‘I can’t possibly be hungry; I’ve only just eaten,’ is a phrase I have heard many a time in the therapy room. When you’ve overridden your body’s signals unwittingly to well-meaning diet and wellness plans, it’s no surprise that trusting hunger can feel like a dubious phenomenon. Feeling hungry may even feel downright wrong and shameful. You associa…

You might assume that eating disorders are mostly a young person’s predicament, tangled up with puberty, exams stressors and the turbulent transitions of entering adulthood. And yes, young people are extremely vulnerable to struggling with food and body image concerns, but eating disorders impact people of all ages, and this shows up in the therapy…

On the eating disorder recovery road, your motivation for change will ebb and flow. Sadly, it is not a beautifully linear journey with marked destination posts and defined milestones. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it was! Prochaska and DeClemente’s Cycle of Change offers a model for explaining the precarious change road with its inevitable ambivalenc…

Healing your inner child can be a valuable step in your recovery journey. But what exactly does this mean? Inner child work is a process of recognising, understanding, validating and healing emotional wounds that you experienced in your childhood and that continue to unconsciously impact your adult life. If you are experiencing challenges in your a…

Your mindset can make or break your healing journey. With 60,000 plus thoughts per day swirling through your mind and many being repetitive, you can see the power of your thoughts to potentially affect your mood and behaviour. Repetitive thoughts can become entrenched beliefs, which create habits, which ultimately shape your life. As Lao Tzu aptly …

As a recovered bulimic, I am deeply fascinated by the psychology of this eating disorder. The interest goes way beyond the surface symptoms and food focus. Although I stopped binge eating and purging over twenty years ago, it has been an ongoing healing journey to work on the deeper psychology which plays out in relationships, self-worth and emotio…

How do you know if you have a healthy relationship with food and your body? This is an acutely challenging question to answer, as the culture normalises extreme eating practices and body image preoccupation as the norm. Maybe you feel that you don’t have a full-blown eating disorder or you’re not thin enough to properly struggle with food? I would …

This is a bonus episode where Dr. Marianne Miller is guesting to talk all about ARFID. I hope that you find it helpful. Dr Marianne's ARFID course:https://www.drmariannemiller.com/arfid$100 off with code HARRIET Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating …

Intermittent fasting (IF) is wellness cool again. Its benefits are celebrated widely on many a credible health podcast and it consistently trends on social media, described as an elixir to youth and offering benefits such as improved memory, blood sugar control, cardiovascular health, fat loss and autophagy. What’s not to love? IF involves eating d…

It can be a very lonely experience suffering from an eating disorder. In this episode, I explore common themes that I experience daily inside the therapy room. It will help you feel less alone. I hope that you find it helpful. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to In…

In this episode, I explore the difference between orthorexia and healthy eating, this sparked by Gwyneth's recent sharing on her goop podcast about relaxing some of her food rules. I hope that you find it helpful. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eatin…

In this episode, I explore the challenges and benefits I have encountered in overcoming people pleasing. I hope that you find it helpful. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html On…

In this episode, I explore navigating weight change in recovery and addressing fears around this. I hope that you find it helpful. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html Online Br…

In this episode, I explore 5 secrets from inside the eating disorder therapy room. I highlight the fact that eating disorders don't have a look and there are a lot of hidden parts beneath the surface. I hope that you find it helpful. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Step…

In today's episode, I do a deep dive into attachment styles and eating disorders. I hope that you find it helpful. Useful resource: https://www.attachmentproject.com/blog/attachment-theory-and-eating-disorders/ Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating C…

In this episode, I offer an alternative approach to getting beach body ready, which focuses on mental health and wellbeing. I hope that you find it helpful. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/onl…

If you’re recovering from an eating disorder, you might well desire to eat all the foods that you have been depriving yourself of, as a rebellion against the restriction or dieting fatigue. You may have an all or nothing relationship with food. You’re either being super-healthy and good, or chaotic and devouring everything in sight. Maybe you binge…

Binge eating is not simply scoffing an extra biscuit, with your morning coffee break. Instead, it involves eating fast, an extremely large amount of food (more than you would eat for lunch or dinner), and usually in secret. It can feel like a dissociative or ‘out of body’ experience. You are fully present and grounded on earth, but it feels as if d…

Therapy has the potential to transform your life in immeasurable ways. It can offer a wonderful container for much change and personal growth. Your therapist’s competency and skills are a hugely important part in this process. But therapy is not a passive process. You can influence your experience and outcomes greatly. By taking responsibility and …

In this episode, I explore embodying the inspiration of role models in recovery. I hope that you enjoy it. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html Online Breaking Free from Bulimia…

In this episode, I share my experiences of working as a therapist in an NHS adult eating disorder inpatient service for anorexia nervosa. I hope that you find it helpful. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisorderthera…

How to actually love yourself? If you’re on the body image healing road, you’ve probably been told multiple times, by multiple people that you simply need to love yourself. That your desire for thinness is a marker of not feeling good enough and that you’re seeking scraps of worthiness through conforming towards the ‘body ideal’. When I was in the …

Compulsive exercise is not joyful. It has become a weary, punishing ‘should’ to endure despite injury and bone-weary exhaustion. You cannot stop. Your sanity depends on completing the next workout and achieving your step count. It’s rigid and time robbing of precious life moments. You rely on exercise to earn your meals and to give you permission t…

An episode all about learning to self-soothe and developing self-compassion. I hope that you find it helpful. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html Online Breaking Free from Buli…

An eating disorder can become an integral part of your identity and this can leave you feeling stuck and powerless. In this episode, I share my own experiences of recovery and detachment from the ed identity. I explore how identity can be challenging to shift but how there are practical ways to do this. I hope that you enjoy the episode. Harriet's …

Today, many of my clients enter the therapy room with a diagnosis or self-diagnosis of ADHD. They have often only recently realised the humungous impact on their lifetime relationship with food. If you have ADHD, you have increased vulnerability to suffering from an eating disorder, particularly bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder. This is bac…

In this episode, I dispense five pearls of wisdom to my younger self. I hope that you find it helpful. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.html Online Breaking Free from Bulimia htt…

Compulsive exercise is not joyful. It has become a weary, punishing ‘should’ to endure despite injury and bone-weary exhaustion. You cannot stop. Your sanity depends on completing the next workout and achieving your step count. It’s rigid and time robbing of precious life moments. You rely on exercise to earn your meals and to give you permission t…

Making sense of your eating disorder through psychological formulation If you’re lost in the jungle of your eating disorder, without a map to guide you safely, you probably feel intense confusion and overwhelm. Why can’t I just eat normally? Why the constant obsessions with food? What is wrong with me? You likely feel terribly alone. To begin to un…

Your thoughts play an important role in your relationship with food. This episode dives into raising awareness of negative automatic thoughts and how to challenge them. This is particularly relevant if you are struggling with binge eating, emotional eating, out-of-control eating and/or chewing/spitting. I hope that you find it helpful. This week's …

In this episode, I explore unhealthy competitiveness and how it can be destructive. Particularly, when it leaves you constantly comparing and not feeling good enough. I hope that you enjoy it. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.…

CBT-E is one of the most favoured and researched therapies for eating disorders. It means enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy. If you access support via the NHS (assuming that you are based in the UK), you may well be offered this treatment, particularly if you meet diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder…

Being the eldest daughter can bring unique challenges to well-being. Eldest children tend to be super-carers, overly responsible and 'good children'. In this episode, I explore my personal experience as an eldest child and the impact on relationship with food and mental health. I hope that you enjoy the episode. Harriet's Substack: https://substack…

Here I share 7 healthy hacks, which I love. These are centred around mental wellbeing, connection and self-care. I hope that you enjoy the episode. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-cours…

Today, I’m talking with Alexandra Lederman, an art therapist working in Melbourne, Australia. After working as a fine artist and discovering the benefits and value of the creative process, Alex knew that she wanted to help others learn how to express and communicate through art. Alex’s experience lies in therapeutic support for diverse population g…

Eating disorder recovery is often a murky, dark and difficult road with sporadic glimmers of hope along the way. It’s digging around in the depths of your psyche to work through traumas and abandonment wounds. It’s about interrupting disordered cycles with food, which have long protected and kept you safe. It’s profoundly challenging work. You migh…

Restrictive eating, under the guise of wellness is very normalised. As we live in a society that continues to validate thinness on the pedestal of achievement. The impact of undereating on the body can be profound. It’s not something that just skinny people do. If you’re a serial dieter or you struggle with eating disorders or disordered eating, th…

Today I’m talking to Michelle Rosko, who is a holistic health & fitness coach, certified personal trainer, & nutrition coach. Michelle has been on her own eating disorder recovery journey and now comes to the health and fitness space with a compassionate, sustainable, & holistic approach. She is host of the podcast Fitness Freedom. Michelle has an …

Eating disorders are on the rise. The onset of the pandemic accelerated this already increasing trend. In 2022, the Royal College of Psychiatrists reported that hospital admissions for eating disorders increased by 84% in the last five years. During the pandemic, BEAT (National Eating Disorders Association, UK) saw an 81% increase in contact across…

I worked as a therapist in an NHS adult eating disorder service on and off between house moves, babies and life between 2004 and 2023. Working in the NHS had never been my strategic career plan. At 23 years old, I knew that I wanted to work in eating disorders, but the chaos of my early twenties meant that I was running on ideas and dreams, rather …

Today, I’m talking to Becky Grace Irwing, a BABCP Accredited CBT & EMDR qualified Therapist and qualified Mental Health Nurse. Becky spent 8 years as a Mental Health Nurse and 3 years as a CBT Therapist. She has worked across many mental health services for 14 years including acute, forensic and CAMHS services as well as University Mental Health an…

When I was struggling with bulimia, I desperately wanted to be free of the eating disorder. Not just experiencing freedom from the soul punishing habits but freedom from the restrictions and ground hog day of living a half-life. To act and achieve change, you need a direction. You need some specificity. Not some generalised ‘One day I hope that I m…

Today I have a returning guest to the podcast and I am talking to Marcelle Rose, founder of Marcelle Rose Nutrition. Marcelle specialises in helping women beat binge eating, bulimia, emotional eating and yo-yo dieting so they can make peace with their body and heal their relationship with food. She acknowledges that for many people that this is a t…

If you have an eating disorder, you’re probably sensitive and hugely empathic. You’re the wonderful caretaker and often the listener in conversations. When you’re not isolating yourself, you know the minutiae of your friends’ lives and have been a sounding board for many difficult conversations. Sometimes, you may feel that your personality is mult…

In this episode, I explore the New Maudsley Animal Model, which provides a framework and set of skills for parents and carers in supporting their loved one in eating disorder recovery. I hope that you find it helpful. This week's sponsor: - Jane Reagan's Parents Roadmap PARENTSROADMAP.COM Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordert…

Chewing and Spitting (C and S) is a shameful secret sadly suffered by many people with eating disorders. It’s a potentially triggering and tricky topic to talk about, but it’s a subject that needs a conversation and raised awareness. It’s often overlooked in regular eating disorder assessments, as not recognised as an official disorder under mental…

Today, I’m talking to Prue – an eating disorder recovery warrior and mother, who has type one diabetes and has recovered from anorexia nervosa. Prue has been very generous today in sharing her recovery story. Prue experienced extremely challenging times as a child, having what she calls a ‘text book’ narcissistic father. She was then sent to boardi…

7 secrets to improving your body image this January. I hope that you enjoy the episode. This is also available as a written article on Substack. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/online-courses.…

Happy New Year to you all! This is an episode where I talk about dopamine dressing, as a way to enhance your mood and feel better in eating disorder recovery. This is from my Substack. If you would like to subscribe to receive two new, valuable articles a week, please go to the link below. The regular podcast will be returning next week. Hope that …

A short episode to support you in prioritising mental wellbeing and relationship with food, as you make your New Year's resolutions. I hope that you find it helpful. Harriet's Substack: https://substack.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist Harriet Frew's current offers: - Online 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating Course https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.…