Memories Run Deep - Why Eating Disorders Are Difficult to Treat

What's the earliest memory you have? Is it a positive memory from early childhood? Something that makes you beam with delight upon recall? Or is it something you would really rather forget? Regardless of the amount of recall you have, whether you were age two or maybe even younger your memories are all there, stored in your brain--and your cells. Yes, it's true memories are stored at the cellular level, not just in our brains.

"At the cell level everything electrical and biological is linked through our energy. Every thought, word, and deed has a physiological correlation, a cellular response to impulses that gets stored in the cell as a memory and is supported by its own particular chemistry. This has been discovered through bodywork like massage and healing modalities that release energy, our stress and painful history, is stored in the muscles of our body. Every experience from our infancy is coded in the cell," says Dr. Carlos.

This is part of why addictions and compulsive behaviors like eating disorders are so difficult to treat. To provide treatment with counseling and medication without the aid of bodywork doesn't stimulate the release of painful emotional memories and patterns that are stored in the body. Our bodies store energy associated with these memories and they create energy blocks. In order to fully recover from the disorder or addiction the energy and beliefs that no longer serve us must be released.

After releasing these energy blocks and reprogramming our brains we can create new connections and patterns. By doing this we can enable healing at the cellular level. This results in a deeper, quantum leap in releasing the past and living a peaceful balanced life free from obsession and addiction.

Dr. Joe Dispenza, has done some incredible research on the human brain and our ability to "rewire" our brains and change our outlook and results in life. Through our thoughts we can change the wiring and teach the brain to fire with different neurons. Dr. Dispensza's says:

• "The brain -- 100 million neurons firing in infinite patterns
• The patterns come from neurons that are wired together and fire together
• The mind is the brain in action -- mind is what the brain does
• Change your mind, change your brain -- change your brain, change your mind
• The biology of change -- nerve cells that no longer fire together no longer wire together
• Neuroplasty –- our brains ability to change its synaptic wiring"

This is where the mind body connection comes in. We have the ability to change our thoughts, make new synaptic connections and affect our environment just by how we think about it.

In the movie What The Bleep Do We Know?! Marlee Matlin's character Amanda saw an experiment performed by Dr. Masaru Emoto showing the affect words and thoughts have on water. The molecules of water were viewed under a microscope. Then the molecules were viewed again after being exposed to loving words or negative words (taped on the container). The water exposed to loving words showed brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. But the water exposed to pollution and negative thoughts form incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors.

Every thought affects the outcome you get in life. What you focus on (your thoughts, what you talk about, what you worry about, what you look for, expect or look forward to) is what you manifest. If you spend all of your time obsessed with what you see in the mirror and the hatred you have for your body...you will continue to see a body you hate. If you spend all your time beating yourself up for drinking too much, eating too much, or being a couch potato....these behaviors won't change because you're focusing on them with strong emotions (hatred, anger). If instead you spend 10 minutes every day and focus on what your life would be like and feel like--if you loved and accepted yourself (and your body) you will begin to attract different outcomes. Don't just visualize, feel the joy and excitement of your new life, the energy you have, the happiness that abounds, the relationships you have with people…use strong positive emotions to make it feel real, like you're living it today.

In peace, balance and health!

For more information please visit my website: http://www.lori-hanson.com/

Links:

http://www.dr.joedispenza.com/
http://www.whatthebleep.com/crystals/
http://www.doctorcarlos.com/newhtml/genome.html

No Quick Fix for Children's Eating Disorders

The numbers of young children getting trapped into eating disorders are on the rise. I'm seeing regular articles both in the U.S. and abroad that are commenting on the growing phenomenon. I was 14 when mine started, pretty typical. Now kids as young as eight are obsessing about their weight! There are two sides to the story.

In the past 10-15 years the rise in obesity in young children has grown significantly. Richard Simmons has gone all the way to congress with his FIT Kids bill to preserve PE classes and get kids moving again. With all the introduction of technology (and increase in crime) kids lifestyles have changed, they aren't outside playing anymore. They aren't getting exercise. They are developing poor habits from a very early age which will haunt them their entire life. Being overweight as a young child has a strong negative impact on self-esteem which will affect each child's ability to be confident and successful in life.

On the flip side you have the kids who are absorbing all they see in the media, skinny models, skinny actors and musicians. Everything that's put in front of them on the TV, billboards and magazines portrays the picture of what they’re supposed to look like - thin and gorgeous. Here, nothing has changed except now children are taking it on. So a young child begins to control their food intake as a way to achieve the “the perfect look”. Different approach, same result - this obsession leads to poor self esteem and lack of confidence which will impact their future.

In many ways the person that's overweight and one with an eating disorder aren't so different. Both experience lack of confidence and hatred for themselves and their bodies. Both have low self-worth.

An eating disorder can have numerous contributing factors including pressures of society, troubled family and personal relationships, sexual abuse, feeling inadequate, anxious, depressed or lonely. The rituals practiced with an eating disorder give the individual a coping mechanism to avoid expressing emotions and a feeling of being in control.

Lifestyle and the family unit have changed significantly. We all well know about the increase in divorce, dual income families, super mom, soccer mom, overachiever kids, deadbeat dads and the impact this has had on the Beaver Cleaver days. But this also has a direct affect on the development of childhood obesity and now childhood eating disorders.

Young children need to understand the severity of what an eating disorder can do to their lives. If food is restricted during a child's growth phase they are at risk of stunting their growth, developing weak bones and shrinking their brains.* Many high school age kids aren't even aware that the new rituals they are following can result in death.

Awareness, prevention and early detection are critical. The earlier these symptoms are identified in young children the better chance they have of growing up with confidence, prepared for a life filled with health, happiness and balance.

For more information, visit my website http://www.lori-hanson.com/.

In peace and health!

*About Eating Disorders, Gantdaily.com, 8/23/08

Eating Disorders, Obesity, Alcoholism, Addiction, Superwoman, Workaholic – Is There a Link?

I find it intriguing as a society how differently we view each of these behaviors. Some are more acceptable or shall I say less offensive than others. And each comes with its own share of judgments and prejudices by onlookers.

The truth is, I can’t remember the last time I met someone who doesn’t have a little (or big) secret in their closet. A mechanism they use to cope with life…or a way to numb out and avoid it. We’ve just all chosen different paths of manifestation for our insecurities and/or poor self-esteem. Whether it’s at a conscious or sub-conscious level, we’re all searching. Looking for peace, happiness, health—our purpose in life.

The problem is most of us don’t even realize we’re using these behaviors to fill a void. Or what the void is. We all came into being without baggage. But as young infants and children we each picked up our share (some more than others) of baggage as we grew up. Our life experiences and the level of love and attention we received as youngsters began to shape our perception of and reaction to the world and our surroundings. We begin to react to circumstances through the filters we created to view the world based on our experiences. Ever heard the saying perception is reality? My perception of life viewed through the filter of my bulimia was completely different than how others saw me.

It’s so hard for many of us to accept and love ourselves, so we go looking for that acceptance and love in the form of food, alcohol, kudos from the boss for working 70 hours yet again this week, or being the envy of all the other mothers because of our abilities as superwoman. But these behaviors only help us to numb out and ignore the real issue.

In our current society this is made much worse (in my opinion) by the new addictions to cell phones, text messaging, iPods and the over stimulation that being attached and available to everyone 24x7 brings. As humans we need to shut down on occasion! We need to give our bodies the much needed rest, solitude and down time to reflect on life. (Just like our cell phones and computers need to shut down and reboot on occasion.) How can we get in touch with our inner voice, that deepest part of our soul that knows why we’re here and what our true needs are when we’re always running and hiding?

Funny thing is whether it’s an eating disorder, being overweight, alcoholism, drug addiction, excessive gambling or sex, superwoman, workaholic or egomaniac…there is a common thread. We’re all looking for validation, comfort, love and acceptance. And all things we need to give ourselves.

For more information please visit my website: http://www.lori-hanson.com/.

In peace and health,