I've been invited to present a paper at this year's annual AMT (Association of Meridian Energy Therapists) Conference in October in the UK. I'll be talking about my therapeutic speciality - how to resolve and release issues around emotional eating with EFT, and PSTEC (Percussive Suggestion Technique) so that clients can finally achieve the weightloss they desire.
Here's a preview of what I'll be focussing on plus a link to download two fr** PSTEC click tracks so that you can try them out for yourself. They're awesome!
A therapy approach to end yo yo dieting
Weight loss that stalls, plateaus or ends in a person gaining back more weight than they originally lost are all forms of yo-yo dieting. This see-saw pattern of weight loss versus weight gain is never about being greedy, and never about a lack of will power. It is however a repetitive cycle of the emotional eater who self sabotages their weight loss due to a number of key habitual responses many of which exist below conscious awareness.
So, what is emotional eating?
- Too much on your plate
- Swallowing down your anger with food
- Eating when bored, or on your own
- Feeling out of control around food
- Eating in secret
- Bingeing, and purging
- Feeling sad, and eating to fill a void inside
- Rewarding yourself with food after a hard day
If losing weight was only a matter of balancing calories in versus calories out or, cutting down on eating while exercising more, then everyone would simply achieve their natural weight, and stay there forever.
This is clearly not the case for many people who have struggled with food, and weight issues for most of their lives. The simplification that people are overweight because they have no willpower, or that they are greedy ignores the unconscious reasons that compel many people to over-eat.
Anorexia, and bulimia are already recognised medically, and socially as eating disorders. Kathy Leach, in her book The Overweight Patient; A Psychological Approach to Understanding and Working with Obesity*, explains that these behaviours are acknowledged as coping strategies that come about in response to ‘disorders of self,’ arising from a developmental deficit between early childhood, and adolescence.
Leach continues to observe that over-eating, and obesity are not so commonly seen in this way. She states that in her clinical experience staying overweight, and overeating are ‘survival decisions’. That is to say, the patient has an unconscious belief (until brought into awareness), that he/she will not survive unless he/she over-eats, or remains obese.
In my therapeutic experience, weight gain, and obesity are the conspicuous by-products of using food as a strategy to deal with uncomfortable emotions, either to avoid feelings of inner pain, or to block out feelings of boredom, dissatisfaction, anger, sadness, or loss.
For some people the idea of being slim feels like an impossible prospect. Although they often judge themselves harshly for being overweight, they remain stuck. Their conscious resolve to lose weight is at odds with – and overruled by – unconscious fears, and limiting beliefs.
For some over-weight people, recollections of being slim trigger memories of trauma, or of personal unhappiness that occurred around that time. Considering losing weight can – on a deeply subconscious level – make them feel insecure, and at risk all over again.
These fears can be so deeply entrenched that they will unconsciously self-sabotage their own weight loss to keep themselves ‘safe.’ This is typified in yo-yo dieting: successful weight loss isn’t maintained, but is followed by weight-gain, a repeated pattern of behaviour.
Returning again to Kathy Leach who, in her book, explained the goal of therapy: ‘Ultimately, the patient needs to establish a sense of self-worth, self-esteem, self-love, and self-validation, and from this position can decide whether he/she will lose weight, or not. The psychotherapeutic goal is autonomy and empowerment.’
In the self-help book I co-wrote with Liz Hogon, my colleague in Melbourne, Australia (7 Simple Steps to Stop Emotional Eating, Hammersmith Books, London 2015) we set out to create a structured approach so that the reader can discover the triggers for their own emotional eating, and use the tools we recommend to resolve, and release them. The book is a written version of the therapy approach we have developed, both together, and individually, in our work with clients to explore the subconscious, and perceived hidden benefits from staying over-weight.
In place of fear, and frustration we encourage participants in these processes to find new, and creative ways of taking care of themselves that are not reliant on swallowing down their emotions with food.
We believe that then, and only then, will they allow themselves to be slim, and to stay there, happily and safely, forever.
*The Overweight Patient: A Psychological Approach to Understanding and Working with Obesity. Author Kathy Leach. Published by Jessica Kingley 2006, United Kingdom.
Therapy Tools
There are key factors that make emotional eating, and disordered eating in general more complex than any other type of compulsive behaviour.
If someone feels out of control and powerless to resist gambling, or alcohol, or drugs they can be helped therapeutically to end their compulsive behaviour. The measure of success in these cases is more often than not complete abstinence, or cessation of that behaviour. However, the difference when the compulsive behaviour is around food is that everyone needs to eat. True success with resolving emotional eating means adjusting to a healthy integration of food in one’s life, possibly for the first time ever. The measure of success here is to use therapy tools to foster a difference in thinking, and self-belief so that it is possible to be calm, and relaxed around food, and once, and for all step off the merry-go-round of obsessive over-thinking about food and eating coupled with critical self-judgement.
The therapy tools both Liz and I have found to be the most effective are Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Percussive Suggestion Technique (PSTEC), and hypnotherapy. Although therapists regularly use one, or sometimes two of these therapies in combination, Liz and I created a unique approach with all three tools each applied specifically to their particular strengths to resolve emotional eating. We have seen the life changing results from our face to face work with clients, both individually, and in group work, and the world over via Skype.
In my practice I use EFT to help clients get in touch with suppressed emotions that are blocking them from achieving what they desire. The EFT process helps to encourage a client’s own intuitive insight. From this a client gain a greater sense of self-awareness of some of the negative feelings, and emotions that have been driving their emotional eating. Gaining awareness is an important first step to being able to resolve those negative emotions.
With this new found awareness PSTEC, the most recently created modality of the three, is then used to reduce or break negative emotions attached to thoughts or memories so that clients can be free of old triggers from their past that would have previously led them to self-sabotaging their progress. Finally I use hypnosis within a therapy setting to support, and reinforce all the positive changes being made.
Many people have felt literally weighed down by negativity about themselves for such a long time it can be a very uplifting process to take the steps to feel lighter, and happier in oneself. I have learnt through many thousands of hours working with clients that emotional eating is never about being greedy, and never about food. That’s why diets don’t work, and any hard won weight losses inevitably turn into weight gains.
Our approach with Seven Simple Steps to Stop Emotional Eating encourages listening to oneself, and bearing witness with oneself to resolve the critical self-judgements so that the negative emotions that drove emotional eating can finally cease.
Biography
Sally Baker is a full time therapist, and writer working for over a decade in private practice in London. She sees clients both face to face, and the world over via Skype for a wide range of presenting issues. Her professional specialism and passion is the development and application of effective therapeutic approaches to help clients resolve and release the reasons for their emotional eating so that they can achieve, and maintain successful weight loss. As well as an hypnotherapist, she is a Master Practitioner, and Trainer of PSTEC (Percussive Suggestion Technique), and she is an Advance Practitioner of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).
Books
The experiences of working in her own private practice and the close professional collaboration she enjoys with Liz Hogon has formed the basis, and inspiration for their book, 7 Simple Steps to Stop Emotional Eating published in April 2015. (Hammersmith Books, London).
Their second book Eat Easy Paleo is on schedule to be published in January 2016.
(Hammersmith Books, London).
Media & Press
- Daily Mail online feature June 2015
- Woman & Home Magazine interview June 2015
- Fibromyalgia Magazine feature May 2015 edition
* Emma’s Diary on line resource blog post approved by Royal College of General Practitioners
* Examiner.com online news hub Q&A author interview
* OK Magazine review July 2015 - Bariatric Pal on line weight loss magazine invited regular contributor
* Talk Health Partnership feature online blog post
* Psychic News review May 2015
* Kindred Spirit Magazine review July/August 2015
* Spirit & Destiny Magazine review September 2015
*Rude Health Magazine review Republic of Ireland
*Donna Coulling review online blog
*Beyond the Bathroom Scale guest post online blog
*Healthista review online blog
*We Heart Living review online blog
*Talk Health Partnership guest post online blog
*UK Health Radio / Health Triangle Magazine online feature
Therapist Training Available
As a Master Practitioner, and Trainer in Percussive Suggestion Technique (PSTEC) Sally offers individual and small group training in London.
Incorporating PSTEC (Percussive Suggestion Technique) in Therapy Practice
A one day course focussing on PSTEC best practice and how to resolve a wide range of presenting issues for therapists who are new to this powerful modality, and who wish to incorporate PSTEC successfully into their practice to achieve impressive results for their clients. The day covers practical guidance on how to apply PSTEC to drill down, and focus on clearing the thoughts, memories or conclusions that will have the most beneficial therapeutic outcome for the client. PSTEC is a powerful set of therapy tools for therapists, coaches and educators.
Successful weight loss outcomes in therapy practice
A one day workshop for practicing therapists who wish to improve their outcomes for clients seeking to resolve weight loss issues. The workshop is based around the book Sally co-wrote called ‘7 Simple Steps to Stop Emotional Eating’ (Hammersmith Books 2015) and how it reflects her own successful therapeutic approach to clients who commit to a six week course of weekly therapy sessions. The training provides guidance, and insights from working successfully with clients to end sugar cravings; resolve self-sabotaging behaviour; resolve secondary gains; release issues around deserving and self-worth so that they can achieve the weight loss they desire. (Please note: This workshop is open to therapists who are already qualified EFT practitioners.)
See www.workingonthebody.com / Therapist Training for location and rates. (10% discount for delegates of AMT Conference 2015)
Free Resources to download
Here is how to get your free basic PSTEC package so that you can give the PSTEC Click Tracks a good try for yourself, and let me know what you think.
In my presentation I will talk about the combined utilisation of EFT along with PSTEC that has improved my success with my clients for a wide range of presenting issues aside from my weight loss work.
You can get a the Basic PSTEC Package at no charge. It contains two very powerful audio tracks (called the PSTEC Click Tracks) that will amaze you, and your clients because it can enhance the success of your practice, and it can also make your work more effective as you integrate the Click Tracks into your Energy/EFT therapy practice.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me on-line, and I also hope to meet many of you at the conference too.
Here’s your link for your free downloads
http://your7simplesteps.com/welcome-amt-members
I respectively disagree with your focus on the clients’ ability to “finally achieve weight loss” as a goal, which you state in your opening comments. For those of us who have been working in this field for a while, we know that when we focus on weight loss, we completely miss our mark. It is imperative that we help our clients achieve a sense of sense esteem and self-worth, not by shaming them when they do not achieve “weight loss” but by helping them love and care for themselves. I was taken aback when I read above that your techniques “will allow themselves to be slim”. The idea that slim is a desired outcome only continues to send the message that they are not good enough just the way they are. It also sends the message that you hold a judgement about an individual’s body weight, shape, and size. Please understand, I am not criticizing EFT at all. I’ve seen wonderful progress through these techniques. I just encourage you to examine your own beliefs about how you perceive (and perhaps, judge) others’ size.
How misconstrued can I be? Losing weight and being slim are often the factors defined by my clients who seek me out to assist them. I completely acknowledge their journey is never about food or about lack of will power or failure of any sort. It is without doubt vital to honour their definition of their ‘problem’ and gently unfurl the emotional drivers for their disordered eating and facilitate raising self esteem, self forgiveness and self love. With that comes the release of self -sabotaging behaviour and the successful weight loss my clients have desired for so long.