MYBody is now offering a Mindful Meal Support Group!
With research-based evidenced supporting its effectiveness, mindful eating has been added to the list of meal therapies. Mindful meal support groups will start and finish with meditation. The purpose of this meditation is to first separate the chaos of the day from the act of eating a meal and to recognize when one is eating. Recognizing the act of eating helps to make a meal psychologically satisfying and also helps clients get in touch with the internal regulation system (aka hunger/fullness cues) and/or emotional hunger and fullness. Getting in touch with the internal regulation system, allows for gateway awareness to increase intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is an approach that teaches you how to create a healthy relationship with your food, mind, and body—where you ultimately become the expert of your own body. You learn how to distinguish between physical and emotional feelings and gain a sense of body wisdom. It’s also a process of making peace with food—so you no longer have constant “food worry” thoughts.
Mindful eating support groups are a great way to practice what is taught in many nutrition sessions. Practicing mindful skills can also be used as a tool to decrease anxiety, increase body trust, and prevent fear of overeating and/or binge eating. Clients in need of re-nourishing their bodies as well as those who are adequately nourished can employ mindful eating. After a mindful exercise when the individual recognizes his/her body’s state and is aware he/she is about to eat, the facilitator can help the clients use their five senses in their first bites. Again, this is to help the client learn these skills so that he/she can engage them on his/her own. With mindful eating, clients must eat even if they feel emotionally full or cannot tell what they feel because they understand that they physically need food. Eating in this outpatient setting helps clients learn to navigate menus, eat all foods, eat appetizers, entrees, and dessert at one mealtime, and not engage in symptoms. Both a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Registered Dietician will be present in the group to help clients process their feelings before and after the meals.
This Mindful Eating Support Group runs for four weeks on Wednesday evening from 6:30 -7:45 pm and will include:
- Inclusion in a small group – limited to 6 participants
- Personalized goal setting
- Orientation to the keys of effective exposures
- Mindfulness based eating exercises
- Dining together as a group
- Guided meditation experiences
- One-hour limits prevent deliberate delaying and/or lengthening of meals
- Post-meal processing
- Handouts and resources
- Access to a Registered Dietitian who leads you in this program
- Access to a Licensed Clinical Social Worker or Psychologist who specialize in intuitive eating, mindfulness and body positivity
Clients appropriate for this group: anyone who is looking to engage with food in a mindful and intuitive way. While MYBody specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and co-occuring mental illness, this group is designed for individuals seeking a different engagement with their relationship with food and body. Specific diagnosis criteria, or enrollment in other MYBody services are not a requirement to participate. Those individuals who are going through eating disorder recovery must be in a medically stable and willing place to engage in meals with minimal discomfort. This group is designed to support growth towards intuitive eating.
Interested? Have questions? Unsure if this group is for you?
Call (248) 537- BODY (2639) or email [email protected] for more information.