Lecture Notes: Understanding Healthy Eating within the Context of Complex Trauma

Introduction

• Series on understanding what it means to be healthy.
• Focus on the twelve needs and how to meet them in healthy ways.
• Tonight’s focus: The need for food.

Concept of Healthy and Survival Mode

• Healthy Person: High energy (performance zone), knowing when to take downtime, self-care.
• Complex Trauma (Survival Mode): Constantly on guard, push to burnout, unable to meet needs.
• Recovery Challenge: Shift from survival mode to healthy living.

Food and Culture

• Food as a basic physical need (food & water).
• Cultural Paradox: Despite having abundant information and resources, issues around food persist (obesity, eating disorders).
• Diet Industry: Huge economic gains but failing many people.
• Statistics: E.g., Canadian $7 billion, US $65 billion spent on dieting programs in 2013.

Complex Trauma and Eating Disorders

• Trauma impacts relationship with food.
• Common Disorders: Anorexia (self-starvation), bulimia (binge and purge), binge eating.
• Cultural Pressures: Emphasis on body image, especially for women.
• Family Dynamics: Diet-centric environments, shame, and control issues.

Emotional Eating

• Eating Emotions: Stress, anxiety, depression managed through eating.
• Cultural Practices: Food integral to social events and shared experiences.
• Control and Rebellion: Food used to gain or resist control.
• Validation: Overeating for validation from others (e.g., family praise).

Food Addiction

• Definition: Process addiction using food for emotional fulfillment.
• Triggers: stress, depression, anxiety, boredom, etc.
• Impact of Complex Trauma: Heightened risk of food addiction.
• Chemical Connection: Dopamine and endorphins involved.
• Challenges: Need to eat vs. total abstinence (unlike other addictions).

Physical and Emotional Needs Parallel

• Ongoing Needs: Both physical and emotional needs must be consistently met.
• Mechanisms: Hunger (physical), emotional and relational “hunger” are similar.
• Mistraining: Misinterpreting and retraining hunger signals (physical and emotional).
• Anorexia: Ignoring hunger signals leads to suppressed needs.

Practical Steps

• Not Dieting Alone: Deal with underlying issues (shame, body image) first.
• Self-Awareness: Identify triggers and develop safety plans.
• Structured Eating: Menus, shopping lists, avoiding emotional shopping.
• Advice:
  • Avoid shopping when hungry.
  • Avoid excessive eating out.
  • Recognize true hunger vs. emotional eating triggers.

Recovery Journey

• Food problems are common in those recovering from other addictions.
• Food issues need addressing for long-term health and recovery.
• Societal focus on symptoms rather than underlying emotional needs.
• Trust and Recovery: Importance of building trust in the recovery process.

Spiritual and Biblical Perspective on Trust

• Reference to the Israelites’ journey from Egypt and relation to complex trauma.
• Three Therapy Sessions by God:
  1. Miracles in Egypt (power demonstration).
  2. Backed into a corner: Learning trust under duress.
  3. Daily Dependence: Reliance on daily provision (manna and quail).
• Trust is crucial for fruitful, fulfilling lives.
• Outcome: Only a few Israelites learned trust; most remained resistant.

Conclusion

• Trust in the recovery process is essential.
• Recognize the interconnectedness of physical and emotional well-being.
• Continual learning and adaptation in the context of complex trauma and healthy living.
• Future Focus: Addressing deep emotional needs to prevent addiction crossover.