After many years eating more than we needed and feeling bad our bodies, we knew something had to change.  We were tired of ‘eat less and move more’.  We were tired of giving up our power and personal authority to follow the latest regime or plan.  We were tired of our mood fluctuating as much as our weight did.  The mainstream approach, of simply trying to stick to a diet and do more exercise, never made any lasting difference to our shared tendency to overeat.  We just couldn’t seem to let go of using food as a sedative, a pleasurable escape from life, as a way to process our more difficult feelings.  At her lowest point, Emily spent months adhering to an extremely rigid and restrictive food addiction programme, such was her desperation to rid herself of her struggles with bulimia.

In the search for answers, Emily and Jan synthesised a whole host of scientific and spiritual wisdom.  We read voraciously and went on all kinds of courses, workshops, and retreats both in the UK and abroad.  We studied areas as diverse as nutritional science, neuroplasticity, Buddhism, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, Scaravelli-inspired yoga, somatic meditation, and plant-based cooking. 

Our food and body issues began to unravel as we practised what we had learned.  It was like trying to do a puzzle without seeing the bigger picture.  Learning about how addiction takes root in the brain: one piece of the puzzle.  The power of neuroplasticity and how we re-wire our brains with practice: another piece.  The power of compassionate curiosity and loving kindness: yet another.  What ‘food-like substances’ (a term coined by Michael Pollen to describe the processed food we encounter as part of a normal Western diet) do to our minds and bodies: another piece.  The insidious nature of fat phobia in our culture and our own minds: a big piece!  And on and on it went.  

We finally let go of trying to control our eating and our bodies.  Instead, we used our present-moment attention (noticing) to bring awareness to our thoughts, feelings and behaviours.  Armed with the understanding that our brains could indeed change, we applied the principles of neuroplasticity to let go of old, automatic habits that had previously run the show.  We started to interrupt unhelpful trains of thought.  We breathed and felt our bodies in ways we had never done before.  We dropped the judgement about where we thought we should be and got intimately acquainted with how things really are.  

We shared our insights with each other and began to see universal patterns and principles emerging from our explorations.  These universal principles are now known as The Process, which we wrote together.  We’ve found that these principles can be applied to any issue you wish to change.  Maybe, like us, you eat more than you need and you suffer from ‘bad body’ thoughts.  Or maybe you use other strategies to cope.  The Process is a map you can take with you on any journey of growth and change. 

It is our deepest desire and wish that this map serves you as you learn to eat what you need, feel what you feel and enjoy the body you have, now.

Hundreds of people have now worked through The Process with us in our groups, courses and 121 mentoring sessions. We know it changes people’s lives.  It has changed our lives and our relationships beyond measure.