A therapist and best-selling author is leading a course to encourage people to make peace with food and eat more healthily.
Carolyn Taylor, who has personal experience of turning to food for comfort following a divorce, will lead ‘Intuitive Eating – Make Peace with Food’ at the Folk House in Bristol.
Carolyn had personally endured an endless cycle of binge eating and yo-yo dieting – trying numerous diets without success.
Mindset
But after years of emotional eating, she came to realise she did not need to find the right diet – but rather the right mindset.
Carolyn said: “I was constantly on a diet, losing then gaining weight, and in reality it was a cry for help. It had spiralled out of control and I felt helpless.”
Carolyn suffered a near breakdown following the end of her marriage and quit her university course studying botany and genetics.
She said: “I was devastated. I turned to food to fill an empty space and find some comfort.”
The author of Perfect Positive Thinking and various wellbeing books turned to hypnotherapy in desperation.
She said: “I thought it might help me relax. But it helped me in so many ways and I decided I wanted to train in this field.”
Carolyn has been a hypnotherapist and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner for over two decades. NLP involves a set of techniques to develop the way people work on a personal level.
She specialises in helping people with unhelpful eating habits and eating disorders – and is encouraging others to ditch diets and enjoy food in a healthy way.
Rediscover pleasure in eating
The course is designed to support people who struggle with food – from sugar addicts to calorie counters, to sugar addicts to comfort eaters.
She said: “In this course you’ll learn about the key things that are driving your discomfort and causing your food stress.
“You’ll understand that you are not lacking willpower or self-control. But discover instead
how to stop falling victim to urges and cravings and reconnect with your natural instincts for eating healthily and with pleasure.”
Listening skills
Carolyn discovered her skills for listening and calming people while working with the charity, Victim Support, which helps victims of crime and traumatic incidents.
She studied counselling at nights and weekends, then found work with the government’s Department of Employment and Learning – helping with career confidence and planning.
And then she qualified in clinical hypnotherapy after discovering first-hand its ability to help motivate and enable people to develop their full potential.
Masking pain
Carolyn found there was an influx of people needing help post lockdown. While they came for a range of issues, she found most experienced emotional overeating.
Some resorted to eating in secrecy as they feared judgement, which in turn impacted on their personal and professional relationships.
Others turned to food for comfort after a life change, such as divorce, menopause or loss.
She said: “Many believed they were weak-willed because they had tried and failed to lose weight. They were thinking about food 90 per cent of the time.
“Over-eating often masks pain and usually starts in childhood. It can be caused by good intentions, such as offering chocolate after an upset- inducing feelings of safety and love.
“If we can deal with the deep-seated issue, while showing you have the resources you need, then change is possible.”
Natural instincts
Carolyn, whose interest in nutrition was piqued while learning about the agricultural industry and genetic engineering during her studies, believes we have natural instincts around food.
She said: “Eating is one of life’s pleasures. We are born knowing when we’re hungry and when we’re full. If we reconnect with our natural instincts, we know how and when to eat.
“We are not talking about a quick fix to fit into an outfit for an occasion. We’re talking about making lasting changes around our mindset – then losing weight slowly and naturally.”
