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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...
What are you doing to stay afloat in strong emotional currents?
As I was spending time down at the river, it made me think of one of my favorite metaphors. Imagine, imagine you’re on the banks of a raging river. It’s pouring down rain, and you slip and you fall in, and you’re drowning. You are getting pulled down through the...
Are you blocking things you shouldn’t?
Are you blocking things you shouldn’t? Its springtime and it’s snowing – here in Denver, Colorado. When I first saw the snow, I thought, oh no, it’s going to knock all the beautiful blossoms off the apple tree! -- and it very well might. But I started thinking…. How...
Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast
Hello everybody, Join me in this discussion with Dr. Janean Anderson on The Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast about finding meaning in the struggle with eating difficulties and finding joy in the recovery process. This podcast was done in two parts so listen to Part 1...
SPIES: A Balanced Lifestyle
Years ago, I learned about the SPIES approach to a balanced lifestyle. SPIES is the science and art of shifting your lifestyle toward a state of optimal health as defined by a balance of Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Social health. I...
The Lure of the Red Herring
Recovery from eating struggles is not unlike a who-done-it mystery. Imagine you are watching a play and the question arises: Who killed the Old Lady? Was it the Maid? The Butler? Or the Chauffer? Now at first glance, you notice the Maid. She stands out immediately...
SoulStories – Ungali
Welcome to SoulStories from the Light of the Moon Café. In this video blog I tell a story that describes the journey towards recovery from struggles with food and eating -- and what it takes to keep from losing our way whenever obstacles present themselves....
Lopsided Lobsters
In Hawaii, the eel lives in a hole in the reef in the ocean. The lobster often makes its home at the mouth of this hole. This is a great arrangement for the eel - since it has a lobster at its doorstep with an antenna pointed outward, watching for predators. It’s a...
Reef Walking
One of my favorite memories from my childhood growing up on the island of Guam was reef walking with my mother, siblings, and assorted friends. Guam is surrounded by a coral reef that is quite a distance from shore. The water is usually shallow from the shoreline all...
Reef Walking
One of my favorite memories from my childhood growing up on the island of Guam was reef walking with my mother, siblings, and assorted friends. Guam is surrounded by a coral reef that is quite a distance from shore. The water is usually shallow from the shoreline all...
Wine, Roses & Eating Difficulties
On a trip to New Zealand, I was touring the wine country, and the tour guide pointed out the rose bushes planted at the ends of the rows of grape vines. My initial thought was, “What a lovely idea,” and I asked if they planted white roses for white wine grapes and red...