One rainy night, everything I thought I could count on shattered. My car spun out, my body was thrown, and in an instant, I was broken open on the pavement. Here is why diets never worked for me after that: I survived, but I did not feel free.
Survival did not feel like freedom. While my bones healed, I unraveled on the inside. Fear, cravings, and shame became my daily companions. Sugar was the one comfort that never left my side.
I was not eating to fuel myself. I was eating to feel safe.
Friends saw cookies as kindness and brought generous, sweet gifts. My nervous system treated them like medicine. The relief was temporary. The shame lasted. That cycle felt impossible to escape.
Until one day, my mother handed me a faded book on hypnosis and healing. Something inside me stirred.
Why Diets Never Worked for Me: Healing Isn’t About Willpower
The truth no diet tells you: emotional eating is not about food.
It is about safety. It is about trauma stored in your body, looping on repeat, asking to be released. You do not binge because you are weak. You binge because your nervous system is screaming for peace.
Hypnotherapy cracked that open for me. EMDR and NLP added the missing pieces. Together, they gave me a way to process trauma, change the inner script, and finally stop fighting myself.
If you want a clear overview of current research, see this review at the National Library of Medicine: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10807512/. For a primer on EMDR, the EMDR Institute explains the approach here: https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/.
From Pain to Purpose
I discovered something deeper than weight loss: resilience. With every new awareness, I was not just healing my body. I was rewriting the story of who I was. For the first time, food did not control me. Shame did not silence me. My accident no longer defined me.
That journey led me to create what I now call The FREED Method™. If you are curious how I apply it with clients, I outline options at https://www.coacheviesullivan.com/services.
The FREED Method™
Here is the map I use with clients who want lasting change:
- F – Find the Root
- R – Rewire the Pattern
- E – Embody Safety
- E – Expand Identity
- D – Daily Integration
This is not another diet. It is a daily return to yourself.
Your Next Step
If my story resonates, maybe it is because you have been carrying your own shame and desperation around food. You do not have to carry it alone.
Because you deserve peace, not punishment.
When you are ready, you can book a Free Clarity Session here: https://www.coacheviesullivan.com/free-clarity-session.