NLP Disordered Eating and Me

I discovered NLP at the exact time I needed it. I was in the throes of anxiety and depression about my body, getting dressed made me panic, and if I wasn’t on a diet, I felt lost and out of control.
I had rigorously trained for a body building competition, after which I was depleted both physically and emotionally. I had been existing on 900 calories/day and exercising for 3 hours daily. Once I began eating and exercising normally again, I put on some weight. I couldn’t handle it. I became despondent, angry at my body, which I found disgusting, and there were days I felt so fat that I was unable to leave the house.
I saw a woman speaking at a networking event, about NLP and how it works with clients. I knew I needed to work with her. I loved the idea that it was content free – I knew (or thought I knew) what was wrong. I didn’t want to talk about it endlessly – I just wanted to be fixed. And it worked. My coach recommended I take the practitioner certification, as I was a personal trainer at the time, and maybe it would help my clients. I did it, and it changed everything. I knew THIS was what I was meant to do. I continued on to my Master Practitioner in Las Vegas with Drs. Adriana and Tad James. It was incredible , and inspired me to follow my passion – I am now coaching full time.
My specialty and my passion is working with women with disordered eating and body image issues. It’s so exciting to me to find the root cause of the problem, which of course is never the eating disorder, and help my clients get the relief they so desperately need.
I had a client recently who had been struggling for 15 years with starving herself, self-harm and bingeing. She was on a myriad of medications, none of which was helping. She had also developed stomach problems like gastro capricious, constipation and a pain in her jaw. When we uncovered the root cause to be lack of control in her life, and she discovered that the decision to stop eating had been made during some horrible bullying in 7th grade, and that her unconscious mind was creating physical problems that would not allow her to eat, then we could start the healing process. It was so empowering for her to understand that although she had made the decision to stop eating and create anxieties (unconsciously) she now can make the decision to start eating and living her life! When she released negative emotions, as well as the bullying as an event, it was wonderful to see.
So many women struggle in this way, and society puts a band aid on their problem, which doesn’t cure it. Some women I see have been labeled with a “disorder” since they were a young teenager. What a burden to put on a young girl! I want women to know that they don’t have to live like this. They can learn to love their bodies, feel beautiful and whole again, no matter what the “disorder” is. My dream is to help as many people as possible to love themselves again, no matter where they are on their journey to fitness and health.

About the Author: Eleni Kapetanios

Eleni Kapetanios is a personal trainer, nutrition counsellor and Master Practitioner of NLP, Time Line Therapy ® and Hypnosis. She worked in the fitness industry for over 17 years before discovering NLP, and her passion is helping as many women as possible who struggle with disordered eating, body image issues and weight loss. She wants to help women feel beautiful at all stages of their journey into fitness and health.