...Inner Critics...those parts of us who can be hard to show compassion for, to say the least. We all have Inner Critics, and believe it or not, their job is to help us. Sure, how they do that can do some serious damage to our wounded parts, but their intentions are positive.

In this episode, we draw on the expertise of Jay Earley and Bonnie Weiss (Freedom from Your Inner Critic: A Self-Therapy Approach) to discuss the seven types of Inner Critics:

• The Perfectionist

• The Task Master

• The Conformist

• The Controller

• The Underminer

• The Guilt Tripper

• The Destroyer

We then talk about why these parts do what they do and what they're hoping to achieve, as well as what to do about them. Of course, we want to get to know them, but there's a couple more things that can be helpful when dealing with our Inner Critics.

If you've ever heard the voice of an Inner Critic, take a listen!

Where to find me:

kdanielspsyd@gmail.com

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Heal Your Love-Hate Relationship with Food: an Intuitive Eating and Internal Family Systems Workbook

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Fear is one of those things that most of us don't want to think or talk about. It's uncomfortable to acknowledge fear, to ourselves and to others. And yet, I think that fear is behind a lot of why we do what we do.

In this episode, we talk about the fears that our exiles may be carrying and how our protectors use food, restriction, or exercise to manage, soothe, or quiet those fears. For example, I may have a part who fears not being seen as good enough by others and my protector parts may restrict food to try to achieve a "good enough" appearance. Or, I may have a part who fears being abandoned, and my protector parts then turn to food to numb that part out.

Our exiled parts who carry fear are at the heart of so many of our beliefs, feelings, and behaviors, and it's vital that we show them our compassion and our curiosity. If this resonates with you, take a listen!

Where to find me:

kdaniels@drkimdaniels.com

Healing Your Love-Hate Relationship with Food: an Intuitive Eating and Internal Family Systems Workbook

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The Gift of Fear

Are you a perfectionist? Many if not most of us would describe ourselves as such, but what exactly does it mean?

In this episode, we're discussing perfectionism through an IFS lens, specifically in regard to food and body issues. We're focusing on:

• What are perfectionistic parts

• What are the roles of perfectionistic parts

• How these parts tend to show up

• How to approach them

We also focus on the energy behind these parts, and what their goals are (spoiler alert--it's protection and safety).

If you've ever heard yourself say "I need to be perfect!" take a listen!

Where to find me:

drkimdaniels.com

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Heal Your Love-Hate Relationship with Food: an Intuitive Eating and Internal Family Systems Workbook.

Cheat Sheets

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a topic we've never discussed on the podcast, and I think there's a lot of confusion about it. Many people assume that they have body dysmorphia if they have a diagnosed eating disorder, but that's not actually the case. So let's clarify!

On this month's podcast we're covering:

• What Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is

• What it's not

• The diagnostic criteria for BDD

• How the concept of dysmorphia is considered in eating disorders

• BDD through an IFS lens

If you've ever wondered if you have BDD, take a listen!

Where to find me:

drkimdaniels.com

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The new GLP-1 medications are everywhere it seems. You can't go a day without seeing or hearing an ad for one, and there seem to be new ones hitting the market on a regular basis. For many people, these meds are a miracle. If you're someone who's taking them and are finding them beneficial, that's truly wonderful.

But for others, especially those struggling with food and body concerns and those who can't or who choose not to take them, these medications and the emphasis on them can bring up a lot of confusion, grief, anger, and shame.

And that's what we're focusing on in this month's podcast. Since we tend to only see the smiling, happy faces in GLP-1 ads, we're going to focus on what's concerning about the medication. We're discussing:

• What are GLP-1s
• Why these medications aren't appropriate for those struggling with an eating disorder
• What the research says
• The physical and mental health concerns about the medication
• How to make your own decision about them
• Showing your parts and your body compassion

If you've struggled with whether or not to take these meds, if you've tried them and had little success, or if you can't take them but want to, take a listen!

Where to find me:

drkimdaniels.com

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Resources:

Regan Chastain

Aubrey Gordon

Center for Body Trust GLP-1 Course

Very often, when people talk about emotional eating, you hear them say, "It's not about the food!" And while I agree that that's very often the case, the advice that often follows that statement is not particularly helpful. Usually, it's things like "just find something else to do when you want to eat."

But if it's not about the food, then what is it about??

On this week's podcast, we're breaking all of that down and talking about:

• WHY it's not about the food;
• If it's not about the food, then what is it about?
• Why the typical emotional eating advice doesn't help
• Do we need to stop emotional eating?
• What to do instead

If you consider yourself an emotional eater, you'll want to listen to this one!

Where to find me:

drkimdaniels.com

foodandbodyfreedom.substack.com

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Unburdened Bites, Course 2: Helping Your Clients Heal Their Relationship with Food and Their Body

On this week's podcast, we're talking about parts who engage in extreme exercise. And by extreme, I mean parts who:

• are very rigid about exercise (i.e. we must go a certain number of times per week and/or we must exercise for a certain length of time --"no excuses)
• won't take no for an answer when another part--or Self--wants to take a break
• force you to exercise even when you're sick or injured
• are constantly raising fitness goals--nothing is ever good enough
• carry the "no pain, no gain" message that is so prevalent in our culture

Although these parts are, in fact, trying to be helpful, their behavior can obviously lead to physical injury, negative feelings about your body, and an overall level of stress surrounding movement and your body.

Which means they are great parts to get to know!

In this episode, we're focusing on:

• how these parts show up
• the common reasons parts engage in extreme exercise
• who these parts are trying to protect
• how to approach them
• recognizing the fine line between focusing on fitness and taking it to the extreme

If you're someone who's ever wondered if your exercise patterns are little too intense, this episode is for you!

Heal Your Love-Hate Relationship with Food: An Intuitive Eating and Internal Family Systems Workbook

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drkimdaniels.com

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The Heal Your Love-Hate Relationship with Food Workbook is out! And this podcast is, in essence, its companion. In this episode, I walk you through the goals of the workbook and explain how IFS and Intuitive Eating are THE APPROACHES that will help you to truly heal your relationship with food. We discuss each chapter of the workbook, and I flesh out the concepts in ways I wasn't able to in the book (I didn't have enough room!). If you've picked up the book, this episode will provide you with even more of an understanding of what you'll be working toward. And if you're still on the fence, this podcast will give you a good idea if the workbook is for you. Take a listen, and pick up the workbook at your favorite independent bookstore or head here to order!

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drkimdaniels.com

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