Workbook Volume 1

A PART OF THE HEALTHY MIND, HEALTHY BODY SERIES

BY KATI MORTON, MFTI
 CHAPTER 1

Together we are going to work

towards a happy, healthy future!

-Kati Morton, MFTI

 Volume 1

I want to welcome you to

the first Healthy Mind,
Healthy Body workbook!

My hope is that this is something

you print, keep in an easy to
access place, and work on
progressively throughout your
recovery process. I want to
highlight that recovery is a
process, it is not perfect and it
does not come without moments
of relapse. This workbook can
help you when you are struggling
Click here to see the Intro video
as well as help you continue to
move forward in your recovery.

Due to the fact that eating K a t i s r u l e s . . .

disorders often thrive on negative
thoughts, feelings and actions, 1. Be kind to yourself
this first workshop book will
2. Set a to-do list each evening for the next day
focus on what negative thoughts
you actually handle day to day. 3. Work on yourself daily

4. Reach out to others when you need help

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The first task is for you to write down make recovery very difficult as well as talking back to your ED will be horribly
damage the relationship you have with difficult at first, but keep at it. There will be
the things that your eating disorder (ED)
yourself. times when you feel like you are just going
tells you and how you talk back to it in
through the motions and dont even really
order to recover. I am sure some of you
In order to work through the negative believe what your healthy voice is saying,
have done this exercise before but it is
thoughts, feelings and actions we have to but keep writing it down. Your head will
always good to do it again. The most
catch up. I promise. You
important thing to
are probably wondering
remember is to just be
what kind of things to
honest. No one is going
write down to say back to
to read this, it is just a
your ED, right? Start out
helpful way for you to
just negating what it says.
see what your ED is
For example, if you ED
telling you about
tells you that you are lazy,
yourself and how much
you could say I am not
that negative voice can
lazy, I do so much during
influence your mood
each day that I am
and overall emotional
exhausted in the evening.
state.
Or you could list what
you did that day and why
If you begin your day Click here to see the 1st Task Companion Video you are not lazy.
not in line with what
Whatever you can to
your ED tells you to do,
learn how to speak back to them. Think of argue back to your ED. I
what happens? Well, nothing will actually
the negative voice as a bully and you have sometimes even tell my clients that if they
happen, but more likely your ED will start
to learn how to speak up for yourself. So in are at a loss for words to say back, just
filling your head with negative comments
one column we have the negative voice of imagine what I would say to their ED.
about how lazy or worthless you are, or
your ED, and in the other we have your Sometimes it can help at the beginning to
how you are supposed to make up for
healthy or true inner voice. I know that think of someone outside of yourself
being bad later on that day. This can

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talking back to your ED
versus it coming directly
from you. However, it
would be my hope that
as you continue
progressing through
recovery, you are able to
personally identify with
your healthy voice.
Click here to see the 2nd Task Companion Video
The second task
to help you get in touch with your inner or
healthy voice is to go back to when you last
heard it. I know that sounds ridiculously
difficult, but an easy way to access that part
of yourself is to go back to your favorite
childhood memory. The term childhood
can mean very different things to different
people. For some of you, it may mean when
you were nine years old, for others it would
be in your late teens early twenties.
Whenever it is, allow yourself to go there. I
am sure from the moment you read
favorite childhood memory a flash from
or just the rush of the
wind? Try to get as
descriptive as possible.
That can help you really
feel like you are there
again. What were your
thoughts at that time?
Did you worry about
what you had eaten or
how much you worked
out? My guess is no. Try
to remember that
person, what were your
hopes and dreams at that
age? Do you remember
what you wanted to be
that memory flew into your mind. Go with
when you grew up, or what you were
that memory. There is no right or wrong
excited about? Write as much as you can
childhood memory, and if you really like
about the person that you were at that
this exercise, you can do it multiple times.
time. You can reference this frame of mind
by rereading this entry and that will
Now that you have the memory, start
hopefully help you better develop your
writing down what was happening. Try to
healthy voice.
use all five of your senses. What smell was
in the air? Do you remember if it was cold
or hot where you were? Can you feel the
clothing on your skin? Were you barefoot
in the grass? What do you hear? Did you
taste anything? What did you hear around
you in this memory? Were people talking,
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The third task is
to recall when you
first remember
controlling your food.
Do you remember
what food it was? Do
you remember why
you decided to either
refuse it, purge it, or
whatever your
behavior was at the
time? I know that
Click here to see the 3rd Task Companion Video
recalling this
information can be
able to come up with new coping skills
very difficult, and that is why I usually
to replace the ED. While writing about
ask my clients to do this at the same
this, think of the things that were
time as they recall their favorite
happening in your life around that
childhood memory. Once you have
time? Did your parents get divorced?
tapped into your memory bank, it can
Did your best friend move away? It
be easier to recall instances like this.
could have been anything, but the more
Also, recalling this information can give
information you can gather for this the
us more insight into why it is you have
better we will be better able to help you
an eating disorder. Furthermore, when
when you are struggling.
you can remember what was going on
in your life when you first began using
food as a way to cope, we will be better

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The fourth task is along the same that, especially for women, there is a lot of negativity that your ED throws at you all
guilt associated with sweets. I have heard day every day. Also, this information will
lines as the last. I want you to think about
from many clients and even friends that give us insight into how we have learned to
how food was used in your family. By
they cannot eat dessert because they feel about food or feel through food. I know
used I mean was food used as a way to
for many of us food is seen as a
reward you? Did you
comfort when we feel we
only get to spend
have no one to turn to. Also,
time with your
many of us use food to
parents when you
numb ourselves from bad
were eating? Was it
feelings and/or experiences
withheld until you
and so we restrict our food
completed something
intake in order to force our
or were you forced to
minds to focus on our
finish all food before
feelings of starvation
you could get up from
instead of the real emotions
the table? Now I
we are experiencing. Binge
know that almost
eaters do something similar,
everyone could say
but instead of numbing out
that many variations
by starvation, they numb
of these instances Click here to see the 4th Task Companion Video out by focusing on how to
have happened to us,
get food, how to eat it all and
but I want you to try and shouldnt or they do not deserve it. If you
possibly how to get away with purging the
focus in on these instances and how you find yourself saying the word deserve, I
food. By noticing when we first learned to
felt about it. Did you learn from your want you to think about what you have to
do this, we can gain some insight into why
mother that eating dessert was bad? Did do to deserve to eat? Is it that you have to
certain emotions come up when we are
your father like you or your mother to be perfect or you have to be having a
either forced to eat in a treatment center,
prepare food that only he could eat? What bad day already? Knowing what emotions
or if we feel the urge to binge some days
emotions came along with the way food are tied to your interactions with food is
and not on others. So write about this, or if
was dealt with and talked about? I know another tool we can use to combat the
you hate journaling, create videos or

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collages about it. Something I do to
healthfully deal with my overwhelming
emotions is to color. Yes, I am aware that
coloring is a childlike thing to
do; however, it really helps
me calm down and see the
whole picture clearer. So
find what works for you and
lets start doing it.
The fifth task is
something that you may be
ashamed to put to paper, or
even scared that if you write
Click here to see the 5th Task Companion Video
it down something terrible
will happen. But I promise nothing bad
with happen, in fact, the complete opposite
could happen. Something wonderful could
take place. I would encourage you to write
down all of the equations that you use
while you are in your ED. Every last one of
them. I know that they change, and you use
some of them some days and others the
other days, but it can be really eye opening
to see them on paper. This is not this information? How much of your ED is
something that you need to share with run by these equations? I would assume
anyone, but I just want you to see them about eighty percent of it is based loosely
on them. I can also bet
that the shame, guilt
and fear stem from
your failure to adhere
to them perfectly and
will even aid in
creating bad days
or binge days. So
take your time with
this, maybe do it over
the course of a week
or two to ensure that
you have included all
of them and noticed
how they have
changed over time.
written out. I would also like you to think
about when you acquired these equations,
and possibly how they have changed over
time to fit your ever changing ED. I would
also like you to include how you came up
with them. Did you read it in a magazine?
Did you do research online to find out how
many calories you needed, or how much
you needed to work out? Did you come up
with a certain workout routine based on

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The sixth and one in the dash of your car,
or on your bathroom mirror.
final task that I have
I had a client once who got
for you is also the
so into this that she covered
most difficult. I have
her entire bathroom mirror
probably told many
with them because otherwise
of you to do this
she would criticize herself in
when you have sent
that mirror every day. Just
me messages and
make sure they are in a place
questions about
where you will see it and
recovery. This tip
where you think the positive
helps you to build up
item could help you get over
a better self image,
an urge from your ED. Also,
and therefore can Click here to see the 6th Task Companion Video feel free to keep adding to
give you the strength
the list and putting up more
to fight back to your
notes. You may find that it
ED when it lashes out at you. I want you to are not linked in any way to your ED
gets easier the more you do it. After time
write down things that you are good at behavior. Maybe you are a great listener
this simple task can really help boost your
other than your ED (and anything that is and are always there for your friends. Start
body image and overall self confidence. So
related to your ED). I know that you are all making a list. If you struggle to come up
give it a try!
talented, intelligent, witty and strong. Give with these at first, maybe ask a close friend
this tip all youve got! Are you a great or parent. They can give you things to put
writer? Do you paint or draw? Are you down and it will make you feel better at the
great at figuring out websites and same time! (Although I do recognize that
decorating your blog space? Maybe you you will not believe one thing they tell you).
play an instrument or sport. I want you to Once you have a list, it does not matter
be careful not to put in anything that is how many items are on the list, I want you
triggering for your ED. I know this can be to rewrite these onto post it notes. Then
frustrating, but it will help you more if they take those notes and place them in areas
that you will see every day. Maybe place

8
 The tasks and tips in this workbook are just the beginning on our path towards a healthy mind
and a healthy body, but they are all pivotal in our recovery process.

I hope that you find them helpful and easy to navigate. Keep working towards recovery
one step at a time, and as each day passes you will feel increasingly free.

Last but not least, dont forget that I release a new video each week on Youtube...

- Kati

Website: www.katimorton.com
Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/katimorton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/katimorton
Facebook: http://facebook.com/katimorton1
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2012, Kati Morton, MFTI
The materials found in this digital collection are owned, held, or licensed by Kati Morton and are available for personal, noncommercial, and educational use, provided that ownership of the materials is properly cited. Any commercial
use of the materials, without the written permission of Kati Morton, is strictly prohibited. For permission to use specific materials, please contact info@katimorton.com

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My worst days in recovery are better
than the best days in relapse.
Kate Le Page
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