Dr. Anita Johnson joins the podcast to discuss using metaphor and storytelling to address struggles with eating disorders, body image issues, and finding freedom through embracing your authentic self. Listeners can expect to learn about the root causes of eating disorders, how to reframe your relationship with food and your body, and pathways to full recovery.
Key Discussion Points
– The different types of hungers – physical hunger vs emotional/spiritual hunger – and learning to differentiate (13:09)
– Using the foods you struggle with as clues to uncover underlying issues (14:13, 25:16)
– The log metaphor for understanding the role eating disorders serve and the pathway to recovery (21:04)
– Healing the fear of weight gain by understanding where this fear originates and uncoupling “fat” from “bad” (45:11)
– Being in awe of the incredible wisdom of women’s bodies (46:43)
Guest Bio
Dr. Anita Johnston, PhD is a clinical psychologist, certified eating disorder specialist, and author. She is the founder and executive clinical director of Ai Pono, an eating disorder treatment program in Hawaii. Dr. Johnston provides consultations and workshops internationally and is known for using metaphor and storytelling to explain complex issues related to eating disorders.
Connect with Anita
Website: https://dranitajohnston.com
FB/IG@dranitajohnston
Light of the Moon Cafe:
https://lightofthemooncafe.com/
FB/IG: @lightofthemooncafe
Ai Pono Hawaii
FB/IG: @aiponohawaii
Free Food & Metaphor Guide:
Lightofthemooncafe.com/ffb
Key Quotes
“It’s pleasure that comes from relief of some sort, of satisfying a particular need that you may not know that you have even.” (29:58)
“You have to understand, again, I think it helps, where this came from. And essentially, it’s in your brain. But our brain and our mind are not the same thing.” (43:14)
“The more you start to understand what’s amazing about our bodies and how they have this incredible wisdom…it’s pretty extraordinary what you can discover.” (48:38)
Blog
Before I share the takeaways, I want to be clear that IT IS OK if you eat, even if it’s not what you know you truly need. I fully believe that “We want what we need” and so if you’re eating when you think or know you don’t want to be then there’s always a need being met with the behavior… AND THAT’S OK TOO.
The moment we make it not ok is the moment we shame ourselves with the way we talk to ourselves. Shaming ourselves does not help us get to know ourselves better, self-compassion does. And lastly, it’s just food… you’re not going to combust into flames if you’ve eaten what you deep down didn’t want or need… ok? Right then, now I can share the episode insights…
Food Cravings as Symbols of Deeper Hunger
As Dr. Johnson explained, we often use food to soothe and comfort us when what we truly might need is emotional or spiritual nourishment. She uses the analogy of two tanks – Tank A which we fill with physical food and Tank B which we fill with non-physical nourishment like love, connection, appreciation, etc. When Tank B runs low but we keep filling up Tank A, that’s when our eating can feel out of alignment.
The key is learning to distinguish between food hunger and cravings and non-food hunger. Once we tune into the signals from our body, we can start to “crack the code” on what our “problem foods” could symbolize.
Decoding the Metaphorical Meanings
Dr. Johnson shared how she guides clients through decoding the hidden metaphorical meanings of their specific food struggles. Some examples:
- Sweet foods –> Not enough sweetness in life or feeling you’re not sweet enough
- Crunchy, salty foods –> Unexpressed anger/frustration
- Warm foods –> Lack of emotional warmth
- Spicy foods –> Fear of or craving excitement/stimulation
- Chocolate –> Issues with or lack of romance, sensuality, sexuality
By exploring the descriptive language we use around these foods and where there’s emotional energy, we can uncover the true unmet needs driving our food obsession.
An Example: Chicken Tenders
Dr. Johnson gave a great real-life example of this decoding process with a client named Sarah.
Sarah was a busy ER doctor who struggled with regular emotional eating episodes. One day she came to the session extremely distressed because she had eaten all the chicken tenders she had prepared for dinner before her husband got home.
In probing this incident, Dr Johnson learned Sarah had just come off a 14-hour ER shift filled with trauma and chaos. She asked Sarah “What were you really hungry for in that moment?”
And Sarah realized – “A hug. I was needing some TLC – some tender loving care.”
So Sarah ate the chicken *tenders* because that’s what she truly needed but wasn’t able to articulate or fulfill in that exhausted state.
In Summary
Our food struggles often speak volumes about our underlying emotional hungers if we’re willing to listen. By cracking the code of our “problem foods”, we can discover exactly what skills and nourishment we’re lacking to make peace with eating and our bodies.
I hope you found this exploration interesting! Do let me know your takeaways.
