eating disorder recovery for decades. Would you think I've given up or lost my mind?

Or would you perhaps think that maybe I've discovered something? Are you curious and even ready to explore a mystery that could surprise you by giving you the life you've yearned for?

An eating disorder forces a person into the body. The sensations of eating, starving, purging, exercising, and chewing on sweets or salt pull a person away from internal experiences of emotion and thought. The person plunges into raw sensation or keeps that plunge in reserve, always knowing the plunge will take her away from what she can’t bear to experience.

Choices of how she will use her time are based on the sensational needs of the body to thwart awareness. Yet she will despair over her behavior, her body and the quality of her life. She wants happiness.

Facts based on reality, not preferred reality, but actual reality, become difficult to grasp. Happiness is fleeting, sporadic and often not recognized when it occurs. Recognizing what is meaningful grounds her in reality and can provide satisfaction throughout her life.

"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child." Carl Jung

If, when, you look back at a stressful time in your life, check to see where even only moments of warmth and kindness touched you. If you find those moments, remember and build on those gifts to your soul that helped you survive.

A shelf in my office in front of a window.

Using dream analysis and guided imagery methodology, you can dialogue with your obstacles and discover opportunities. Here’s an example that gives both sides of your dilemma a voice.