Cooking Up a Cure

As you can imagine, the topic of food comes up a lot in client sessions. Over or under indulgence in food are extremes that many of us use to cope when we are stressed or unhappy. Unfortunately, over time this strategy results in health problems, sometimes life-threatening ones. Although challenging, especially in our “super-size-me culture”, it is important to find balance and peace of mind in our relationship with food.

If you were hoping to read about how to eat for optimal physical and mental health, you can check out my post The Power of the Gut-Brain Connection . There you will find plenty of ways to improve your physical and mental health through food.

Today, I want to share my thoughts about food and mood from a different perspective. It is a cold February Sunday in Connecticut, and I was inspired by the many references made to pork shoulder in an engaging and thought-provoking novel I finished recently, Kitchens of the Great Midwest  (J. Ryan Stradal). I wanted to try pork shoulder because it is especially suited to how I like to cook on Winter Sundays- I get a stew or soup going by mid-day and enjoy the smell and anticipation of the meal to come.

If you are familiar with pork shoulder you know it is NOT a low-fat meat and likely has never been used in the same sentence with the word “healthy”.  Cooking an indulgence like this is where “balance” comes in. Healthy eating most days and meals of the week leaves room for most us for an occasional treat.

This kind of pleasure is incredibly worthwhile on many levels. First, food fully engages our senses. Good smells, tastes, textures and new flavor combinations are fantastic for our mood and can even reduce anxiety. Food is often visually appealing, and taking in the color and shapes of a beautiful dish is wonderfully calming for our busy brains.

Cooking for ourselves and others is a healing act of self-care and love.

I can still remember the sweet smell of vanilla-laced sugar cookies baking as I worked side by side with my grandmother, who thrilled me as an eight-year-old when she gave me an apron “like hers”. I loved it even more when she had me roll out the dough or sprinkle colored sugar on the cookies. This nurturing childhood memory has become a lovely piece of my decades long narrative around family and food.

I try to continue the tradition of sharing love by enjoying conversation with family and friends by preparing and sharing a fragrant, tasty meal whenever possible. It’s a fantastic respite that slows the passage of time and restores me from the demands of busy work days.   

If you don’t have good memories connecting food and love, I enthusiastically encourage you to take some baby steps towards creating some. The abundance of online recipes, complete with video demonstrations, make it easy to learn how to cook or, for accomplished cooks, to learn new skills and recipes. If you live alone or your family migrates to their own corners to eat, or eats at different times, shake things up and invite someone to join you. Try meals from different cultures and you may discover a love of a spice or an herb that is new to you and a recipe to add to your regular rotation.  

Here’s to finding more satisfaction and connection through food. Now if you don’t mind, I am going to excuse myself to join my husband to break bread and try Peruvian Pork Stew with Chilies, Lime and Apples.

Be well,

Laura

photo by Joanie Simon, food blogger

Everyone is an Artist

Art therapy is one of my preferred ways of working with clients. Almost everyone enjoys it, and it never fails to provide me with new insights about a client and how I can fine-tune our work together. It is often fun for the client and for me, and is a great way to strengthen our bond. Sometimes the drawing "assignment" will help a client realize that they are holding onto negative relationships or thought patterns.  Many times clients are able to not only identify that they are "stuck", but are also able to figure out what they need to do to move past these challenges. 

One common misconception about art therapy is that people need art "skills" to make therapy effective. This is absolutely not true. In fact, whether the end result is a few stick figures, a swath of color, or a more complex drawing, clients have equally powerful insights into what their art work is suggesting to them.

The creation of a 10 year-old client

Another misconception about art therapy is that the therapist will "interpret" the client's work, and proceed to tell the client what it means. Far more helpful is when clients tell me what their drawing means to them. 


Although I have already gotten to know a client through talk therapy by the time I introduce art therapy, I still have a lot to learn. Talk therapy primarily engages the left side of the brain. In most people, and in Western culture, the left brain is dominant, and focuses on  logic, reasoning, and details. We have difficulty accessing all of our wishes and true feelings by talking. Activities that involve the right hemisphere of the brain, such as art therapy, help people access imagination, big picture thinking, and creativity. Working in right brain mode helps clients break out of their everyday way of thinking. It is the powerful combination of insights from both sides of the brain  that can lead to faster healing and growth.


Be well,
Laura