The Eating Disorder Therapist

A Therapist's Perspective: Inside an NHS Inpatient Anorexia Nervosa Treatment Centre

In this episode, I share my experiences of working as a therapist in an NHS adult eating disorder inpatient service for anorexia nervosa. I hope that you find it helpful.

 

Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist

 

Harriet Frew's current offers: -

Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html

Online Breaking Free from Bulimia 

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/bulimia-nervosa-online-course.html

Eating Disorders Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

 

•  

How To Actually Love Yourself (When Everyone Tells You That Getting Thinner Just Won't Work)

How to actually love yourself?

If you’re on the body image healing road, you’ve probably been told multiple times, by multiple people that you simply need to love yourself.

That your desire for thinness is a marker of not feeling good enough and that you’re seeking scraps of worthiness through conforming towards the ‘body ideal’.

When I was in the dreary depths of bulimia, wise people would often dispense this advice to me with noble intentions.

I would placatingly nod my head, whilst secretly rolling my eyes and having zero understanding of how to do this.

It felt like some ephemeral, nice-to-have fluffy concept.

Self-love is sadly not a quick fix pill, rather a life-long journey that needs regular cultivation and attention.

And it’s an important journey to take. Otherwise, the miserable alternative is neurotic self-preoccupation and judgement.

It can’t be firmly rooted with a luxury bubble bath or spa visit, although these delights might be sprinkles on the top, of a cup filled fully.

A truly self-loving relationship offers an internal fortitude of peace and contentment. It vastly improves your relationships, romantic and otherwise. It allows the possible fulfilment and deep appreciation of work and hobbies. It allows you to form a haven inside of yourself.

In this episode, I explore how to navigate this self-love process with some practical steps for change. If you’re stuck in the dreary depths of self-loathing and compare-and-despair, then this podcast might be just what you need.

 

Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist

 

Harriet Frew's current offers: -

Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html

Online Breaking Free from Bulimia 

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/bulimia-nervosa-online-course.html

Eating Disorders Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

 

When Exercise is Compulsive: 12 Ways To Find a Healthier Relationship with Movement

Compulsive exercise is not joyful.

It has become a weary, punishing ‘should’ to endure despite injury and bone-weary exhaustion.

You cannot stop. Your sanity depends on completing the next workout and achieving your step count.

It’s rigid and time robbing of precious life moments.

You rely on exercise to earn your meals and to give you permission to eat.

It is a distraction from difficult emotions.

It’s intricately linked to weight control and body image.

It’s more than psychological.

When you are restricting your food intake, the brain chemical, leptin is significantly reduced. This drives the urge to be active and move.

It’s a survival mechanism in human beings which would have kept us alive in scarce times gone by.

Activity can be happening in different forms.

You may be openly and deliberately engaging in activities such as gym sessions or swimming.

Or you may have become secretive in increasing your exercise through additional pacing around the house, when no-one is there.

Or standing for long periods rather than comfortably sitting down.

Or you may have joined more than one gym so you can do extra sessions without prompting concern from staff.

You may feel confused about the healthiness of your exercise.

In a world that praises constant movement and screams forcefully about the fear of eating too much, you may well be validated for your extreme regime, viewed as ‘the fit person’, as others do not understand your internal torture and compulsion.

In this episode, I explore signs that your relationship with movement may be unhealthy with practical steps for change. I hope that you find it helpful.

 

Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist

 

Harriet Frew's current offers: -

Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html

Online Breaking Free from Bulimia 

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/bulimia-nervosa-online-course.html

Eating Disorders Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

 

Learning to Self-Soothe Without Drugs, Alcohol, Food, Scrolling.....

An episode all about learning to self-soothe and developing self-compassion. I hope that you find it helpful.

 

Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist

 

Harriet Frew's current offers: -

Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html

Online Breaking Free from Bulimia 

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/bulimia-nervosa-online-course.html

Eating Disorders Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

 

When Your Eating Disorder is Your Identity and it's Keeping You Stuck

An eating disorder can become an integral part of your identity and this can leave you feeling stuck and powerless. In this episode, I share my own experiences of recovery and detachment from the ed identity. I explore how identity can be challenging to shift but how there are practical ways to do this. I hope that you enjoy the episode.

Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist

 

Harriet Frew's current offers: -

Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html

Online Breaking Free from Bulimia 

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/bulimia-nervosa-online-course.html

Eating Disorders Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

 

ADHD and Eating Disorders: 11 Insights from the Therapy Room

Today, many of my clients enter the therapy room with a diagnosis or self-diagnosis of ADHD. They have often only recently realised the humungous impact on their lifetime relationship with food.

If you have ADHD, you have increased vulnerability to suffering from an eating disorder, particularly bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder.

This is backed up by research finding that people with ADHD are four times more likely to have an eating disorder than those without.

ADHD adds a layer of complexity in navigating your food relationship, when this is already hugely challenging in a diet obsessed world.

If you have ADHD and an eating disorder, please show yourself deep understanding and compassion for your food struggles.

In this episode, I share 11 insights around ADHD and eating disorders from the therapy room. I hope that you find it helpful.

Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist

 

Harriet Frew's current offers: -

Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html

Online Breaking Free from Bulimia 

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/bulimia-nervosa-online-course.html

Eating Disorders Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

 

 

5 Pearls of Wisdom That I Would Give to my Younger Self

In this episode, I dispense five pearls of wisdom to my younger self. I hope that you find it helpful.

 

Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist

 

Harriet Frew's current offers: -

Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html

Online Breaking Free from Bulimia 

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/bulimia-nervosa-online-course.html

Eating Disorders Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

 

Compulsive Over-Exercise and Eating Disorders: How to Break Free

Compulsive exercise is not joyful.

It has become a weary, punishing ‘should’ to endure despite injury and bone-weary exhaustion.

You cannot stop. Your sanity depends on completing the next workout and achieving your step count.

It’s rigid and time robbing of precious life moments.

You rely on exercise to earn your meals and to give you permission to eat.

It is a distraction from difficult emotions.

It’s intricately linked to weight control and body image.

It’s more than psychological.

When you are restricting your food intake, the brain chemical, leptin is significantly reduced. This drives the urge to be active and move.

It’s a survival mechanism in human beings which would have kept us alive in scarce times gone by. Activity can be happening in different forms.

You may be openly and deliberately engaging in activities such as gym sessions or swimming.

Or you may have become secretive in increasing your exercise through additional pacing around the house, when no-one is there.

Or standing for long periods rather than comfortably sitting down.

Or you may have joined more than one gym so you can do extra sessions without prompting concern from staff.

You may feel confused about the healthiness of your exercise.

In a world that praises constant movement and screams forcefully about the fear of eating too much, you may well be validated for your extreme regime, viewed as ‘the fit person’, as others do not understand your internal torture and compulsion.

In this episode, I explore how to recognise that you are struggling and with practical tips to break free and improve your relationship with activity. I hope that you find it helpful.

 

This week's sponsor: -

Fueling for Recovery: https://fuelingforrecovery.com/

 

Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist

 

Harriet Frew's current offers: -

Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html

Online Breaking Free from Bulimia 

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/bulimia-nervosa-online-course.html

Eating Disorders Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

 

Making Sense of your Eating Disorder Through Psychological Formulation

Making sense of your eating disorder through psychological formulation

If you’re lost in the jungle of your eating disorder, without a map to guide you safely, you probably feel intense confusion and overwhelm.

Why can’t I just eat normally?

Why the constant obsessions with food?

What is wrong with me?

You likely feel terribly alone.

To begin to unravel the tangled ed vines that have wrapped themselves tortuously around you, and to shed some awareness and understanding of the complexity of the issue, therapists sometimes use the tool of psychological formulation.

Psychological formulation aims to piece together the different parts of the jigsaw, to bring light and clarity. It provides a zoom-out perspective of the eating disorder, as a coping strategy.

It peels back the different layers of the psychological onion offering insights and hope around change.

In this episode, I explore a psychological formulation and how you can use this as a tool in therapy. I hope that you find it helpful.

 

Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist

 

Harriet Frew's current offers: -

Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html

Online Breaking Free from Bulimia 

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/bulimia-nervosa-online-course.html

Eating Disorders Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

How to STOP: 'I've Blown it so I'll Eat Everything' (A Focus on Binge, Emotional and Out-of-Control Eating)

Your thoughts play an important role in your relationship with food.

This episode dives into raising awareness of negative automatic thoughts and how to challenge them.

This is particularly relevant if you are struggling with binge eating, emotional eating, out-of-control eating and/or chewing/spitting.

I hope that you find it helpful.

 

This week's sponsor: -

Marcelle Rose 

Book: https://amzn.eu/d/c8rjpeP

Appointments: email@marcellerosenutrition.co.uk

Website: www.marcellerosenutrition.co.uk

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Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist

 

Harriet Frew's current offers: -

Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html

Online Breaking Free from Bulimia 

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/bulimia-nervosa-online-course.html

Eating Disorders Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training for Professionals

https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html