Aura Psychotherapy

16/05/2025

I am shocked and excited to share this news with you all!

12/05/2025

I had the pleasure of attending the 2025 conference almost 2 weeks ago with my colleagues and friends! In order of appearance:

Inside Out: Witnessing Ourselves and Reclaiming Embodiment as Pathways Toward Collective Liberation by Sand Chang, PhD

“Feeling Fat”: Weight Liberation and Exposure Therapy Across the Size Spectrum by Molly Robbins & Kat Rinaldi

Refeeding Syndrome and Pseudo-Bartter Syndrome: Avoiding Dangers and Pitfalls in Eating Disorder Treatment by Taryn Johnson, MSN

Adapting to Diabetes: Navigating Carbs, Insulin, and Eating Disorder Recovery by Ali Beckman

Adoptees & Eating Disorders: Clinical Considerations & Lessons from Lived Experience by Rebecca Berg RDN

Progress in the Field of Eating Disorders: Is a Better Future Possible? By Chevese Turner

From Weight-Centered Care to Whole-Body Health: Unpacking the History, Harm, and Future of Medical Training by Dr Erin Knopf & Dr Neeru Bakshi

The Historic and Present Danger of Intentional Weight Loss and GLP-1s by Dr Wendy Oliver-Pyatt & Chevese Turner

Carrying Vulnerability and Hope: Eating Disorders and Pregnancy by Kate Geoghegan LCPC

Mirroring and Shapeshifting: Understanding the Unique Interplay Between Relationships and Body image by Deb Schachter & Whitney Otto

Special shout out to of for her presentation titled Harm Reduction in Eating Disorder Therapy: Navigating Ethical Challenges. Proud of you!

21/02/2025

15/02/2025

The and commercial for the superbowl was extremely problematic. They weaponized ideas from the fat liberation movement to sell us weight loss drugs, further perpetuating the issues they were claiming to be helping. This post outlines why it was so harmful and misleading.

Credit to original posters once you get to Instagram!

25/10/2024

Early voting now until the election!
Find your CT location ⬇️

https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sots/education/early-voting/early-voting-locations/early-voting-locations-11-5-24.pdf?rev=da8f79d4633b415ba511052764bce238&hash=852674B193CFA0A780E9BC3886DEB0BF

18/10/2024

Today I had the pleasure to share some of my eating disorder knowledge presenting at the SCSU Marriage and Family Therapy Conference! What an amazing feeling it was to be back where I learned and grew so much! 🫶🏻

19/08/2024

In the realm of relationships, the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is a concept introduced by renowned psychologists Drs. John and Julie Schwartz Gottman. These four destructive behaviors—criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling—are seen as omens of relationship breakdown.

Criticism attacks the partner's character, contempt expresses disdain, defensiveness involves self-protection rather than addressing issues, and stonewalling is the silent treatment that shuts down communication.

According to the Gottmans, recognizing and addressing these behaviors is crucial for maintaining a healthy, enduring relationship.

19/07/2024

Intuitive eating (founded by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch) is an approach to food and eating that encourages individuals to listen to their body's natural signals of hunger and fullness rather than relying on external cues such as calorie counting or food restrictions. The main principles of intuitive eating include:

1. Rejecting the Diet Mentality: Letting go of the mindset that certain foods are "good" or "bad" and that one must strictly control their eating to achieve health or weight goals.

2. Honoring Hunger: Learning to recognize and respond to your body's signals of hunger in a timely manner, ensuring that you eat enough to satisfy your physical needs.

3. Making Peace with Food: Allowing yourself unconditional permission to eat all types of foods without guilt or shame, thereby eliminating the cycle of deprivation and overeating.

4. Challenging the Food Police: Silencing the internal voices or external influences that dictate strict food rules or judgments about eating behaviors.

5. Respecting Fullness: Listening to your body's signals of fullness and stopping eating when you feel satisfied, rather than when your plate is empty or when you think you "should" stop.

6. Discovering Satisfaction: Finding pleasure and satisfaction in the eating experience by choosing foods that both nourish your body and satisfy your taste preferences.

7. Honoring Feelings Without Using Food: Developing alternative ways to cope with emotions, stress, and other triggers without relying solely on food.

8. Respecting Your Body: Accepting and appreciating your body's natural shape and size, focusing on health and well-being rather than on achieving a specific weight or appearance.

Intuitive eating is grounded in the belief that our bodies have the wisdom to guide us towards optimal nourishment and health when we trust and listen to them. It promotes a healthy relationship with food and eating that emphasizes self-care, flexibility, and mindfulness.

Evelyn and Elyse wrote an amazing book if you would like to find your way to food freedom called "Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach".

17/07/2024

Lets talk about Anti-Fat Bias. Anti-fat bias, also known as weight bias or weight stigma, refers to negative attitudes, beliefs, stereotypes, and discrimination directed towards individuals or groups based on their body weight or size. It involves prejudicial attitudes that assume fat or larger bodied individuals are lazy, lacking in willpower, unintelligent, or have poor self-control solely because of their weight. This bias can manifest in various contexts, including healthcare, education, employment, media representation, and interpersonal relationships, leading to unjust treatment and marginalization of individuals solely because of their body size.

The world is anti-fat. If you have never been fat, Im sure you haven't had to worry about:
-the strength of the chair you were about to sit in
-asking for a seatbelt extender on a plane and wondering how this ask will be received
-if people will comment on your food choices
-if your doctor won't perform surgery because you "need to lose weight"

and these are only a few of the many obstacles faced by fat/larger bodied people.

Also, you may notice that the words "obese" and "overweight" are not being used. This words have been used to further stigmatize larger bodied individuals. Some larger bodied individuals prefer to be called fat, and everyone should consider using the language others use to identify themselves.

If you're interested in understanding your weight stigma, you can take the Harvard implicit bias test here: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/Study?tid=-1

**Full disclosure, I am writing this with a lot of privilege. I am white, cisgender, straight-sized, able bodied, and heterosexual. I acknowledge that I do not know all of the complications that marginalized communities experience, and I will continue working to be an advocate.**

15/07/2024

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is defined by the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) as a condition characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating. According to the DSM-5 criteria, binge eating episodes are characterized by both of the following:

Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most individuals would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.

A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).

In addition to these criteria, binge eating episodes must occur, on average, at least once a week for three months to meet the diagnosis of BED. Individuals with BED often experience distress regarding their binge eating behavior and may also exhibit some of the following:

Eating much more rapidly than normal
Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry
Eating alone due to embarrassment about the quantity of food being consumed
Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward

Many individuals grappling with BED may internalize it as a moral failing, influenced by societal fixation on dieting and weight loss. These perceptions often deter individuals from seeking treatment, perpetuating cycles of shame that reinforce binge behaviors. Despite being the most prevalent eating disorder, BED encounters systemic bias within the medical community, resulting in limited support for intensive care options like residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient programs. This scarcity is exacerbated by insurance practices that undervalue these treatments while promoting weight loss interventions such as gastric bypass surgeries and weight loss medications. Such policies stem from misconceptions that frame body size as the primary issue, thereby neglecting the underlying mental health complexities associated with BED.

12/07/2024

Lets talk about Health At Every Size (HAES). HAES is a movement and approach to health and wellness that emphasizes compassionate self-care, rather than focusing primarily on weight loss or achieving a specific body size or shape. The core principles of Health at Every Size include:

Weight Inclusivity: Recognizing and respecting body diversity. HAES promotes the acceptance of all body shapes and sizes and challenges weight stigma and discrimination.

Health Enhancement: Supporting health policies, practices, and interventions that improve and support physical, social, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual well-being, rather than focusing on weight as a primary indicator of health.

Respectful Care: Acknowledging the potential for harm associated with weight-focused healthcare practices and promoting compassionate, evidence-based care that addresses the individual needs and health goals of people of all sizes.

Eating for Well-being: Promoting flexible, individualized eating based on hunger, satiety, nutritional needs, and pleasure, rather than restrictive diets or food rules.

Life-Enhancing Movement: Supporting physical activities that are enjoyable, sustainable, and respectful of individual preferences and abilities, rather than emphasizing exercise as a means of weight control.

HAES informed care is hard to come by in the medical field. Do you know any HAES medical providers? If so, drop a comment below with their name!