(Site Map)
(Search Poppink.com)

Home
Articles
Eating Disorders Recovery Discussion
DSM-IV-TR
List of In-patient Treatment Programs
Medications related to eating disorder patients
Recovery Workbook
*Star Power
Support Groups
Eating Disorders & Health Quizzes
Inspirations
Affirmations
Terms of Use
Copyright Information
Guestbook
Notice of Privacy Practices (HIPAA)
Resources and Links
Add a Link


AAMFT


California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)

Eating Disorder Recovery at Poppink.com is dedicated to offering support, inspiration, education and treatment opportunities for people with eating disorders and those who love them. Please see our terms of use.

Eating Disorder Recovery at Poppink.com

Triumphant Journey Workbook:
A Guide To Stop Overeating and Recover from Eating Disorders

by Joanna Poppink, M.F.T.

(For information about permission to reprint the material on this page go to: Terms of Use)

Send this page:
Your Name and Email:

Your Friends Email:

Part Two (Continued)

The Dilemma in Recovery

The dilemma in your recovery process is that eventually, healing and triumph require that you face secrets in yourself.

Despite the benefits in freedom, overeating is difficult to stop. You are using food to stop or prevent yourself from feeling uncomfortable or painful emotions. Your eating patterns are a solution to difficult emotional experience.

You may be eating for protection from loneliness and self doubt.
You may be hiding from your own anger.
You may feel eating protects you from danger.

Often you don't even know this. What you do know is that you feel uncomfortable, nervous, irritable and frightened when you try to stop overeating.

These feelings signal that you have secrets from yourself.

Whether you are underweight, normally weighted or overweight, your eating solution can become a problem. You are tired of the roller coaster ride where you get control of your eating only to return to old patterns. You are weary of feeling like a failure when once again you find yourself alone in front of the television eating junk food. You feel even worse when you are trying to binge on broccoli or sprouts in a futile attempt to reach emotional oblivion without harming yourself. You know this is all wrong, but all your efforts to change seem futile.

Your dilemma is that you can change your eating patterns permanently only if you face and resolve your secrets.

If you follow any reasonable diet regime you will lose or gain weight, depending on your goal.

However, since diets address behavior alone they strip you of your protection from your own secrets. No alternative protection is given. As you eat more appropriately your anxiety can grow until it is unbearable.

With feelings of false power and superiority, or shame, guilt and relief, you return to the food solution.

Addressing the unknown in yourself is the heart of any useful method to stop overeating.

If your overeating is a short term and mild problem, you can address it with this guide and patient friends. If it is a long term or life interfering situation you will need to include additional forms of help.


Previous: Personal Rewards in Freedom Next: Preparation for the End of Overeating

Return to Workbook Table of Contents

Return to poppink.com home page

Joanna Poppink, MFT, licensed marriage and family therapist,
in California and Oregon private psychotherapist
specializing in eating disorder recovery,
10573 West Pico Bl. #20, Los Angeles, CA 90064
joanna@poppink.com (310) 474-4165

Joanna's professional affiliations

e-mail Joanna joanna@poppink.com

Select a page from poppink.com here:

Poppink.com strives to make your navigation and use of this site as simple and straightforward as possible. If you experience any difficulties or notice any errors when using this site please let us know. Click here: Problem Report

Copyright Joanna Poppink 1995-. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this material may be copied, retransmitted, reposted, duplicated or otherwise used without the express written approval of Joanna Poppink.

Webmaster for Poppink.com Insiteful Web Design, Contact: info@insitefulwebdesign.com - More Information Here.