Welcome back.
Take a comfortable seat and let your body settle into this moment.
Join me and take a big breath in through your nose.
And out.
One more time in through your nose.
And out.
Your brain has learned thanks to evolution to fear quickly.
Because this is a mechanism that kept you alive.
Safety,
On the other hand,
Is only learned through experience.
So when you persistently avoid a food out of fear,
The brain never gets the chance to learn that you can actually be safe with it.
It's all about perspective and the story you've attached to that food.
And this is why exposure,
Food exposure,
Is so powerful.
By eating feared foods in small baby steps without compensating,
You rewire the amygdala,
The part of your brain that's literally hardwired for survival.
This is your first day of Exposure Lab.
It's science in action,
Teaching the brain that feared foods are actually safe.
And having them in your life every now and again is not something to fear or deny.
Now we're going to practice something called imaginal exposure.
I invite you to bring to mind one food that carries fear.
But not your most terrifying one.
A food that maybe you don't really like to have in the house that often.
Picture it clearly.
Notice any tension that rises in your body,
Your belly,
Your throat.
Notice the story.
I lose control.
Or I won't be able to stop eating that.
Label it gently.
That is a fear story.
Next,
I want you to imagine lifting a small bite of this food to your mouth.
Taste it slowly.
Bring all your senses online.
Smell the aroma.
Note the texture.
Chew with awareness.
Swallow with delight.
I want you to notice if any anxiety rises at this point,
Like a wave.
And say to the anxiety,
Silently if you like.
This is just a wave.
It will pass.
Stay with it.
Notice.
Nothing catastrophic happens.
Today,
Choose one food that carries this fear.
And after this meditation,
I invite you to eat a small portion just as we visualized.
Slowly.
Without force.
And without any inner critic.
When you do this exercise,
I want you to lock from a scale of 1 to 10.
The level of emotional intensity.
1 being calm.
10 being extremely anxious.
This will help you perceive the eating experience and how you feel about it with more clarity.
When we practice clarity,
We are flexing the muscle of greater mindfulness for the next meal and the next snack.
Again and again.
By the way,
There is no right or wrong way to feel here.
We are simply working with building your mental muscle.
And we are providing to your brain the message.
Food is not the enemy.
Often though,
Our thoughts and limiting beliefs are.
Tomorrow,
We'll look more closely at the triggers that might set a binge-restrict cycle in motion.
Because I see a pattern in almost everyone I coach who wants to free themselves from this trap.
I look forward to sharing it with you.
Thank you for practicing with me.
