Interview with Kate Daigle

Kate Daigle is an Eating Disorder Recovery Therapist in the Denver, CO area.

She has had her practice up and running for 6 years. She focuses on Attachment Theory, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Narrative Therapy and Body-Center/Somatic Techniques. Check out her website here for more information   

 

Q. Why did you go into this field? 

A. To help others find lasting recovery from disordered eating and body image issues as I have.  I am inspired to support people find a peaceful relationship with food, their bodies and themselves and develop healthy coping mechanisms for life’s challenges.

Q. What are you finding interesting right now? 

A. I’m not quite sure the direction you’re going after with this question as it’s pretty broad.  Right now I’m focusing in on my inner niche of supporting pregnant and new moms who struggle with body image/disordered eating and help to normalize and guide them through the experience of new parenthood.

Q. Who do you serve?

A. I serve women and men who are highly motivated, successful and inspired people who struggle with anxiety and body image issues as a way of trying to cope.  I help them find a balanced approach to definition what truly matters to them and getting it all done while enjoying their lives.

Q. Where are you headed, what are you working on?

A. I’m increasing my speaking presentations for the fall and winter, and focusing in on bringing support to new moms who struggle with anxiety and body image.  I plan to offer presentations to local pregnancy and birth centers and also focus on writing a book on this topic.

Q. If every client was reading this right now, what would you want them to know? 

A. That lasting peace with your body, food, and yourself is possible.

New Blog Series

In the upcoming weeks I plan to post interviews that I have with fellow therapist and professionals about who they are, where they want to go, and what they'd like to help people with. 

This an opportunity for both myself and the readers of the blog. For you, it lets you be aware of other professionals that are interested in helping, with changing their corner of the world, that believe in the therapeutic process to be healing. For myself, it helps me to expand my horizons, leave my comfort zone of my little corner and embrace the community.  

I hope this series is helpful and empowering, if you have an idea of what you'd like to see me do next with my blog, please feel free to leave comments below!

Thoughts in Recovery

I haven't shared 100% with the readers of this blog about my own struggles. For about 12 years on a daily basis I struggled with the feelings of "I'm not worth it", "I don't deserve love", "I'm gross", "I must be perfect", "I hate myself and my body", "I'm not good enough", to name a few.

Today's struggles aren't so deeply engrained and they still have power. I experienced an emotionally difficult day yesterday. It all started with this feeling of not being "where I want to be", and then escalated when I saw a cute picture of a friend on Facebook. My immediate thought was "F**K!, I'm disgusting compared to her, she looks so fit and cute in that picture. If only I could..... I would be..... I should....." The cycle of negative thoughts continued for the next few hours. They began to get darker, and my emotions continued to escalate.

I utilized some of my coping skills such as taking a walk, attempting positive affirmations, and talking about it. They did seem to help overtime, but they were not an immediate fix. I sat in those emotions and thoughts, trying my very bets to hold on to my recovery. Sometimes I think the fear of falling back into my old behaviors is just as strong as the feelings of being in the behavior.

When someone gives me a suggestion, I shoot it down, I avoid their advice because I think to myself, if I try to do something different than what led me into recovery I am opening myself up to relapse. Then with further reflection, perhaps its just my fear of change, my fear of I could "loose control", and I feel like I have control in my recovery.... Wait, did I just think that? Isn't letting go of control a part of healing?

Just being there in that thought reminds me once again, that RECOVERY isn't an accomplishment, its a life long practice.

So with that said, last night I went to bed that night reminding myself that I am doing the best I can, and that there is more power in being creative than in being "perfect".