Hannah was distressed that, with all the inner work she had done on herself, she still found herself binge eating.
"There are times when I just can't stop eating. I feel awful after, but at the time I just want another cookie and another until they are all gone. Or I'll intend to take a few bites of ice cream out of the carton and find myself unable to stop until the whole carton is gone. I just don't get why I'm still doing this! And it seems worse since I married Roger, even though I really love him. I just can't figure this out!"
I asked Hannah to tune into the addicted part of her and allow that part to speak about why she needs to fill up with food.
"Well, sometimes I just feel so empty and alone inside. I just can't stand it. The food makes me feel so much better. I don't feel so lonely when I'm eating and filled up. But I don't get why I feel this way. I'm not alone. I have Roger and he loves me."
"It sounds like you want to eat when you feel alone inside, when your Inner Child - which is your feeling self - feels alone and abandoned inside."
"Yes," answered Hannah. "That's exactly what I feel, but I have no idea how to fill that emptiness and aloneness without food. And why do I feel alone inside when I'm not alone outside?"
The problem is that most people think that the empty alone feeling is caused by something outside themselves - such as not having a partner, feeling rejected by someone, being unhappy at a job or not having enough money. Yet that is never what causes inner emptiness and inner aloneness. It is caused by one thing - not taking loving care of yourself, of your feelings, of the child within. And we cannot take loving care of ourselves without having a spiritual source to turn to for love, wisdom, guidance and strength.
A spiritual source can be God, a Higher Power, a guardian angel, an inner mentor or teacher, a beloved relative who has died, or your own Higher Self. We all need a source of guidance to turn to other than other people or our own mind. Our mind is limited to our storehouse of beliefs, many of which are false or no longer supportive of who are now are. Our mind cannot guide us in what is truly loving to ourselves. It cannot advise us in what actions support our highest good. So unless we have a source of wisdom to turn to, we may not know what to do to take loving care of ourselves.
We will not even open to this Source until our deep desire is to take loving care of ourselves. As long as we believe it is someone else's job to fill us up, or that we will get filled up from work, money, food and so on, we will not take the loving action we need to take in our own behalf to take care of our Inner Child and fill ourselves with love.
The first thing I did with Hannah was to help her create, in her imagination, a spiritual source for her to turn to. When I asked her to do this, she immediately imagined her grandfather whom she had dearly loved as a child and who had died when she was five. She said she had often felt her grandfather around her, but had never thought to turn to him for help. Now, as she imagined him holding her and loving her, she began to cry with the joy of feeling his love for her.
"Hannah, while he is holding you, imagine the child part of you that wants to overeat. Imagine that you are holding her while your grandfather is holding you. Ask her how you are treating her that causes her to feel so empty and alone."
Little Hannah: "The thing you ALWAYS do that I just hate is you just go along with everything that Roger wants. What he wants and needs and feels is always more important to you than I am. You don't speak up for me. Every since we got married, it's like Roger is supposed to make me happy instead of you making me happy. I need you to make me happy by taking care of me instead of taking care of Roger so that Roger will love us. I need you to love me." (This did not come out all at once - this is a summary of what the Inner Child eventually said to adult Hannah).
As Hannah learned to turn to her grandfather for love and guidance and started to take care of herself instead of giving herself up to Roger, her binge eating gradually diminished.
About The Author
Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or http://www.innerbonding.com. Phone sessions available.
professional maid services Wilmette ...Axiom Number FourTo have a great selling diet plan encourage... Read More
Have you ever worried about something so much it paralyzed... Read More
An Interview with Success Story, Caitlin JohnsonIf you don't know... Read More
"The kind of thoughts that you plant in your mind,... Read More
Losing weight and keeping it off is much more than... Read More
You are ready to shed those energy draining, body crippling,... Read More
What does it take to lose weight?When it comes to... Read More
The huge companies stealing your money by promising impossible results... Read More
Food Cravings: How to Practice PatienceDuring holidays and parties you... Read More
Most people are unsure about how to begin a fat... Read More
Have you heard about coconut oil diets yet? People are... Read More
I'm sure you have heard it before, but one of... Read More
In our quest to get that "perfect" body, we actually... Read More
Whenever I hear someone say they just can't lose weight,... Read More
Yes it's true- and so unfair. As we get older... Read More
5 Easy Steps to A Healthier WeightAlthough different people have... Read More
You've decided it's time to lose some weight. A lot... Read More
Looking to lose some pounds quickly? Fast and safe weight... Read More
I was shocked. I started to cry...After the holidays, I... Read More
At the University of Illinois, a new research found that... Read More
America is getting more obese every year. Even our children... Read More
I get asked all the time, "what do you think... Read More
When on a diet, snack attacks can hit hard and... Read More
This is a perfect example of how on-line weight loss... Read More
You have been on diets before. You probably have lost... Read More
efficient cleaning crew Wilmette ...One of the biggest misconceptions about exercise is that there... Read More
These treadmill weight loss tips are a great way to... Read More
This is a layman marketer's observations on diets and weight... Read More
Essential Fats for Weight LossOver the past few decades, the... Read More
Gastric bypass surgeries are temporary physical fixes to a long... Read More
If you are like everyone else who has hit rock... Read More
If you are looking for a way to lose fifty... Read More
Following recent reports of a South Dakota man weighing half... Read More
There is no doubt about it; Americans are eating in... Read More
Here are some everyday, helpful hints to get you started,... Read More
The answer to the title of this article is "none."... Read More
Cellulite ? a word most women are very familiar with.... Read More
WAHOO!!! for YOU!! You are the most AWESOME person alive!!... Read More
Here come the candy canes. In our house, Santa always... Read More
Have you ever just felt like you were doing everything... Read More
Here are a few free tips on losing weight that... Read More
Now that the holiday season is here, holiday foods and... Read More
The underlying principles of low carb diets are based on... Read More
The right diet pill should be carefully considered when deciding... Read More
Ephedra and Ephedrine consumers are still under the assumption that... Read More
A typical breakfast consists of 3 or 4 strips of... Read More
Let's face when it comes to overweight and obesity there... Read More
Are you overweight? Then you probably want to lose some... Read More
Are you a hopeless carbohydrate addict? Let's conquer these cravings... Read More
First off, let me start by saying this list is... Read More
Weight Loss |