When you watch a child, you might notice how they don’t notice food — not the way that we notice it when we’re adults. This is because our bodies know what we want and need. The human body has been specifically built for survival.
However, the way we think and behave around food as a society is a relatively new thing when you think about the vast amount of time humans have been walking the earth. As soon as we are able to think logically, we are taught about food. We are instructed on how to relate to food as if we can’t trust our own intuition. But what happens when we start to lose our intuition?
In this article, we will discuss:
- What we mean when we talk about intuition
- Why we lose our sense of intuition as we get older
- How a lack of intuition plays a part in the development and persistence of an eating disorder
- How intuition relates to eating disorder recovery
- How to embrace your intuition, which will help you move towards full and lasting recovery from an eating disorder
- Resources on how to reclaim your intuition and trust your body
It may seem like society places too much importance on logic and facts for you to really reclaim your intuition. But while facts are important, they don’t tell the whole story. And they definitely don’t tell the story of your recovery.
What is intuition? How do we use it?
Intuition, while prevalent in our daily lives, is — at this point — impossible for psychologists to remember. We use it everyday, when we say things like: “I felt like I had to call her.” And yet, it’s so hard to quantify.
Right now, psychologists describe human decision making as the sum of two parts: intuition and reasoning, or blink and think, according to Malcom Gladwell, who extensively studied how humans make decisions. Specifically, he found that “there can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis.”
That “blinking” is referring to the use of knowledge that is not explicit, conscious, or measurable. The point of intuition is that it involves no conscious deliberation, little effort, and plays a huge role in how we make decisions.
WHAT IS INTUITION BASED ON, IF NOT FACTS?
Intuition comes from many sources, and many processes are involved in generating an intuitive response. Learning, recognition, and retrieval all work together to build intuition.
From an evolutionary standpoint, the human body has learned a lot. We search for food as soon as we are born. Then we learn things like: “When a metal pot sits on the stove under a flame, it’s hot, and I shouldn’t touch.”
On a personal level, we learn how to do repetitive tasks, and after becoming proficient at it, that learned skill becomes second nature. Ask any seasoned cashior. They’ll tell you how ringing up groceries is second nature to them.
These two forms of learning allow us to start automating thought processes: We can do things without consciously thinking. And doing this gives us more space in the conscious mind to think about new things.
We can also make decisions much faster. The mind takes learned experience, the knowledge we have gathered up over time, and uses it to predict what will happen next. For example, you have probably learned that the sour expression of your parent, boss, etc., means that they’re in a bad mood, and you should steer clear of them for the day.
How does this all relate to eating disorders?
THE SUBCONSCIOUS NEED FOR FOOD
As humans, we are programmed to seek out food. Making the conscious decision to deprive yourself of food, is an act of turning away from your intuition. You stop trusting your body, and give total control to your conscious mind. And all this time, your conscious mind is being filled with rules and regulations about what’s “good” and what’s “bad” when it comes to food, movement, and body image.
Related: Those rules and regulations? It’s all a part of diet culture. Read more about diet culture and how to beat it here.
Your intuition is telling you that you need nourishment in some way, and continues to send this message to your conscious mind. This is why those who are malnourished — mentally, physically or emotionally — start to obsess about food.
THE CONSCIOUS DENIAL OF FOOD (AND BY EXTENSION, INTUITION)
At some point, your mind and body are so distanced from your intuition that it doesn’t even know how to listen to it’s natural instincts. This is why your body loses its hunger and satiety cues, and why your mind has so much of a problem even remembering how you naturally relate to food.
Related: There are several consequences to ignoring your intuition. Read more about them here.
WHY YOU DON’T PRACTICE INTUITIVE EATING IN EARLY RECOVERY
Because your body and brain have lost the ability to recognize physical, mental and emotional hunger and fullness, it (unfortunately) can’t be trusted in early recovery.
If your body, after a long period of deprivation, feels full very easily, you won’t be able to eat to restore your natural weight unless given external directions. If you have habitually restricted throughout the day and then binge in the evening, your body is used to that. So, without some external structure, you won’t be able to establish a normal eating schedule.
This is why, initially, many eating disorder treatment professionals develop specialized meal plans for patients to follow. This level of structure is there to help you unlearn the patterns established by an eating disorder.
Reclaiming Your Intuition: Intuitive Eating in Recovery
But the overall goal of recovery is to have a normal, natural relationship with food, like when you were a child. This is impossible to do without the rigidity of a meal plan.
So, you have to let go — let go of the rigid structure and the painful feelings that come with establishing a healthy relationship with food.
And you have to reclaim your intuition — that inner guide that has always been there, waiting for you to return to it, to reach full and lasting recovery. As Dr. Anita Johnson, a clinical expert with over thirty-five years of experience in treating problem eating, tells us:
“It involves learning to use your intellect to SUPPORT (not discredit!) information obtained through intuitive channels, and understanding that the two are equally valuable. It requires you to develop a deep appreciation for the wise, compassionate guidance that is always available to you; you need only listen, and choose to incorporate intuitive knowledge into your life rather than ignore it. You’ll be amazed at the strength, love, and healing this wisdom brings.”
Related: Letting go means releasing control, and learning how to trust your inner self as well as your rational self. Learn how to trust the process in eating disorder recovery here.
Reclaiming your intuition allows you to automate the eating process. You’ll instinctively know when you’re hungry, and what to do about it. Part of it was eating mechanically through a meal plan. But the rest is listening to your inner guide. You’ll obsess about it less, because it isn’t such a huge decision. By taking away all that deliberation on food, you’ll have space for other things in your head. And that’s why people pursue recovery in the first place. Your intuition can also tell you about emotions that are threatening to come up, and you can take steps to mitigate the intensity of painful emotion. In this way, you honor your feelings without being overwhelmed by them.
Related: Not sure how to handle emotions before they are too overwhelming to manage? Read here for help.
SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE TO RECLAIM YOUR INTUITION IN RECOVERY: EATING IN THE LIGHT OF THE MOON
Dr. Anita Johnson, longtime clinical expert in the field of eating disorders, has developed a revolutionary approach to supporting individuals to lasting eating disorder recovery.
While many treatment programs teach you how to manage painful emotions and mitigate eating disorder behaviors, they don’t get to the root of the eating disorder. And if you don’t understand your why — the deep inner roots from which your eating disorder has stemmed and grown — how are you supposed to cut off every piece of your eating disorder?
Dr. Johnson, seeing this gap in treatment, first designed a booklet on how to uncover the narrative behind your eating disorder — your why. From there, it grew into an entire book on this, as well as how to reclaim your intuition in the recovery process.
Within Eating in the Light of the Moon are profound stories and insights, and practical exercises that explore the themes of self-discovery and empowerment on core issues such as intuition, symbolism, feelings, sexuality, and recovery. The book’s twenty chapters have helped to move many from a place of distorted mindset and relationship between the self, food, and body image, to a place of self-awareness. It guides you towards that inner ear, your intuition, and teaches you how to really recognize and listen to it.
If you or someone you love is suffering from an eating disorder, take the first step today and talk to talk to someone about recovery, or simply learn more about the eating disorder recovery programs we offer.
