Anita Johnston, Ph.D, CEDS-C

Presentation Title (Keynote):

“The Healing Power of Story & Metaphor in Treating Eating Disorders”

Presentation Overview:

For eons, ancient traditions in cultures across the world have used metaphor in storytelling and parables for teaching and healing. Only recently, however, has modern science developed technology that gives us a glimpse into brain functioning, allowing us to see how these processes work.

Many individuals struggling with eating disorders perceive their struggles with eating as unrelated to other aspects of their lives. Metaphor can be a useful tool to help them find important connections necessary for recovery. The healing power of metaphor lies in its ability to provide us with images that can transform our perception of seemingly meaningless patterns of thought and behavior into an awareness that these patterns hold and can reveal deeper truths.

This presentation includes recent studies that explain the neuroscience behind the efficacy of metaphor and storytelling in helping clients develop insight that can be used for recovery. In this presentation neuroscience research will be combined with ancient parables,

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will be able to explain how storytelling can be used as a tool for revealing the adaptive function of disordered eating behavior
Attendees will be able to explain how metaphor functions as a change agent
Attendees will be able to describe how modern neuroscience supports the use of traditional storytelling

Speaker Biography:

Anita Johnston, Ph.D., CEDS-C is a Clinical Psychologist and author of Eating in the Light of the Moon which has been published in seven languages. A pioneer in the field of eating psychology for over thirty-five years, she is currently the Founder and Executive Clinical Director of Ai Pono Hawaii Residential Eating Disorder Treatment Center on Maui. She is the co-creator of the online Light of the Moon Café with interactive and self-study courses for women around the world and is best known for using metaphor and storytelling to explain the complex issues that underlie eating and body image struggles.