A look at understanding and controlling emotional eating

Most people who come to me for help with binge eating or emotional eating concerns feel that their eating is getting out of hand, making them unhappy, yet they can’t seem to stop. Or quite often there is a part of them that doesn’t want them to stop.

I believe that it is possible to find a positive intention behind any unwanted behaviour and so by understanding what this might be it then becomes much easier to bring some acceptance into the picture, releasing the energy and power it may have. This is not always so easy yet by working with clients on this I have seen really powerful change that allows us to come alongside the emotion driving the eating, negotiating with this destructive part, allowing options and choices to be put in the frame.

We also all have certain emotional needs and so it can be a case of seeing if any of these emotional needs are being neglected, with the eating instead providing a substitute. A lack of feeling challenged and expressing creativity can lead to boredom for instance, for which the emotional eating can stand in for. Low self esteem is also a very common element to emotional eating where the eating becomes a way of meeting a need for status and self-attention which of course is usually only temporarily relieved, after which a sense of guilt is induced, lowering self esteem even more!

The other important element to controlling emotional eating is to learn about the pattern; when does it happen more often, what are the triggers and when it happens less often what is different about those situations? When is it easier to control and when is it harder? Taking an overall view of your life to see what areas are going well and what areas you might want to be better may also give clues to how the eating fits in. There is almost certain to be an element of habit involved so interrupting that and implementing a compelling new healthier pattern is important, most effectively achieved through hypnosis .

For some it may be only very specific situations that induce an urge to eat with the rest of the day going fine. In this case it would firstly be a matter of understanding what the external stimulus is that sets of the emotional eating and the exact mental pattern that is being replayed; for instance what thoughts and emotions result from seeing the biscuit jar at home or upon walking past the newsagents or bakery? We can then start to implement a new thought and emotional pattern instead.

Finally it can be helpful to understand more about the importance of balancing our blood sugar levels which in turn lessens any cravings we might have for carbohydrates and sugar.

To learn more about me and my work please see my website; www.lawrencemichaels.co.uk