Dr. Nicole Hawkins, Ph.D, was the first researcher to look at how the thin ideal in media impacts women with eating disorders and has been working as a Licensed Psychologist at Center for Change for the past 19 years. She designed and leads Center for Change’s Body Image Program and joins us to discuss the power of the thin ideal, the damaging influence of diet mentality and the difficulty to break free when navigating media, social media, and societal pressures of dieting. Nicole wants to assure women struggling today that full recovery is possible.
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What You’ll Learn from my interview with Dr. Nicole Hawkins
- The dangers of dieting and disordered eating
- How intuitive eating can be used to approach eating disorder recovery and break through the diet mentality
- How intuitive exercise and intuitive movement can be components of recovery
- What are some key tenants to a full, lasting recovery
- How to notice triggers from media and social media and learn to move beyond them
Favorite Quote
Fall 7 times, stand up 8.
Favorite Recovery Resource
- Intuitive Eating, Thomas Cash’s Body Image, anything Margo Maine writes – Body Wars: Making Peace with Women’s Bodies: and Activist’s Guide.
Advice to Former Self
I would tell my former self not to care so much about what other people think.
Definition of Recovery according to Dr. Nicole Hawkins
When food no longer controls your life, when your body no longer controls your life. And then, again, you’re living by your values and your principles. And it doesn’t mean that every day will be perfect but you’re not at war with your body or your food anymore and kind of living at a peace. For a long time, I thought recovery meant I have no behaviors, but it was truly coming to this peace of mind that this doesn’t play a role in my life anymore.
For Your Journey
- Center for Change
- Music by JR Patterson at the Voice Collective
- Find professional help through Recovery Warriors Help Finder
- Rise Up + Recover app on Google Play and iTunes
I relapsed into my eating disorder, and during the worst part of my relapse I started listening to your podcast. Words cannot describe how much this podcast has helped me see past the horrible bully living in my head. Usually I listen in my car, and every time I do I sit their shouting YES THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE, because it is so incredibly relatable.
Hello everybody
Unfortunately I missed Dr. Hawkins talk and wanted to ask if there might be a recording of it somewhere?
Best wishes and thank you so much for your support!
Andreaa
Hi Andrea! Thanks for your comment. You can listen to Dr. Hawkin’s interview on this episode of The Recovery Warrior Show on itunes, stitcher, or soundcloud. You can click on the link midway through this article also to access the podcast.