Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in Anmore, BC.

Eating Disorders are single issues problems and as such should not be treated with a single minded approached to only address ones 'eating'. The whole person's experience, environment, and goals must be taken into consideration in order to create true lasting change. This is why I use Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) when supporting individuals with ED. Teaching tools to identify and support unique thoughts, emotions and behaviors - while building success on towards attainable goals that are important to the individual. You can take back control over your life.

Eating disorders are an unhealthy pattern, used by a healthy individual, to deal with an issue. Together we explore what the issue is about. We don't talk about food a lot, but about what lies beneath. In most cases the person has difficulties of emotional regulation, which are then transferred on the corporal level. Once the client becomes aware of that, we slowly unwrap the issue and the feelings involved.

I work with clients dealing with disordered eating by helping them first identify their individual triggers, habits, thought patterns, flawed coping strategies, body image issues, and belief systems. Most people who have an eating disorder developed this as a means to cope with bigger issues in their lives such as poor self-esteem, trauma, depression, anxiety, or other significantly painful events. I work with clients to help them gain insight into the source of their disordered eating, to develop awareness around their thoughts, and to create change through teaching healthy coping strategies and processing of the source of their pain.

I have worked with many clients who have eating disorders. My clients have been helped a great deal by understanding what food represents for them. Often it is the form that they have chosen to express their unconscious self hatred and loathing. I help clients uncover the purpose for their eating disorder. It is usually not about the food. It is about how they feel when they have used food in a punitive manner. My clients learn to view food from a different perspective that is more practical and not self punishing. As my clients gain appreciation and understanding for themselves, the need to do self harm diminishes.

Our relationships with our bodies are greatly impacted in a society that places more value on a specific body shape and appearance. The social pressure to confirm to this ideal are at the root of eating disorders. However, we locate the problem within the individual. Through counselling we can examine the individual experience of your experience and the loved ones who are also affected. We will also explore the role of social context and social pressure. One of the goals of therapy will be to strengthen other narratives of the individual. For example, that the identify of an "eating disorder" is not the individual only identity.

Making the first appointment to treat an eating disorder takes courage. It can feel overwhelming to talk about the problem and discover ways to change. I create a safe environment to talk about the fears and worries connected to eating disorders. Some common eating challenges include anorexia, bulimia, over eating, emotional eating, binge eating and over exercising. My practical approach will help you discover new ways of coping and promote long term change.

Issues related to food and body-image, eating or not eating, perfectionism, or overall fixation on appearance can flood your reality to the point where they consume you. These kinds of issues often arise to serve a function, or fulfill a purpose, in your inner, psychological world. They can be a way to cope, to try to heal hurt parts of yourself, to maintain control in uncontrollable situations. Sometimes, they can be related to adverse childhood experiences and developmental trauma—though all the jargon may not apply or do justice to your individual context. Together, we can find a way to manage your thoughts and behaviors and take steps to address anything that may be underlying them.

I am able to help clients dealing with anexoria, bulimia or binge eating. By helping clients look at how and why they use food for control, reward, stress management or to deal with other emotions they can begin to change their maladative relationship with food. With some in office techniques and some out of office homework clients can have radical change in their lives. Enjoying food is one of life pleasures.

I have worked with a number of clients to support their healing journey from an eating disorder. Some clients prefer processing their stuck emotions with the EMDR treatment while others prefer to lean into exploring self-compassion and grow their innate sense of self-worth through slower paced talk therapy while finding ways to befriend their body. I customize my approach based on the client's preference and need, we go slow and make sure not to overwhelm the nervous system while increasing it's capacity together. You are not alone.

Eating issues are complex adaptations to complex issues, some of which could be rooted in childhood or adult trauma that has been repressed from the mind. Eating disorders can often be connected to deep negative beliefs about the self and perfectionism. In therapy, the learning would be around how to that it is safe to fully feel and let go of emotions without needing to eat or avoiding eating.

Disordered Eating patterns and Eating Disorders are not about food. Those who suffer from these afflictions experience emotional torment, fear, a feeling of a loss of control, and cultural and societal pressures. Whether you have experienced sexual, emotional, or physical abuse, we work with you to discover the root of your beliefs about food, your body, and the factors that are both contributive and protective in the development and maintenance of your eating disorder

It is my hope that individual therapy will benefit clients who may currently be participating in community-based support groups and group therapy, giving them the opportunity to explore in more depth the underlying issues related to their challenges with food. Clients will benefit from exploring relationship issues with significant people in their lives. They will learn to identify inner and situational triggers that may have resulted in harmful patterns and choices in the past. They will benefit from identifying negative and debilitating thought patterns, and will develop self-affirming beliefs to move them to greater confidence and self-acceptance.

Eating disorders are difficult because food is such an integral part of our survival and it can be a source of comfort as well as nourishment. We learn our relationship to food as young children and unconscious messages may continue to play a part in our eating habits as we grow older. Strong emotions often play a part as well since "emotional eating" is an attempt to keep our emotional balance. To develop a healthy relationship with food we need to take stock of all the elements of our lives and our culture to find a way to relate differently. You may be overlooking your strengths and be in need of a new perspective to assist in this process. Help is here - you don't need to do this alone.

Eating Disorders can impact someone as negatively as any type of serious addiction. However, unlike addiction treatment plans, food must continue to play a role in your life. My basic goal is to stop further development of any eating problem you may have, and assist you in returning to a healthy lifestyle. The most successful focus is on harm reduction as an overall principle in addressing eating disorders, with the end goal of moving towards complete recovery. I also typically want to establish effective coping skills to reduce the possibility of relapse and sustain the progress you make in therapy.

Making the commitment to seek therapy for an eating disorder or disordered eating is an act of courage. It can take years to make that first call and sometimes just the thought of discussing your experience can seem overwhelming. Feelings of intense shame are common. In my work with clients struggling with eating disorders, creating an emotionally safe counselling environment is my first priority. Counselling progresses at a pace that is comfortable for you. Counselling is an important pillar of recovery, helping to: Understand the thoughts and feelings which fuel disordered eating. Trace challenging patterns of behaviour and how to free yourself from them. We can start with compassion.

As an experienced therapist in the area of eating disorders, I have found that often the greatest healing occurs through re-connectiong with the body, developing a trusting and loving relationship with it, and discovering its wisdom. When one begins to trust that that far from being one's enemy, the body is one's constant friend and guide, one's whole experience of self can be transformed. One lives from one's own core rather than focusing on food, body image, and others' evaluations, and therefore one becomes more confident and life becomes richer and freer.

EMDR therapy can be a useful tool in treating eating disorders by addressing the underlying emotional issues that may contribute to disordered eating behaviors. Trauma, negative self-image, and other emotional factors can contribute to the development of eating disorders. EMDR therapy works to reprocess these negative emotions and beliefs, helping individuals develop a more positive self-image and reduce the urge to engage in disordered eating behaviors. EMDR can also be used to address triggers that may lead to binging or purging, and to develop healthier coping mechanisms. By addressing the emotional factors that contribute to eating disorder, EMDR can be an effective tool in recovery.

Eating disorders benefit from the same or similar approach used for all addictive behaviours. One of the main therapeutic approaches I use is Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. The relationship to food can be quite complex involving societal or cultural pressures, self-image, past traumas, addictive non-nutritious junk food, media images, social media pressures, bullying. Shame and guilt need to be addressed along with peer pressures. The most common eating disorders are: Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating, Pica, Rumination Disorder, Avoidance/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Orthorexia, Purging Disorder etc. The benefits of therapy are enhanced self-image, health and well-being.

I help clients overcome addictive relationships with food. Like all addictions, the behavior is the tip of the iceberg, used to cope with underlying thoughts and emotions. Through collaborative conversations, clients gain insight into underlying concerns, gaining coping skills to more effectively navigate these issues. I draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), helping clients achieve a sense of freedom and control over their lives, leading to long-term change.

While most eating disorder issues are treated by cognitive behavioral methodologies or specialized outpatient/inpatient programs, Grey Matters International and the work of Kevin J. Fleming, PhD provide relief first and foremost for the brain of one suffering from an eating disorder----without giving them medication. We believe that the neural circuitries responsible for the compulsive behaviors with eating are not necessarily only a neurotransmitter issue but of overused neural networks that affect the harmonization, balance, and decisions of the whole brain. Contact kevin@kevinfleminphd.com or 877-606-6161 to learn more about this safe and effective alternative.

Working through eating disorders takes time. One key part of therapy with eating disorders lies in work with processing emotions in healthier ways. Together I will work to support your journey towards healing through tools of EFFT, IFS and DBT/ CBT skills. Self compassion is not an easy skill to cultivate, but will be brought into our work together using particular exercises and tools.

Eating disorders are disorders that may affect you on a daily basis and may make your life very dysfunctional. Our counselling approaches for this treatment include the following: - To provide you with psychoeducation about how it functions, - To help you increase insights about your negative thoughts, - To find your inappropriate and negative thought patterns and replace them with positive ones, - To find your inappropriate coping mechanisms and replace them with appropriate ones, and - To recognize your triggers and gain control over them. One of the most effective treatments we use for eating disorders is Cognitive behavioural therapy while we may draw from other modalities as needed.

Eating disorders affect all ages, all walks of life and both men and women. They can become both a burden and a block to living a healthy, happy life. I work carefully with an informed treatment approach that is holistic and tailored to you. We will work together to reduce the power the eating disorder has in your life, improve you overall health and self-perception and strategize a healthy way out of the difficult maze you are trapped in. Contact me to start making changes today.

Eating Disorders can seem like the only solution to emotional pain for many people. Eating Disorders rarely have anything to do with food itself, so it is important to truly identify the root issues involved. Often these actions are a result of some trauma in a persons life. I offer EMDR, which specifically addresses the trauma and helps the person suffering come to a peace about what happened. Eating disorders are also hard on supporting family and friends. Watching a loved one struggle with these disorders can bring about feelings of helplessness and despair as well. I would be honoured to help the family and friends of those suffering Eating Disorders come to some inner peace.

Eating disorders are often an expression of emotional distress and an unclear or negative sense of self. We explore the emotions and family patterns and relationships that might be contributing. Then we move from emotional understanding to action - we explore what is within the client's control and what is outside of their control - from there we determine in a concrete way the nature of the next steps.