
My Philosophy for Coaching & Recovery
I believe that...
- Full recovery is possible, where full recovery means more than just cessation of symptoms or temporary remission.
- As a coach, my most important role is helping you to access and strengthen your Healthy Self, Wise Mind, or whatever words resonate for you - the wise, deeper part of you that never truly disappears but which can become buried over time - so that it, not me or anyone or anything outside of you, can heal and re-integrate your eating disorder self.
- The question throughout recovery transforms from “What am I recovering from?” to “What am I recovering to?”
- Recovery means having to let go of something that has helped you and that has been a big part of your life.
- Recovery happens gradually by taking successive steps, and I cannot stress the 'gradually' enough. It can be a long journey with many ups, downs, relapses and plateaus, where the maintaining of motivation, patience and hope can be so difficult, but is so key. This is where great support can make such a difference.
- The recovery journey is unique for everyone, and takes many different paths and phases.
- The recovery journey may turn out to be one of your greatest teachers and sources of growth.
- I fully align with the principles of Health At Every Size® and weight neutrality in eating disorder care, and the reality that the severity of an eating disorder or disordered eating is not always related to body size or weight. I believe that fear of body fat is no more warranted for someone needing to gain weight as for someone in a larger body, and that a restrictive, unnatural relationship with food is not warranted regardless of your body size or weight. I dream of a culture where one’s weight, size and health are viewed as neutral to who we are.
- As a recovery coach I am simply a guide, while you are the expert of you, and you ultimately choose your own path. As your guide sometimes I will nudge you forwards and sometimes I will rest with you, and I will present different paths forward that I know of from my trainings and experience. However, it is your path and pace to choose. Part of my goal is to help you to get more deeply in touch with your own inner compass.
