“Many women do not see the addictive nature of disordered eating until they find themselves in the throes of it, mercilessly driven by a compulsion for thinness and hounded by an appetite for food that seems insatiable….they can not see the emptiness in their hearts.”
Anita Johnston
Body image issues take many names: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating, Body Dysmorphia, Compulsive & Disordered Eating.
If you can identify with these issues, then there is a good chance you struggle with an Eating Disorder. Sometimes indistinguishable to even close friends and family, what all eating disorders have in common is shame, self-contempt, and self-hatred toward yourself and your body. Often, this self-doubt is wound around your heart and soul so tightly that it feels like you cannot breathe and all you see is darkness.
At Four Winds, Melissa will help you see that there is hope and light even in darkness. She understands the journey to freedom is most often on a path of uncertainty with unexpected twists and turns along the way. Eating Disorders hurt the soul and, if left untreated, they will take every bit of life out of you both emotionally and physically.
Some eating disorders are driven by positive desires, but lead to unhealthy behavior. Compulsive eating and exercising is common in endurance athletes. Though they lead an active lifestyle, their eating behaviors are extreme. Melissa will help understand what your body and mind need to find balance.
At Four Winds Counseling there is a sacred place to begin the journey of finding your authentic self. Your true self may be buried deeply beneath the mask of your Eating Disorder. The emergence of an Eating Disorder is often a response to a past trauma or unhealthy family situation. In our sessions, we will begin to look at how your eating behaviors have helped you to cope, but how they are now doing you harm. The purpose you needed to find control or help may no longer be present, but perhaps your behaviors and coping mechanisms still are prevalent. Melissa has had her own journey and battle with an Eating Disorder and knows firsthand how hard and complicated the journey can be, which means she also knows its worth it.
