When it comes to emotional eating, so many of us focus on the habit itself -- the mindless munching on potato chips or the quick relief from a piece of chocolate -- without considering the emotions that drive the behavior in the first place.

In this episode, we explore the true root cause of emotional eating (our emotions) -- and the role of the criminal mind in driving us to engage in this unwanted eating challenge. 

The criminal mind is that part of us that does something in secret out of fear of disapproval or wanting to get away with something we know we shouldn’t be doing. It’s a natural part of the human psyche that’s typically born at a very young age.

As children, when we’re told we can’t have something we really want, we find ourselves in conflict.

We want to be a “good” girl or boy, so we don’t lose our parents’ love for doing something “bad.” But we also still crave the thing -- often food -- that we’re told we can’t have.

This can lead kids to break their parents’ rules and do it anyway -- which is how the criminal mind is born. 

When we continue this unconscious pattern as adults, we can find ourselves in unwanted behaviors that we just can’t seem to break. We may still have a deep desire to be “good,” while also having that same strong childhood urge for forbidden foods.

Here’s the thing: when we try to be “good,” the desire for the forbidden is still there - along with the thrill and rush of breaking our own rules. There’s simply too much temptation for forbidden foods, and we end up going against what we know is best for our well-being.

So in this episode, we look at the role of the criminal archetype in emotional eating, and how our childhood desire to be “good” can derail our best laid plans with food, body, and life.

We also consider some of the ways we can begin to shift the criminal mindset, including:

• The key role of awareness, and how it can help us shift emotional eating
• How “What Else” questions can redirect emotional regulation
• Tuning into our our own unique food story

{Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough, set to release in early 2023! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/}

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Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/ 

Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food.

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