The concept of intuitive eating feels freeing.
The approach is such a welcome breath of fresh air after decades of cultural brainwashing that the answers to better health lie outside of ourselves with endless plans and strategies from which we have been able to take our pick.
And, it seem so simple. The messaging I see all over is to just eat whatever your body is wanting, whenever it wants.
This is the main idea, and yet, there is so much left out...
While it may seem simple, unwinding learned behaviors of control and structure to rely solely on intuitive knowing may require unlearning old patterns, regaining connection with intuition, and time for thoughtful integration.
Our intuition, when consciously attuned with, has the power to help us navigate our way to our best health possible.
However, connecting with that intuitive knowing has many layers.
Initially, it might be simply learning to listen deeply to what feels good to eat/do in a given moment, which is critical for reestablishing connection with the internal knowing many of us have denied ourselves for much of our lives.
But, it doesn't' stop there.
Many layers exist to address beyond that. Some of these layers I have helped my clients navigate are:
How deeply am I able to experience my body? The degree to which you can do this is the degree to which you are able to listen. This can take time and practice to develop, especially if you have ignored your bodies needs for any extended period of time.
How do I find a personalized structure for my eating that doesn't feel so loose and dependent on my emotional/situational state? Intuitive eating should be based on the needs of our body. If the experience of the body is tied up with emotion and situation, it becomes really hard to let it guide.
If I'm intuitively eating, do I just cross my fingers and hope that my health issues go away? The body knows what it needs, so intuitive eating holds a lot of healing power, but it is not the answer alone. There are many ways to address health issues. I use a range, including energy healing to address blocks held in a specific part of the body, hypnotherapy to understand and reframe origination of habits and patterns (sometimes that stem from other family members!), therapeutic diets to tap into and support the body in its natural process of healing, and much more. Intuitive eating is not the sole answer.
These are just a few of the layers we work with to make intuitive eating a viable and realistic approach on all levels of health and wellness.
If you are ready to jump more fully into intuitive eating or have been doing it for awhile and are frustrated by health issues that remain, get in touch with me today.
Schedule a free call where we can discuss how it is going for you and ways we might be able to work together to address your needs.
xo,
Katrina