Recovery from Abusive Groups Page 15
want to allow some extra time so you can stop and relax, if need be. If you'd
like, talk with the nurse and/or doctor before the appointment and explain that
you are phobic toward doctors but would like to overcome your fear. A good
health care professional will take the time to be understanding and accepting of
your feelings. It may also help to have someone show you around the office or
medical center and explain what will be done and why.
The result of taking the time and energy to respond to your fear, rather than
react to it, is to validate your feelings and the experiences that have caused
these feelings and to break down these fears so that they don't encumber you in
the future.
Nutritional Needs
Some cults served healthy food, but not enough of the right foods for such a
stressful lifestyle. (Stress can come from too little stimulation as well as from
too much.) Some cults had followers eating garbage -another good reason for a
checkup. Whatever your group ate, check that you are getting the right
amounts of a well-balanced diet now.
Your body may have different nutritional needs while under the stress of
recovery. If you're not sure what makes for good nutrition, check out the library
or a medical center. Moderate regular exercise, such as walking, is also very
helpful in regulating the body during this stressful time.
Forbidden Foods
Some ex-cultists can be completely immobilized by the presence of foods once
banned by the cult. This can be very embarrassing if you're over to dinner at a
friend's house or out with company. It's okay to be afraid, but you will benefit
from eventually disassembling many of these fears. One way to try dismantling
food phobias is to find out if you're allergic to the "forbidden foods" or if the
foods really do pose a legitimate health hazard to you. If not and if you want to,
consider trying to overcome the fear and any residual control of the cult by
trying the "forbidden foods." The food practices of the cult may have sensitized
your body to certain foods, so monitor your body's reactions if you choose to
expand your food selection.
My body had a hunger for hamburgers when I first returned home. I found
myself eating three big hamburgers a night, three or four times a week for
about a month shortly after returning home. After a while, my hunger for the
additional meat subsided. Others have told me similar stories.
You can and should hold onto the good that you acquired in the cult. This may
include changes in eating habits. Some ex-cultists' eating habits improved in the
cult. Some became vegetarians while in the cult and chose to remain so after
leaving. Whatever your eating habits are now, make sure you and those who
left with you are getting the proper nutrition. It will help you heal.
want to allow some extra time so you can stop and relax, if need be. If you'd
like, talk with the nurse and/or doctor before the appointment and explain that
you are phobic toward doctors but would like to overcome your fear. A good
health care professional will take the time to be understanding and accepting of
your feelings. It may also help to have someone show you around the office or
medical center and explain what will be done and why.
The result of taking the time and energy to respond to your fear, rather than
react to it, is to validate your feelings and the experiences that have caused
these feelings and to break down these fears so that they don't encumber you in
the future.
Nutritional Needs
Some cults served healthy food, but not enough of the right foods for such a
stressful lifestyle. (Stress can come from too little stimulation as well as from
too much.) Some cults had followers eating garbage -another good reason for a
checkup. Whatever your group ate, check that you are getting the right
amounts of a well-balanced diet now.
Your body may have different nutritional needs while under the stress of
recovery. If you're not sure what makes for good nutrition, check out the library
or a medical center. Moderate regular exercise, such as walking, is also very
helpful in regulating the body during this stressful time.
Forbidden Foods
Some ex-cultists can be completely immobilized by the presence of foods once
banned by the cult. This can be very embarrassing if you're over to dinner at a
friend's house or out with company. It's okay to be afraid, but you will benefit
from eventually disassembling many of these fears. One way to try dismantling
food phobias is to find out if you're allergic to the "forbidden foods" or if the
foods really do pose a legitimate health hazard to you. If not and if you want to,
consider trying to overcome the fear and any residual control of the cult by
trying the "forbidden foods." The food practices of the cult may have sensitized
your body to certain foods, so monitor your body's reactions if you choose to
expand your food selection.
My body had a hunger for hamburgers when I first returned home. I found
myself eating three big hamburgers a night, three or four times a week for
about a month shortly after returning home. After a while, my hunger for the
additional meat subsided. Others have told me similar stories.
You can and should hold onto the good that you acquired in the cult. This may
include changes in eating habits. Some ex-cultists' eating habits improved in the
cult. Some became vegetarians while in the cult and chose to remain so after
leaving. Whatever your eating habits are now, make sure you and those who
left with you are getting the proper nutrition. It will help you heal.
