Step One:

Make a regular appointment with yourself to travel on your Triumphant Journey. Give yourself a day, at least once a week, and a time. Give yourself a minimum of a half hour. Keep your appointment.

Step Two:

Obtain a 3 ring loose leaf notebook for 8 ½" by 11" sheets. Print out the seven preparations of Secret discovering Exercises. Use a three hole punch to fit those pages in the beginning of your book . Print out the Action Steps listed below and insert the pages in your notebook. Write or print out each of the 20 secret discovering questions on a separate page. Insert each page with a question on it in your book. Place at least two blank sheets of paper after each question page. (Some questions may relate to you more than others. For now, keep them all in your book.) Print out the Exercises to Stop Overeating and put them in your notebook, or see step two to download a copy of Triumphant Journey.

Step Three

Any time your find yourself in an overeating situation, move as quickly as you can to these exercises and find what is helpful for you. When you begin to discover additional situations and helpful exercises on your own, write them down in this section. It's amazing how brilliant we can be in the moment, and how quickly we can forget our own discoveries. Write down your new found strengths and understandings so you can recover them when you need them. Use a divider to separate the sections in your notebook so you can find specific areas easily.

Step Four:

Select a safe and private place for this book.

Step Five:

Read the seven introduction points again.

Step Six:

Choose one of the secret discovering questions. Decide using your own criteria. For example, you may select a question because:

• It touches you the most.
• It intrigues you the most.
• It causes you a degree of emotion you feel you can tolerate.
• You feel it's the safest place to begin.

Remember, this process will take time. You do what you can do now. Tomorrow your now will be different from your now of today. You will feel differently and choose based on what you feel then. Now just choose based on what you feel now. You can't make a mistake. This is your personal journey.

Step Seven:

1.Sit quietly. Breathe naturally and watch your breath. Gradually breathe more deeply and free your mind. 2.Review the question you've selected as you breathe evenly. 3.Pay attention to what occurs to you. 4.Write the thoughts and feelings which occur to you on the blank pages following the question.

• You may write unconnected words.
• You may write partial or complete sentences.
• You may draw pictures or make shapes.

Whatever occurs to you is of value.

Step Eight:

Pause and breathe evenly. Pay attention to your body. How are you sitting? How are you holding your head, jaw, legs? Pay attention to how you physically feel in your

Don't judge. Just pay attention to what is happening and write it down.

Step Nine

Let yourself experiences images which may flash before your mind's eye.

• They might be memories, fantasies, wishes or dreads.
• They might seem inconsequential or irrelevant.
• You might hear sounds in your imagination with no pictures.
• Or you might remember smells.
• Don't judge them. Just accept them and write them down.

Step Ten:

As you proceed, you may feel physical sensations, strong emotions or both. Stay with them and write them down.

Step Eleven:

Notice what you want to do to end this exercise. Postpone ending the exercise for from one to ten minutes. The minutes you spend in the exercise after you want to stop will provide you with more information. It's not necessary to push beyond ten minutes. You are stretching your tolerance in this exercise. You are also being kind, patient and accepting of yourself. Postponing from one to ten minutes will give you the strengthening and confidence building experience you need. More is not required.

As you postpone you build your own strength and endurance so you can bear more information. That's where your freedom is. Write down this experience too.

Step Twelve:

When you decide you have had enough, write that you have decided to stop. Also write what you intend to do in the next minute. Be honest. Then put your book in the safe place you created. Next

Return to Triumphant Journey Index

5/28/98

Joanna Poppink, M.F.C.C., licensed by the State of California in 1980, is a Marriage, Family, Child Counselor (License #15563). She has a private practice in Los Angeles where she works with adult individuals and couples. She specializes in working with people with eating disorders and with people who are trying to understand and help a loved on who has an eating disorder. Contact Information: 10573 West Pico Blvd. Suite 20 Los Angeles, CA 90064 (310) 474-4165 phone (310) 474-7248 fax