Intuitive Eating Therapy in Lynnwood, WA
Are you exhausted from constantly thinking about food? Tired of following every diet rule, only to feel guilty when you "mess up"? Are you stuck in the cycle of trying to “be good” all week long, only to “fall off the wagon” on the weekend, waking up Monday morning promising yourself that this week will be different?” This is the most common pattern of eating that I see- this on again off again that is fueled by guilt, shame, and embarrassment. As a therapist specializing in intuitive eating therapy in Lynnwood, WA, I understand what it's like to be disconnected from your body's wisdom while trying to control everything through food rules.
If you're ready to break free from the diet cycle and develop a healthier relationship with food, intuitive eating therapy might be exactly what you need. Let me help you reconnect with your body's natural hunger and fullness cues while addressing the deeper emotional patterns that keep you trapped.
What is Intuitive Eating Therapy?
Intuitive eating therapy goes far beyond simple advice like "eat when hungry, stop when full." For women who've spent years ignoring their physical hunger cues, using food for emotional reasons, or maintaining control through restrictive eating patterns, learning to practice intuitive eating requires professional support and guidance.
The intuitive eating approach focuses on internal cues rather than external diet rules, helping you reconnect with your body's natural satiety cues and develop trust in your own wisdom. This isn't another diet program – it's a therapeutic process that addresses both your relationship with food and the underlying factors that created disconnection from your body in the first place.
In my practice, I've adapted traditional intuitive eating principles to specifically support sensitive, over-functioning women who are tired of people-pleasing and ready to honor their authentic needs. When you practice intuitive eating consistently with therapeutic support, you begin to trust your own body again and develop a positive relationship with food based on self-care rather than self-control.
How Intuitive Eating Therapy Supports Recovery from Disordered Eating
Many women don't recognize their relationship with food as problematic because their patterns look socially acceptable. However, if you're constantly thinking about food choices, feeling guilty about eating, or using food rules to manage anxiety, you may be struggling with disordered eating patterns that significantly impact your mental health and well-being.
Supporting Eating Disorder Recovery
For women dealing with binge eating episodes, restrictive eating patterns, or other disordered eating behaviors, this approach offers a path toward disorder recovery that doesn't involve more rules or restrictions. Instead, we focus on rebuilding trust with your body and addressing the emotional factors that contribute to these patterns.
Healing Body Image Concerns
Body image issues often fuel the diet cycle and keep women trapped in patterns of restriction and shame. In our work together, we'll explore how these concerns developed and how they're impacting your relationship with food and yourself. The goal isn't to love your body unconditionally overnight, but to develop a neutral, respectful relationship that supports your overall well-being.
Building Self-Esteem Beyond Appearance
True self-esteem can't be built on external factors like body size or your ability to follow food rules. Through this therapeutic process, you'll learn to value yourself for who you are, not what you look like or how "good" you've been with your eating.
My Approach to Intuitive Eating Therapy
I'm not going to sit across from you asking "How does that make you feel?" every five minutes. I'm engaged, present, and real in my sessions. This work is my calling, and I take it as seriously as I take being a mother to my own children.
The Core Principles of Intuitive Eating (Real Talk Version)
Reject the Diet Mentality
This means questioning the voice in your head that says you need to earn your food or that your worth depends on your ability to restrict. For over-functioning women, this principle often brings up grief for all the energy wasted trying to be perfect. The diet mentality keeps you trapped, but intuitive eating offers a different path forward.
Honor Your Physical Hunger
Your internal hunger doesn't operate on a schedule that fits your over-packed life. Learning to respond to your body's hunger signals means learning to honor your needs in general – something revolutionary for women who've spent years putting everyone else first.
Make Peace with Food
This means giving yourself unconditional permission to eat foods you want without guilt. For women who've used restriction as control, this feels terrifying. But when you truly believe you can have any food whenever you want, those "forbidden" foods lose their power over you.
Challenge the Food Police
That critical voice telling you you're "bad" for certain food choices isn't your intuition – it's internalized diet culture. I'll help you distinguish between your authentic voice and the critic that's been shaped by years of external messaging.
Discover the Satisfaction Factor
Food is meant to be enjoyable, and the satisfaction factor is crucial for sustainable eating patterns. If your meals don't satisfy you physically and emotionally, you'll keep searching for satisfaction elsewhere.
Honor Your Feelings Without Using Food
Emotional eating isn't the enemy – it's information about your emotional cues and needs. When you eat for emotional reasons, we'll explore what you were feeling and what you actually needed, expanding your toolkit beyond food.
Understanding Different Types of Hunger and Eating Concerns
Learning to eat intuitively requires understanding that there are different types of hunger. Physical hunger is your body's biological signal for fuel, while emotional hunger signals a need for comfort, connection, or coping.
Many women I work with have been disconnected from their physical hunger cues for so long that they don't recognize what hunger feels like in their bodies. Some experience hunger as stomach growling, others as low energy or difficulty concentrating. Learning your unique hunger signals is essential for the intuitive eating journey.
Various eating concerns might arise as you begin this process. You might worry about eating too much, not eating enough, or making the "wrong" choices. These concerns are normal, especially after years of following external food rules. The key is approaching these concerns with curiosity rather than judgment.
The Role of Mindful Eating in Your Healing
Mindful eating naturally complements intuitive eating by emphasizing presence and awareness during your eating experience. When you practice mindful eating, you're more likely to notice your body's hunger and satiety cues, which supports your ability to eat intuitively.
In my practice, I encourage clients to experiment with mindful eating as a way to reconnect with their eating experience. This might mean eating one meal daily without distractions, paying attention to taste and texture, or simply pausing before eating to check your hunger level.
Mindful eating also helps distinguish between physical and emotional hunger. When you're present during meals, you're more likely to notice whether you're eating because your body needs fuel or because you're seeking comfort or distraction.
Therapeutic Modalities I Use
My approach to intuitive eating therapy draws from several evidence-based modalities:
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ACT helps you develop psychological flexibility – the ability to stay present with difficult thoughts and feelings without being controlled by them. In eating contexts, this means noticing food-related anxiety or guilt without automatically responding through restriction or emotional eating.
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This approach trusts that you have the wisdom for healing within yourself. My role is creating a safe, non-judgmental space where you can explore your relationship with food and discover what works for you. I'm not here to tell you what to eat – I'm here to help you reconnect with your own knowing.
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Sometimes our relationship with food connects to trauma or difficult experiences stored in the body. Brainspotting helps access and process these experiences gently, which can be particularly helpful for emotional eating patterns or food-related anxiety.
I also facilitate binge eating group therapy, women's group therapy, and a 12-Week Health program, providing additional support and community for your healing journey.
What to Expect When Working with Me
I offer a free consultation where we'll discuss your relationship with food and therapy goals. This gives us both a chance to see if we're a good fit – I'm not the right therapist for everyone, and I'd rather know that upfront.
My intake process is comprehensive because I want to understand not just your eating patterns, but the broader context of your life. We'll explore your history with food and dieting, current stressors, relationships, and therapy goals. This helps me understand how your relationship with food fits into your overall experience and mental health.
I work with clients consistently, typically seeing people weekly at the same time. This consistency is important for building trust and creating safety needed to explore vulnerable topics. I schedule in three-month blocks rather than session by session, supporting both of us in committing to the process.
Depending on what feels helpful, I might suggest exercises to try between sessions. This could include keeping a hunger and fullness journal, practicing eating without distractions, or trying foods you've been avoiding. These exercises support your intuitive eating journey and help you practice new skills.
What I Don't Offer: I'm not available for crisis support, and I don't work with clients needing intensive medical monitoring. If you're dealing with severe restriction and/or purging behaviors, or other symptoms requiring medical intervention, I'll help you find appropriate resources before we begin working together.
Common Challenges and How We'll Address Them
Fear of Body Changes: Most clients worry that giving themselves permission to eat will lead to out-of-control eating. Sometimes there are physical changes, especially if your body has been in restriction mode. But fear of these changes often keeps you trapped in the restrict-binge cycle. Learning to trust your body includes trusting it knows how to find natural balance.
Social and Family Pressure: When you stop dieting and start eating intuitively, people might have opinions. Diet culture is pervasive, and your refusal to participate can make others uncomfortable. We'll work on setting boundaries around food talk and finding new ways to connect with people who bond over diet culture.
The Non-Linear Process: Intuitive eating isn't neat and tidy. Some days you'll feel connected to your body's signals; other days you'll eat past fullness or restrict without thinking. This isn't failure – it's the normal process of relearning to trust yourself. We learn the most about our food needs through the eating mistakes that we make.
Grief and Anger: As you heal your relationship with food, you might feel angry about time and energy wasted on dieting. You might grieve for your younger self who learned to distrust her needs. These feelings are normal and important parts of the healing process.
Gentle Nutrition: Nourishment Without Rules
Intuitive eating doesn't mean ignoring nutritional knowledge – it means integrating that knowledge flexibly and sustainably rather than rigidly. Gentle nutrition is about adding nourishment to support well-being without falling back into diet mentality.
I approach gentle nutrition from addition rather than restriction. Instead of focusing on what you shouldn't eat, we explore what you can add to feel more energized and satisfied. This might mean adding protein for blood sugar stability or incorporating foods you genuinely enjoy.
The key is that these food choices come from self-care rather than self-control. You're not adding vegetables because you "should" – you're adding them because you notice they help you feel better.
Supporting Your Journey in Lynnwood and Beyond
Living in the Pacific Northwest, we have access to fresh, seasonal foods and outdoor activities that can support an intuitive approach to eating and movement. The culture here tends to be more accepting of different body types and lifestyle choices, which can make this work easier.
I work with clients throughout the greater Seattle area, including Lynwood, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mukilteo, and surrounding communities. Whether you prefer in-person sessions or telehealth appointments, we can find an arrangement that works for your schedule and comfort level.
Ready to Start Your Intuitive Eating Journey?
If you're tired of the mental energy that goes into constantly thinking about food, ready to stop fighting with your body, or simply want to eat a meal without guilt or anxiety, healing your relationship with food is possible.
I currently accept Regence insurance through August 2026 and offer both in-person and telehealth sessions. Contact me today to schedule your free consultation where we'll discuss your goals, eating concerns, and whether working together makes sense.
Remember: you've been the expert on your own body your whole life. You might just need support remembering how to listen to what it's telling you. When you practice intuitive eating consistently with therapeutic support, you're not just changing eating patterns – you're reclaiming your relationship with yourself.
You deserve a peaceful relationship with food and to feel comfortable in your own body. You deserve to trust yourself and have support as you figure out what that looks like. If you're ready to break free from patterns keeping you trapped and discover what authentic feels like, I'm here to walk alongside you.