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The Mirror and Assertiveness
Hello, Dr. Anita Johnston here. I'm here on Maui, the island of Maui, at Ai Pono Maui, which is our residential treatment center. I wanted to share with you a really inspiring talk that we had today in our group. I talk a lot about a type of communication,...
Understanding How Important the Sense of Belonging Really Is
Hello, Dr. Anita Johnston again. And I’m here on the Big Island of Hawaii. And what is behind me that you can’t see (because the fog is rolling in) is Kamalala. I am at the site of our new intensive outpatient program for ‘Ai Pono that we’re getting ready to...
Using Your Imagination as Part of the Recovery Process
Here’s a part of a talk that I gave in Kamuela on the Big Island of Hawaii for the launching of our new treatment program, ‘Ai Pono Kamuela. I thought you might enjoy it. Using Your Imagination as Part of the Recovery Process When somebody can get an understanding of...
Eating Disorders Fate or Destiny?
There’s a saying that says, don’t get stuck looking at the finger pointing to the moon. Keep your gaze going. Look at the moon. I love dogs. But dogs don’t typically understand symbolic language. So they’ll look at the finger. Is there a treat? What’s on that finger?...
The difference between belonging and fitting in.
Here’s part of a talk I gave on the Big Island of Hawaii for the opening of our new ‘Ai Pono treatment program in Kamuela. I hope you enjoy it. When I first started working with eating disorders, in 1982 in Honolulu, I was supervising a psychology intern who was doing...
When no one can understand
Here's part of a talk I gave on the Big Island of Hawaii for the opening of our new Ai Pono treatment program in Kamuela. I hope you enjoy it. "Invisible Forces" When no one can understand your eating disorder. There was once this man, who had black and white cattle....
Finding Meaning within the Eating Disorder
Here's part of a talk I gave on the Big Island of Hawaii for the opening of our new Ai Pono treatment program in Kamuela. I hope you enjoy it. "Finding Meaning within the Eating Disorder" What I’ve come to really understand about eating disorders is that there’s such...
Both the Masculine and Feminine Principles are Important for Healing
"> Aloha. This is Dr. Anita Johnston. And I am down at the beach in front of the ‘Ai Pono Maui eating disorder treatment facility. And right behind me is the Io Valley. And for the ancient Hawaiians this was a very, very, very sacred place. And when we did our...
How do you express your truth?
Hello, I’m Dr. Anita Johnston. And I am here in Hawaii listening to the bird song of the morning. It’s one of the most spectacular things -- to listen to these birds singing and singing and singing. It reminds me about the story about the Nightingale. There was once...
Thoughts Are Like Clouds
I am here at Kalua Beach in Hawaii. And I’ve been sitting here, listening to the waves and watching the people and the dogs strolling down the beach. And watching the clouds as they float on by. I’ve also been watching my own inner landscape, noticing how much...
Learn your hunger and satiety signals
Hello. Dr. Anita Johnston here. I am on Maui at the Black Sand Beach in front of ‘Ai Pono Maui, my residential treatment facility in Hawaii. I wanted to talk to you a little bit about the reef. Here in Hawaii, the eel lives in a hole in the reef in the ocean. And the...
The gifts that we are meant to bring to the world
Hello. Dr. Anita Johnston here, and I’m getting ready to plant some seeds in my edible flower garden. I’m not exactly sure why it is that I’ve been fascinated by edible flowers but I have been ever since I was a little girl. I think maybe it’s the idea that it’s a...
Ancient Wisdom meets Modern Neuroscience
Hello. Dr. Anita Johnston here. And I am at the MEDA conference. Which stands for Multi Service Eating Disorder Association. I am in Boston, Massachusetts for the conference. I gave a talk here entitled Ancient Wisdom meets Modern Neuroscience and I want to share a...
Feeling, observing, and experiencing waves of emotion
I’m in Hawaii, and I've been here this morning just sitting with the ocean and watching the waves and really thinking about how much we are like the ocean. How much our emotions are like the ocean and how we have these waves that come, peak, and pass. And they come in...
The road to recovery is full of twist and turns. . .
I am in Texas at a lovely place called the Sheltering Tree, which is a counselling center that is run and owned by my friend and colleague, Cathy Woodward. In the back yard of the Sheltering Tree is a fantastic Labyrinth. The Labyrinth is something that is near and...