How Can Meditating and Tapping Help Eating Disorder Recovery?Meet The Meditating Doctor Jill Wener, MD
How can meditation help eating disorder recovery? In my practice, San Diego eating disorder therapy clients who meditate regularly tend to recover much quicker than those who do not meditate. Enter Jill Wener, MD, who specializes in meditating and tapping (a form of meditation that incorporates tapping various parts of the body). One thing that’s awesome about Jill is that she does a ton of work on herself before offering it to clients. I also appreciate how Jill addresses patriarchy and white supremacy in her media: Jill hosts The Conscious Anti-Racism podcast and has co-written a book on anti-racism.
Why did you choose to specialize in meditating and tapping?
I first learned to meditate in 2011 when I was experiencing severe physician burnout. It was so intense that I decided to become a meditation teacher several years later I eventually transitioned out of clinical medicine to work in the the field of physician wellness. I first learned about tapping at a medical conference in 2017, and when I decided to try it in 2018, I felt like myself for the first time in months—and it was just one session. After working with my tapping practitioner for a year-and-a-half, I decided to become a tapping practitioner in 2019. I love the both the meditation and the tapping because they give my clients easy, effective, self-care tools that they can practice without being dependent on me.
What kind of services do you provide?
I offer live programs and on-demand, online options for all of my services. I lead meditation retreats for women in healthcare twice a year, I teach my live meditation course in person or on zoom, and I have CME (Continuing Medical Education) accredited online meditation programs as well. I also work with tapping clients 1:1, and I have a tapping membership program, as well as several online tapping courses. In anti-racism education, my partner Dr. Maiysha Clairborne and I facilitate live trainings, CME accredited Online trainings, and we have also published our Conscious Anti-Racism book.
Do you work with only meditating and tapping?
In addition to meditation and tapping, I am also the CEO of Conscious Anti-Racism LLC. My partner Dr. Maiysha Clairborne and I facilitate live trainings, CME accredited Online trainings, and we have also published our Conscious Anti-Racism book.
You discussed in a recent podcast about your journey in addressing body shame, radical self-love, anti-fatness/anti-fat bias, etc. Would you share a little about that?
Although I have never been fat, I grew up in a family that very much prioritized and rewarded thinness and dieting. That, coupled with the pervasive body shame and diet culture in our society, has led me to always think about my body as “not enough.” As I've delved more into white supremacy culture, anti-racism, and the patriarchy, I’ve deeply examined how I have internalized all of it, I have been working really hard to unlearn and relearn what I had previously taken for granted about my own body and about our culture.
I've learned from friends who have bravely shared their stories with me about their own eating disorders, and I've also learned from fat activists and anti-racism activists (such as Sonya Renee Taylor and Aubrey Gordon) how deeply connected racism, body shame, and the patriarchy are, and how important it is to learn to love myself and my own body as an act of resistance against white supremacy culture.
Meditation and tapping can be amazing resources for people with eating disorders. In what ways have you seen people address eating disorder behaviors and body image issues in your work?
Tapping is really amazing to help people address self-limiting beliefs and to get into their bodies and connect with how their emotions influence their behavior. I do try to meet my clients where they are in terms of eating and weight. Above all, I work with my clients to help them embrace and love who they are, no matter how much they weigh or what they look like. Both tapping and meditation activate the parasympathetic nervous system and allow people to manage stress and heal from traumas that may lead to behaviors that are harmful to their health.
What do you wish people knew about meditating and tapping and how it can help eating disorders and body image?
We have all been conditioned to carry around these narratives and beliefs about ourselves that affect how we feel and how we behave. Meditation and tapping are two great tools that help us change unhelpful narratives. They are easy to do and also really empowering, because they can be practiced self-sufficiently, without depending on anyone other than oneself. When someone is ready to make a change, it can be so liberating to work through and let go of those beliefs and narratives.
How can people reach out and contact you?
My website www.jillwener.com has information about all of my programs and is the best way to contact me. People are also welcome to email me at info@jillwener.com, and they can follow me on Instagram and Twitter @jillwenerMD.
You can also learn more about my next retreat here.
(Fun fact from Marianne—Jill interviewed me for her podcast a few weeks ago. Check it out here!)
_______________________________________
Hey everyone, I really appreciate you reading my blog! Have a wonderful day. :)
Marianne
If you want to take the next step toward eating disorder recovery and find out more about eating disorder treatment, ARFID, bulimia, binge eating or other eating disorders in San Diego, check out the resources on my website, including previous blog posts and my guest-speaking gigs on podcasts.
COMING SUMMER 2022: My virtual, 5-week class called Freedom From Binge Eating. Registration deadline is July 5th, and it begins Tuesday, July 12th. Join the waitlist today!
You can find more information about me on Instagram @drmariannemiller or on my Facebook page.