The Power of Listening

Listening is the foundation of any good relationship. Meaning - you can’t have a good relationship with something if you don’t listen to it!

When someone is struggling with an eating disorder, there is often a fundamental disconnection with the body. Getting back in touch with the body - particularly cues for hunger, fullness, satiety, and taste preference - is foundational to healing one’s relationship with food in eating disorder recovery. 

However, from years of supporting clients through every stage of recovery as a dietitian, I know that simply “listening to your body” when you struggle with an eating disorder is not nearly as simple as it sounds (In fact, I usually find that nothing is ever as simple as it sounds! There is always nuance and complexity, and this vital work must always be tailored to each person’s unique needs).

Getting back in touch with one’s body in recovery can be complicated for so many different reasons. Here are just a few:

• During the early stages of nutritional rehabilitation (ie: restoring normal eating patterns to resolve physical and nutritional complications of the eating disorder), hunger and fullness cues can be disrupted due to side effects of eating disorder behaviors and malnutrition.

• Neurodivergence can influence how internal body signals are perceived and interpreted.

• Emotions can impact our perception of hunger and fullness.

Working with an eating disorder dietitian who is versed in these different nuances can help you build the skills to get back in touch with your body in a way that works for YOU and ultimately eat in a more relaxed way that nourishes you both mentally and physically. 

My incredible clients often find this work extends beyond their plate - when clients start to gradually reconnect with the body as they heal their relationship to food, they often find a deeper sense of connection to themselves in other areas of their life. This is the power of recovery.