Working with eating disorder clients

Ways to help teens with eating disorders, self-harming, addictions and depression

I attended one of the ANLP (Association of Neuro Linguistic Programming) webinars yesterday and there was one idea that popped out for me. It was the Glimmer Album.

Sophie Baker, a recovering Eating Disorder sufferer was telling us what had helped her. I felt these ideas would also apply to other teens with addictions, depression, self harming and other issues that made getting through each day, a struggle.

Photo by Anna Keibalo on Unsplash

Grounding chair

Create a safe space in your room perhaps, but it could be anywhere, even outside, somewhere you make special, maybe with a special rug or blanket, a crystal, a favourite jumper, a cushion. Then breathe. Breathe in for 4 and out for 4 for few breaths and then move to an in for 4 and out for 6 breath pattern.

You can add a colour. What would be your ‘healing’ colour? Breathe that colour in and take it through your body, down to your feet on the ground, imagine it going down to the centre of the earth and then draw it back through your body into your heart.

With your healing colour in your heart, imagine now sending it down your timeline to younger version of yourself: your child self, toddler, baby. Imagine breathing that healing colour onto each younger version of you who may have needed it.