Struggling with Emotional Eating & Healing with EMDR Therapy

Do you struggle with emotional eating? EMDR Therapy may by able to help you with this difficult challenge that so many of us face daily.

I was watching a “Roseanne” rerun today (I know!) and there was a touching scene between the comic and the over-the-top actress who played her mother. The mom talked about how she taught Roseanne to “feel better” about her problems by eating. “Did you teach me any other ways to feel better, mom?,” Roseanne asked.

Roseanne’s chartacter, and presumably the actress herself, is an emotional eater. I am familiar as I consider myself to be “in recovery” for this kind of disordered emotional eating. EMDR therapy was founded by Francine Shapiro. I can’t vouch for it myself, but today’s blogger Bart Vale courageously shares his “confession” about his issues with food and EMDR; Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing…

I will share the healing modalities that have helped me soon. Thank you, Bart! I’m sure that your story will help others. -aa

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Watch!

My Emotional Eating Struggle

[YouTube Video Link]

Bartholomew’s Story:

I Confess! Emotional Eating & EMDR Therapy

I didn’t know I was an emotional eater until a career change offered me a more sedentary lifestyle than the one I was used to. In the past, I could literally eat anything I wanted because I was on my feet all day long. I never had time to sit still for a moment as stress moved me from one location to the next, putting out the fires of retail management along the way.

I found that the only time I stopped was to have a quick snack, or to go to lunch. Then, at the end of the day, I always would reward myself with any particular craving I had developed throughout the day. I felt that it was something that I had earned for my hard work.

The “Pink” Cookie Experience.

The act of eating my favorite treat at the end of the day was both relaxing and comforting, and it usually came in the form of a cholesterol filled, 440 calorie cookie. To me it was simply known as “the pink cookie” moment.

I loved the pink cookie. It was nearly a mainstay in my daily diet. Until of course, I changed my career to one that I was sitting throughout the majority of the day. I think I loved the pink cookie because it basically disintegrated in my mouth and apparently disappeared, leaving a sugary aftertaste for me to enjoy. Eventually, I began to understand everyone’s disdain for the pink cookie as it began to reappear right above my belt line. I knew that the pink cookie and I had to part ways.

I Feel Powerless Over My Emotions.

Sure, eventually I sadly made the pink cookie a piece of my past that I will always cherish, but the problem of emotional eating is still there. Even though I’ve eliminated one love from my life, I’ve invited others into it. They just have a lower calorie count. Though I’ve gotten rid of what was causing my belly to rise faster than a tide at the end of the day, I still eat to sooth emotions.

Part of me is happy to be slim, and another part of me is disappointed because I cannot control my emotions.

Burt’s story of healing his food addiction issues continues after this helpful infographic about emotional eating…

Emotional Eating infographic by HealthCentral.

EMDR Solution.

Though EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy has found success among those suffering from PTSD, it is finding its way into the field of weight loss as well. It is certainly a consideration I have made, and one that I have looked into a bit as well. I didn’t want to hook myself up with electrodes or shock paddles, so I knew that there was a simpler, less invasive solution.

EMDR therapy teaches individuals like me, who suffer from “emotional eating” to trigger different responses when the desire to eat out of emotion presents itself. In my case, negative past experiences result in me finding a temporary cure through eating something.

With EMDR, I will be able to process my experiences differently and learn to cope with them, rather than smothering them with pink frosting. Ultimately, my hope is to not have the cravings that I do when stressful situations present themselves.

I envision a future where my first thought isn’t a tasty dessert, but a viable solution.

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Today’s brave blogger Bart Vale writes for companies that have found success with EMDR weight loss like, Inspire Fit Resorts. He welcomes opportunities like this to share his personal story. Bart hopes that his experiences inspire and motivate others to make positive changes in their lives. (They do!)