Sunday, August 24. 2008Dr. Johnston Video Clip
Dr. Johnston Video Clip Posted by The Joy Project
in Eating in the Light of the Moon at
06:58
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Thursday, August 14. 2008Connected and SeparateDr. Johnston discusses how women must be able to be with and attend to others without losing or hiding their true selves if they are to have healthy, fulfilling relationships. To do this they must stop asking themselves how others will think, feel, and react and begin to identify and express their own thoughts, feelings, and reactions. They must learn to balance their needs for connection and belongingness (feminine side) with their needs for separateness and autonomy (masculine side). They must not sacrifice one side for the other but learn to bring them into balance and harmony. Does this seem easier said than done? Don't worry--we'll learn more in the chapters on Power and Assertiveness!
Connected and Separate Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 8: Relationships at
11:28
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Thursday, August 14. 2008Do you sing your song?Dr. Johnston characterizes individuals with eating disorders as often being unable to show their true selves to others. Do you see yourself in any of the following descriptions?: - Allow others to define how they should be, what they should look like, what they should do, what they should want - Unable to hear their own inner voices - Feel a vague but ever-present sense of alienation that is hard to bear - Because they feel so disconnected from themselves, they cling desperately to their relationships with others - Quick to discard their own ideas and values whenever conflict arises - Have become so adept at listening to the needs, wishes, and values of others that they have forgotten their own Do you sing your own song or do you often bite your tongue? Do you find yourself outwardly agreeing with others or remaining silent when in fact you feel differently inside? Do you share your preferences or let others make decisions, saying and perhaps believing "I don't care"? Do you offer your opinions first or wait to make sure others feel the same? Do you feel like you can openly disagree with others, even on major issues, and still maintain mutual respect and friendship? Are you a "people pleaser"?
Do you sing your song? Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 8: Relationships at
11:13
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Tuesday, August 12. 2008Accepting FeelingsDr. Johnston asserts that feelings are not "good" or "bad". They just are. A feeling is only negative if we can't accept it in ourselves. She also states that it is difficult to understand a feeling until it has been completely experienced. Do you accept all of your emotions, or do you try to change them before they have run their course? Do you judge your emotions? Do you tell yourself how you should and shouldn't feel? (It's no big deal, get over it, there's no reason to feel this way, you're overreacting...) Dr. Johnston assures us that feelings will pass if allowed to be. Do you believe this? Try it sometime! Make an effort to be with your emotions. Notice them without judging them or trying to change them. Watch them as they arise, grow, peak, and fade away. Begin to learn how to identify precisely what you are feeling. A list of emotions such as can be found at http://www.umpi.maine.edu/~petress/feelinga.pdf might be helpful in the beginning.
Accepting Feelings Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 7: Feelings at
09:00
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Tuesday, August 12. 2008How do you feel?Dr. Johnston states that women who struggle with disordered eating tend to be more afraid of their feelings than most. They may live in their heads, thinking too much and feeling too little. How much attention do you pay to your feelings? Are you able to name your feelings or is it difficult for you to identify your emotions? Do you let your emotions come and go freely or do you attempt to change how you feel? Do you openly express your feelings or do you hold them inside? Which specific emotions are troublesome for you? Are you able to outwardly express your anger? Do you allow yourself to feel sad, or do you try to escape from your sadness? Loneliness? Emptiness? Shame? How does your eating disorder help distract you from your emotions as they arise? Dr. Johnston discusses how feelings that are blocked and pushed down rather than allowed to run their course and be felt and expressed accumulate over time. Our ability to detect our emotions as they arise fades and we aren't aware of them until "they get so intense that they consume us." Do you notice subtle emotions come and go throughout the day, or are you only aware of sudden, intense emotion? Might your attitude towards emotions actually be making them more intense and less manageable?
How do you feel? Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 7: Feelings at
08:45
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Tuesday, August 12. 2008The Functions of an Eating DisorderDr. Johnston describes several ways that we may use eating behaviors to try to meet other needs. See if any of these sound applicable to you: - In an attempt to feel emotionally nourished, we feed ourselves food, not realizing it is love we are hungry for - By starving or bingeing, we are able to disconnect from our bodily sensations so that we can't feel what's inside - During or after bingeing, a numbing sensation may block out all feelings - Food and related preoccupations can serve as a constant companion for those who feel a pervasive sense of loneliness and emptiness - Eating (or other behaviors related to your ED) becomes something to do to fill up empty space in your life Which of these functions does your eating disorder serve for you? Can you think of any others? What is your eating disorder trying to tell you about what you are hungry for and what things you need in your life? Once you make these discoveries, you can begin to look for healthier ways to directly get what your soul longs for.
The Functions of an Eating Disorder Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 6: Symbolism at
08:29
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Sunday, July 27. 2008Control and the here and nowDr. Johnston asserts that addictions are an effort to keep the flow of life under control. She says "the addicted person is unable to let things be, unable to let things take their natural course. There is always some right way, some better way, some more perfect way things can be." In what ways is this true for you? Does your eating disorder make you feel in control, out of control, or both? What things do you wish to control? How do your efforts to control keep you from experiencing the present moment? Dr. Johnston asserts that addictions "keep us from being fully present in the moment with ourselves, our feelings, our friends, our lovers, or with whomever or whatever might have captured our attention." How often do you find yourself lost in the alternate world of your eating disorder, obsessing over calories and food and weight, shaming yourself for past behaviors and planning future eating/exercising behaviors? How does your participation in this other world keep you from experiencing the real world that surrounds you and unfolds before you in the here and now? Is this desirable, undesirable, or both? What do you get to avoid? What do you miss out on?
Control and the here and now Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 5: Addiction at
07:48
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Sunday, July 27. 2008AddictionDr. Johnston suggests that disordered eating is a process addiction rather than a substance addiction. You are addicted to the behaviors of your eating disorder, not to a substance (food). Have you ever thought of your eating disorder as an addiction? In what ways is it like or unlike other addictions? Dr. Johnston explains that addictions "remove us from realities we find intolerable. They provide escape routes away from the conflicts and dilemmas we find unsolvable." They may also "throw us into a state of unconsciousness", into a trance where we feel nothing, know nothing, or give us an intoxicating "high". Have you had any of these experiences? Is this a conscious process for you or are you yet unaware of what you might be escaping from? What does your answer mean for your recovery journey? Sunday, July 27. 2008What are you hungry for?Dr. Johnston discusses the symbolism of eating disorders and suggests that physical hunger and starvation are manifestations of spiritual and emotional hunger and starvation. Can you identify what things you might be hungry for? Nurturance? Love? Acceptance? Belonging? Connection? Accomplishment? Praise? A certain type of mother/father/family? Spiritual fulfillment? Intellectual stimulation? Comforting? Healing? Touch? These are only some of the infinite possibilities. See if you can stop yourself for just a moment before you engage in your disordered eating behaviors. Sit with your feelings for a moment and see if you can give them a name. What are you hungry for? What do you long for? If you could be granted anything in the world with the wave of a magic wand, what would fulfill your longings? What would make you whole? Take a journey into your past. What things were missing for you? What things have you lost? How might you grieve for your past losses and find ways to fill their absences in the present?
What are you hungry for? Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 5: Addiction at
06:51
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Friday, July 25. 2008The Red Herring
Dr. Johnston proposes that an eating disorder is a "red herring", distracting you from the real issues in your life. Issues with food, weight, and feeling fat keep your attention away from problems you don't yet have the skills to deal with. Do you have "fat attacks" as she describes on pg. 28? What might you do during these times to discover the real issues behind your eating disorder? How might you begin to develop the skills you need to deal with these real issues?
The Red Herring Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 4: The Red Herring at
06:49
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Friday, July 25. 2008Safety DeviceWhat do you think about the conceptualization of an eating disorder as a safety device you once needed for survival? Does this change how you feel about yourself for having an eating disoder? What specific functions does your safety device serve for you? Dr. Johnston discusses how you might not be ready to immediately "let go of the log." Is this a free pass to continue with behaviors you don't want to change? What preparation do you need before you are ready to let go? What specific skills do you need to develop to replace the functions of your log?
Safety Device Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 3: The Beginning at
06:41
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Friday, July 25. 2008Masculine/Feminine Dialogue
On page 13, Dr. Johnston gives some examples of the masculine criticizing and attacking the feminine. Do you recognize this type of dialogue between your own masculine and feminine sides? How might you get your masculine side to work with and support your feminine side? See page 12 for some ideas on this.
Masculine/Feminine Dialogue Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 2: The Buried Moon at
06:12
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Sunday, July 13. 2008Spiritual HungerIn Chapter One, Dr. Johnston gives an historical account of societies revering, and then ridiculing/suppressing, the feminine. She claims this has resulted in women living in "a state of perpetual spiritual hunger." How do you feel about our society's treatment and portrayal of femininity? How has this affected you? How does this historical account fit in with your own current spiritual views?
Spiritual Hunger Posted by The Joy Project
in Chapter 1: Woman Spirit at
07:53
Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Sunday, July 13. 2008The Recovery LabyrinthDr. Johnston conceptualizes recovery as a labyrinth, a winding path into the center of one's self and then back out into the world. Along this path women must "reclaim their own inner authorities" and "listen to the voice from within to give them guidance and support as they searched for their true thoughts, feelings, and desires." They must find "the essence of who they are as women" and then integrate "this new vision with a new way of being in the world." They must let go of "all expectation of linear progress, disengaging the rational mind, and embracing the power of their emotions and intuition." How do you feel about the labyrinth as a model of recovery? How does it compare to your current conceptualization of recovery or to other models you've heard of? How might relapse fit into the labyrinth model of recovery? Does this path seem like one you could embark upon? What feelings arise as you imagine travelling the recovery labyrinth? Sunday, July 13. 2008"The Misfit"In the preface, Dr. Johnston gives a description of her clients with eating disorders: -They have "a pervasive sense of not quite fitting in, of not quite seeing things the way others did, of being a misfit" -As a child and beyond, her family rejected her "ultrasensitivity to emotional undercurrents"and taught her not to trust herself -As a result, she came to think that "something was wrong with her perception, that something was wrong with her" -"An obsession with food and fat created a new focus in her life" Do you see yourself in Dr. Johnston's description? If so, how?
"The Misfit" Posted by The Joy Project
in Eating in the Light of the Moon at
07:13
Comments (2) Trackbacks (0) |
Calendar
QuicksearchArchivesCategoriesSyndicate This BlogBlog AdministrationPowered by
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Powered by s9y - Design by Lordcoffee