DR MARIANNE MILLER
CARING EATING DISORDER TREATMENT IN SAN DIEGO AND THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, AND WASHINGTON D.C. FOR ADULTS & TEENS
Five Tips for Managing Overwhelming Emotions in Eating Disorder Recovery
Have you ever felt so filled with emotion that it was almost unbearable? Do your mind and body feel flooded with feelings such as fear, anger, disgust, frustration, irritability, anxiety, or sadness—to the point at which you feel almost paralyzed? Having an eating disorder in San Diego and elsewhere is so hard. Sometimes the overwhelming emotions can be triggered by things such as discomfort with food and with your body, negative interactions with others, and work and family stress. At such times, it seems like the emotions take over both your brain and your body, and you would do anything thing in the world to make them stop. It is so so hard. Thankfully, there are a few coping strategies that can help you navigate such situations. These coping skills come from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which is an approach I integrate in my work with people struggling with eating disorders in San Diego.
Interview with Addiction Specialist and Haven Hills* Director Dr. Reya Kost, LMFT
It’s so hard to be in San Diego and appreciate the beauty while you can’t stop thinking about food and your body. It’s even harder to be grappling with eating disorder behaviors AND drinking or drug use. It can feel at times like your life is spinning out of control. Not sure where to turn for help? I have a great San Diego resource who provides treatment for both eating disorders and substance abuse, which is often called co-occurring disorders. The co-occurring guru in San Diego is Dr. Reya Kost, and she is the director of Haven Hills Recovery Center for women. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) who has a doctorate in psychology. PLUS, she’s a former doctoral student of mine who is definitely a star! Reya is incredibly intelligent and has over 10 years of experience in treating addictions. I especially appreciate her acknowledgement that addressing trauma history is such an important part of recovery. She also has a great sense of humor! :)
"My Eating Disorder Recovery Story": Meet Virtual Nutrition Consultant Ari Snaevarsson
Hello all! For those of you struggling with eating disorders in San Diego and elsewhere, it’s easy to feel hopeless and question whether you can ever recover. I’m here to tell you, yes you CAN recover from an eating disorder and live a life FREE from the burden you’ve been carrying for so long. In order to bring you some hope, I want you to meet Ari Snaevarsson and read about his eating disorder recovery. He is also an author and virtual nutrition consultant, so he may be a helpful resource for you! One thing that I really appreciate about Ari is that he is really honest about how miserable and out-of-control his life was while he was active in his disordered eating behavior. He embraces the intuitive eating approach, which he also advocates in his work as a nutrition consultant. His enthusiasm is infectious!
Tapping into Mindfulness: Part 5 of Finding the Spiritual in Eating Disorder Treatment—A 5-Part Series
Has your soul ever ached? Is it difficult to reconcile living in such a beautiful place as San Diego and feeling such pain? Have you ever felt so far away from God that it hurt? Have you ever questioned your belief in God, or in any sort of higher power? Have you ever wondered how God can exist if there is such pain in the world? Have you felt angry with God? Have you ever felt hurt, shamed, disappointed, or discriminated by spiritual leaders? Many of these emotions and experiences can lead to spiritual pain. Spiritual pain is a soul-deep ache that is beyond depression or grief. Spiritual pain is an existential crisis in which the deepest parts of ourselves are crying out, “Is there a God or higher power out there?” “If so, how could this God or higher power let such pain and suffering happen?”
Diving Deeper into Spiritual Healing: Part 4 of Finding the Spiritual in Eating Disorder Treatment—A 5-Part Series
Sometimes when you feel overwhelmed by your spiritual pain, you can think that there is no hope. It is at these times when you need to dive deep into your pain to let yourself experience spiritual healing. If you struggle with disordered eating, you know how painful it can be . . . emotionally, psychologically, physically, and spiritually. Becoming acutely aware of all aspects of your pain as you go about your daily life in San Diego lets you open yourself to healing. It’s like when you have an infection in your arm—you need to open it up and clean out all of the gunk and then put the medicine on it so it can heal. Spirituality can be your medicine—the balm for your soul.
Starting Your Journey to Spiritual Healing: Part 3 of Finding the Spiritual in Eating Disorder Treatment—A 5-Part Series
You’ve recognized that you’ve got some spiritual pain. Congratulate yourself for the awareness—it’s a hard thing to acknowledge. You may be thinking, is spiritual healing even possible. Do I even want it? I feel so far away from God or my higher power in my life in San Diego that it just seems like too big of a gulf to bridge. I understand that it can feel overwhelming. I want to encourage you that all you have to do is take the first, small step. Sometimes you have to walk before you run, and sometimes you have to tiptoe before you walk. Let’ go ahead and stick that foot out there and start the journey.
Dealing with Spiritual Pain: Part 2 of Finding the Spiritual in Eating Disorder Treatment—A 5-Part Series
Has your soul ever ached? Is it difficult to reconcile living in such a beautiful place as San Diego and feeling such pain? Have you ever felt so far away from God that it hurt? Have you ever questioned your belief in God, or in any sort of higher power? Have you ever wondered how God can exist if there is such pain in the world? Have you felt angry with God? Have you ever felt hurt, shamed, disappointed, or discriminated by spiritual leaders? Many of these emotions and experiences can lead to spiritual pain. Spiritual pain is a soul-deep ache that is beyond depression or grief. Spiritual pain is an existential crisis in which the deepest parts of ourselves are crying out, “Is there a God or higher power out there?” “If so, how could this God or higher power let such pain and suffering happen?”
Filling Your Spiritual Cup: Part 1 in a 5-Part Series on Finding the Spiritual in Eating Disorder Treatment
What brings you peace in your life in San Diego? When do you feel most connected to the world around you—to other people, to animals, to nature? When do you feel a sense of well-being? These are some of the questions I might ask my clients when getting them to focus on what feeds them spiritually in San Diego. In eating disorder recovery, so much of the focus can be on food and our bodies, but what often is a missing piece in treatment is nourishing our souls.
Three Steps to Start You on the Path to Body Acceptance
Body image. Do I hear a collective sigh? Groan of frustration? Chorus of “I don’t wanna think about it?” And yet, we live in San Diego, where it feels like it is bikini season 90% of the year. And where wearing tiny shorts and a bikini top inside the store or a restaurant isn’t considered completely inappropriate. You don’t need to have an eating disorder or low self-esteem in San Diego to have issues with accepting your beautiful body as it is!