ABSTRACT
When food and thought, body and mind, are inextricably linked, feelings present a unique challenge. Fears of hunger, emptiness, fullness, and being or feeling ‘fat’ can all be linked to corresponding fears for survival, of abandonment, of containing toxic emotions, of shame at needing what others cannot, will not, or are unable to provide—fear of fear itself. The eating disorder serves as a makeshift solution, and initiating the process of “un-covery”—literally the process of changing one’s mind—can be fraught with more fear, resistance, and self-protective measures. In Chapter Fifteen, the author describes her work with several patients, helping them think and feel about what has terrified them in the past, and how the past lives on via their ongoing treatment of themselves. People with perseverant personalities invariably believe they need to be harder on themselves, when in truth they need to be kinder and gentler. Learning to think together and finding words to capture experiences helps transform feelings from harbingers of disaster to signals that something needs attention. It provides form and substance for thoughts and feelings, expands tolerance for emotions that have been short-circuited by binge/purge enactments, and forges a pathway from the unthinkable to the conceivable.
