Sonera Jhaveri provides various Psychodynamic Therapy & counselling services which includes Transpersonal Psychotherapy, Mindfulness Meditation, Yoga Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Biofeedback and Art Therapy etc.

1. MindfulnessandEating
ConsciousEating:Re-evaluatingourresponsestofood
The contextof foodin our lives
As the festive seasonculminatesinthe onsetof the New Year, we mightinvariablyfindourselves
ritualizingthesetransitionsandcelebrationswithfoodandwine.Foodisanecessityforourlife and
eatingisa quintessentiallyprimal activitywhose rootslie deepinourevolutionarypast.The
ingestionanddigestionof foodisanonnegotiable activitythatisintimatelyweavedintothe very
rhythmsof our dailylivesandisan importantarenaof gratificationwhere we relateandbondwith
others.
Foodhas beenarticulatedasa life givingforce innumeroustraditions,fromAyurveda,Chinese
Medicine tocoeval nutritional science.Moreover,asignificantnumberof the world’sculturesand
religionshave sacaralisedthe actof mindfulnessandeatingdisorders.Fromabiological perspective,

2. our bodiesneedthe righttype of foodtofunctionproperlyasdiseasesandcompromisedhealth
conditionshave beenscientificallylinkedwithmalnutrition. Furthermore,individualssufferingfrom
diabetes,cholesterol,heartdisease,obesity,neuro-endocrinologicaldisorders,digestiveissues,
cancer, kidneyandliverdisease all needregulateddiets.Insuchcircumstances,payingattentionto
the act of eatinginvariablystartstakingonmore importance than simplyfillingone’sstomachwith
tasty bitesandiscentral to our healthandwell being.
Hunger:the drive to eat
Gettingto knowoursubjective senseof hungerthenbecomesanimportantpartinconsciously
eating.Understandinghowwe eat,whenwe eat andwhywe eatis necessarytocorrect our
unstable relationshiptofood.Conventionally, EatingDisordersTreatment,hungerisunderstoodasa
physiological drive,whichunderscoresanorganicvoidordepletionwithinussignaledbyafall in
bloodsugaror a rumble inthe stomach,indicatingthatthe bodyisinneedof nutrition.Yet,ina
deepersense hungerisanexistential state thatdrivesone consciouslyandunconsciouslytowantto
eat foodandfunctionsonmultiple levelsfrombiological toemotionaltospiritual.
Today,satisfyingthe polysemicphenomenonof hunger, AngerManagementCounseling,inurban
metropolitanareashasbecome increasinglyeasierdue tothe 24/7 accessibilitywe have tofood.
Overappreciatingthe value of the instantgratificationgoodfoodprovidesus,ourpost-modern
psyche hasimbuedfoodwitharelevance thatgoesbeyondphysiological survival,makingitfooda
principle source of pleasureandcomfortWe eat sugary,fatty,friedandsaltyfoodsnotto fill our
stomachsonlybut to helpusdeal withstressandassuage otherdisturbingemotionssuchas
depression,loneliness,boredom, anxietyandanger.
MindlessMunching
The experienceof stressandthe needtode-stressissubliminallyplayedoutendlesslyinmultiple
distress- gratificationscyclesthatseektobalance outan over-activatednervoussystem, but
invariablyendsupdistortingthe natural hungerof the bodyto a mechanical,unconsciousand
insatiable deprivationthathijacksthe physical responsetofood.Ona more rudimentarylevel,we
“feel bad”so we eatfoodto “feel good.”
Eating, as the pursuitof comfort,ina fastpaced, hyperstimulatedandhighlypressuredepoch,
becomesacopingmechanismtoface the numerousdemandsmade onusona dailybasis.
Behaviorallythisismore commonthannot.Have youeverysat infrontthe TV or in the cinemawith
a tub of popcornor some othersnack andhave ploughedthroughthe whole thinginthe course of
the film?Orbeenat a cocktail party sippingadrinkand chattingwitha friendwhile devouringbowls
of nutsand chips?Or polishedoff awhole barof chocolate while sittingfrontof yourcomputer
screentryingto make our workdeadlines?Insuchinstanceswe are notrealizinghow fastorhow
much we are eating.Thisiscalledmindlessmunchingorthe act of grindingdownedibleswitha
mindcontemplatingeverythingbutthe foodone iseating.

3. ConsciousEating
An antidote tothiswouldbe tomindfullyobserveandunderstandourexperience of hungerandby
that tokenourrelationshiptofood.Bybeing“mindful,”one paysnonjudgmental attentiontothe
momentswhenandwhyone wantsto eat,the foodone eats andthe act of one’seating.Bybeing
focusedonhowwe feedourselveswe canaida more sophisticatedself awarenessof ourselvesand
our subliminaldesiresanddrivesthatmotivate ustoeatas well enable abalancedrelationship to
foodand bodysize.The reasonswhywe overeat,starve,grow fat, become skinnyorona more
severe note become anorexic,bulimicorobese have alotto do withhow we are psycho-emotionally
processingoursense of self andthe stresseswe encounter.Hence itisveryimperative topay
attentiontothe emotional statesbehindone’seatinghabitsandworkingwiththemif theyare
disturbed.
For those of us seekingmeaningful andhealthywaysof being-in-the-world,ourrelationshiptofood,
(equivalently) alongwithotherquotientsof well being,suchasspiritual practice,psychological
growth,exercise,timespentinnature,nurturingrelationships,andaestheticappreciation,toname
a few,isof paramountimportance.Below are some guidelinestohelprestore ustoconsciously
eating:
1) Before eatingdoa baseline self- checkonyourhungerlevel before eating.Askyourself where
do youfeel the hunger?Howhungryare you?
2) Involve all yoursenseswhenyoueati.e.reallysee,smell,taste andfeel the foodyouare eating
3) Serve yourself moderate helpingsof food
4) Reallychewyourfoodandbreakit down
5) Eat in a slowfashiontopreventovereating
6) Don’tskipmeals
7) Avoidall distractionswhenyouare eating
8) Eat an organic plantbaseddietasmuch as possible foryoursandthe planet’shealth
9) Therapeuticallyworkwithyourself orwithamental healthprofessional toreduce yourstress,
depression,anxiety,angerandboredomlevels

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