Here on this good Tuesday I wanted to send out a note about the Kick Sugar Summit, a free online event that has been going on this week, from October 12 through October 19.
Starting today, October 19, at 7 am PT/10 am ET, you can listen to all the talks from the summit for the next 24 hours.
If you haven’t yet had a chance to listen, and there’s a particular talk you want to listen to, you have an opportunity to do so. (When my plate is full, I know I can miss the date when an online event is ending.)
You can listen to the talks here.
Making friends with our vulnerability
When I was invited to be a part of this year’s summit, I joined because I know how much pain sugar can cause in our lives – whether we self soothe with sugar, are addicted to sugar, binge on sugar, or try to abstain from sugar.
Our sugar habits, coping strategies, and the drive for sugar itself can fill us with wells of shame and alarm. So this in an area of our lives that asks for even deeper wells of compassion, understanding, and support.
Like other uncomfortable aspects of our lives, sugar asks us, over and over, to soften our fight and to make friends with it.
The adaptive process – how we unhook from painful habits
During my interview, I had a powerful, gentle and healing conversation with Florence, the co-founder, about the emotional and relational needs that live underneath our sugar seeking, the emotional process of unhooking from sugar, and how we can come into a different kind of relationship with limits, what I call ‘the form of love that is no.’
We also talked about the adaptive process: how we prune out what isn’t working and the crucial emotions that help us stop compulsive eating.
I was taught the adaptive process by my beloved mentor, Dr. Gordon Neufeld and my dear friend Maureen, and learning about this process has been a great help in my life.
I’m really glad to share it!
For those of you who’ve taken the Emerge: Create a New Habit or When Food is Your Mother class, the interview may be a refresher. For those of you who haven’t taken a class with me, this interview will give you a basic understanding of this process so you can support yourself in making changes with sugar and food.
We also talked about my own journey with sugar and several eating disorders and why cravings are a cry for help.
You can register for the summit here.
(** Kindly note that this is an affiliate link – I may receive some minor affiliate revenue from this link if you purchase an upgrade of the summit. However, I’m not counting on that revenue and am not sharing the summit for that reason. If you prefer a non-affiliate link, you can use this link here.)
The summit is focused on the science of sugar, so if that’s your cup of tea, you might find some helpful resources.
Here are some other people on the summit that may interest you:
- Dr. Julia Ross, who does excellent work with nutritional therapy
- sugar researchers Dr. Robert Lustig and Dr. Nicole Avena
- science writer Gary Taubes
- Susan Peirce Thompson, the founder of Bright Line Eating
- and Body Ecology founder Donna Gates
I hope that this summit offers good medicine for you – starting with a bodily knowing that you’re not alone.
I have written a poem about my relationship with food but I’m too shy do share it with any of my friends or family…
There for me
You are there for me
night and day, at any time
warm or cold
with my tea
abundant, mine
and savoury
sweet and salty all at once
delicious, rich and heavenly
Love me
Hold me
Don’t let go
Until I tell you to do so
Feed me
Fill me
Leave no room
For rage and horror
Be my womb
Cheer for me
And weep for me
Agree with me
And sit with me
Go away when I am done
Talk to me
Be kind to me
Make me feel that we are one
That’s how we spent my childhood years
I love you, need you, miss you so
Through anger, grief and constant fear
And sadness only you will know
I wish I could
Be with you still
Through night and day
Have fun and play
Have more of you
And more until
I feel you kissed my pain away
I thank you for your company
Your kind and patient time for me
I’ll keep you dear within my heart
And hope that what you used to be
Can now become a different part
A healing one that helps me learn
To give the comfort that I yearn
And opens doors to peace without
The slightest shadow of a doubt
That nothing is as strong as what
I always knew but once forgot
Dear Emily,
What a beautiful and poignant poem – thank you for sharing your beautiful words! I could relate to many of the feelings that you shared, and your yearning at the end is so moving:
I thank you for your company
Your kind and patient time for me
I’ll keep you dear within my heart
And hope that what you used to be
Can now become a different part
A healing one that helps me learn
To give the comfort that I yearn
And opens doors to peace without
The slightest shadow of a doubt
That nothing is as strong as what
I always knew but once forgot
I’m speechless! I imagine there are so many people who will receive healing and companionship from your poem. May I share your poem with others?
I think so… my inner critic is screaming right now unfortunately but I agree that it has something very tender to it. So … yes ok
Hello Emily, if you feel hesitant, please know that you can sit with your heart until you feel comfortable with your decision. Sometimes I say yes because I want to help, but I’m really not ready yet. No is okay! 🙂
No, it’s fine, I’d be honoured for you to share it with others! The reason I posted it only here (for now) is because I know people understand the emotional and vulnerable relationship with food. Something I would absolutely love is for you to send me a video clip reading the poem! Your speaking voice is amazing and you’re native English too (I am not). But it’s just a thought, I understand of course if that’s too much trouble. We spoke on Skype for a session before, I don’t know if you remember, I think it was back in 2018. Love, Emily