NEW REALITIES NEWS                              June 1998

A Subscriber Writes

"When I first started bingeing and purging, I have to
admit that I was scared. But as I kept doing it over and
over, it seemed to become my daily regimen and made my
life a totally new one. Like a woman getting a makeover,
I became accustomed to this new change and the person I
longed to become, as well as the food I ate . . . . .
Bulimia made me feel very lonely and believe me, nobody
deserves to feel that way. As I allowed it to consume me,
the pain eventually became part of my day and even my life.
But the one thing I hated was the constant lies I had everyone
believing. I lied to Mom, Dad and even my friends to keep
me on some kind of comfortable high . . . . .  As my
charade progressed, I began to not even care that my
feelings didn't matter or even exist in my new world
anymore because I was used to tossing them aside. I was
accustomed to being trapped in a spiteful cycle of
obsession with food and body size in place of expressing
and coping with these feelings  . . . . . About a month
later, a friend had put the pieces together and realized
my problem . . . . . Going to that meeting was definitely
a good experience for me and to actually have someone
there to talk to and who understood my position . . . . .
that night gave me something to hold on to. Something to
comfort me . . . . .  All that time she ( my friend ) had
been trying to understand, for months, what I was dealing
with and tried to be there for me, but she just wasn't
capable to be in that situation without losing her sanity.
So she took me to Guidance and I have been seeing the
school's social worker and she as been helping a great
deal."

 Thank you for writing.

Sharing our stories is an important part of recovery.

 Gentle Eating

 The mention of " Gentle Eating" in our last newsletter
resulted in a number of requests for more information.
In response, here is a description of "Gentle Eating".

 "Gentle Eating" is a process of eating while consciously
paying attention to the aesthetic pleasures of food and to
the sensations in your body as it receives the food.

Conscious eating can be a pleasurable, satisfying
experience. Feeling satisfied with what you eat is
essential to feeling that you have had enough.
Unconscious eating is rarely satisfying and part of
the reason you want more.

The Steps

 1. Choose a quiet time when you can give your full
attention to eating. You may want to set an attractive
place at your table. You may want to play some soothing
background music.

 2. Prepare and serve the food you want to eat - whatever
you want. Make sure you make enough for seconds, even
thirds if you need it.

 3. Sit down and eat your food mindfully paying attention
to the act of eating, the sensations in your body and the
feelings that arise.

 4. Allow yourself to suspend all judgments for this time
and simply be an observer of your process. Take all the
time you need.

5. You may notice the point at which you have had just
enough food to satisfy your body's needs. Notice what this
feels like. What would it be like to stop eating at this point?

6. If you want more food, have it. As you practice
"Gentle Eating", you may notice your relationship with
food changing. You will begin to recognize that food is
not your enemy but a substance that nourishes your body.

New Article

"Intuitive Eating" has been added to our web site on the articles page:

http://www.newrealitiescan.com/articles.htm

Visit our homepage: http://www.newrealitiescan.com , How can we help

you: http://www.newrealitiescan.com/how_we_can_help_you.htm and for the

Schedules + Fees: http://www.newrealitiescan.com/schedule_and_fees.htm

Thought to Ponder

The body is your vehicle in life and the physical
manifestation of your thoughts and beliefs.

- Suzy Prudden

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