Well hello there. It's Michelle Morand here. I want to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to Brooke for all that she's done for the centre in her five years with us. We are thrilled for her that she is heading out to explore her true passion in public relations on a full time basis. And we ask you for your feedback and suggestions on what you'd like to see included in our newsletter in future months. Is there a regular feature you'd like to see or a particular issue you'd like to see addressed? Let us know. The Genuine Article is meant to be a forum to build a sense of community among those with disordered eating (past or present) and body image concerns. So let us know what you feel we could do to create a greater sense of community.

So, it is clearly a time of transition at The CEDRIC Centre. Virginia Preston, who I believe you were all introduced to in the last issue of The Genuine Article, will be coming on board full time as our administrative assistant and will also be contributing her own piece to the newsletter in the form of a regular section on spirituality. I'm looking forward to that.

Karen, Beth and I are continuing to offer our groups, workshops and individual support Monday thru Saturday. Karen also continues to offer her Zero Balancing Energy healing and Reiki. Wonderful!

We have also made the acquaintance of two nutritionists in the community who are on call to us for any clients who would like to add some nutritional support to their recovery process at any stage in their work with us. We have a personal fitness trainer associated with the centre as well, a fabulous person and skilled instructor, Stephanie Shaw, who will create individual fitness plans for our members and support you through their implementation.

It is our hope to be able to offer Stephanie's work and that of Deb Moncur our Yoga instructor of choice, in our new movement space in the fall. With all of these wonderful people on staff and great professionals in the community who approach food and body image from the same philosophy and compassionate perspective as we do, we anticipate the next year bringing many fabulous growth opportunities for our clients.

I thank you for reading The Genuine Article. We look forward to sharing more with you about events at the centre; general interest pieces; and of course more Tools for Recovery.

Wishing you a great month! Michelle.

"Put your psyche in motion and it will heal itself" Gabrielle Roth Noted artist, philosopher and healer, Gabrielle Roth has devoted her life to exploring and communicating the language of primal movement and experimental theater. Over the past 35 years, Gabrielle has taken thousands of people on a journey from physical and emotional inertia to the freedom of ecstasy, from the tyranny of the chattering ego-mind to the blessed emptiness of stillness through a movement practice known as 5 RhythmsTM.

Roth has taken thousands of people on a shaman's journey through the rhythms of their bodies and into the rhythms of their souls. Her books, workshops, and music recordings provide a context in which the spirit and flesh come together as one and dance like lovers upon a stage. Through the 5Rhythms, her self- styled form of ecstatic trance dance, Roth uses movement to reignite shamanic ecstasy in a culture and people that have become trapped in a kind of physical and emotional inertia. Roth guides her students on an adventure into the often unexplored, sometimes daunting, region of their own psyches, and brings them back into alignment with the rhythm of their own souls.

The Roth 5 Rhythms In our hearts, we know that at our deepest level we are divine, spirit in flesh--unlimited, joyful, loving, ecstatic and free. But all too often, what's real day- to-day is not our freedom but our limitations. Not our joy, but our pain. For many of us what's real is what holds us back, not what sets us free. This is a practice that begins and ends in movement - a way to turn our wounds into healing, our pain into compassion, our fears into creativity. The essential ground of this part is the re-uniting of spirit and flesh through Gabrielle Roth's 5 Rhythms.

When you enter into the 5 Rhythms, you embark on a pilgrimage of self-revelation rooted in action and movement. This happens because the 5 Rhythms are not a theory, but a practice. This work builds on its own momentum, leaping from the fertile landscape of the body through waves of emotional content toward our realization of spirit. This dynamic encounter with your own psyche has the power to transform, revealing your passion, power and presence. Text for this article adapted from Gabrielle's website. To learn more, go to: www.ravenrecording.com

5 RhythmsTM in Victoria, BC: Weekly DJ'd 5 RhythmsTM practice Tuesday nights, from 6:30 to 8:00pm The Polish White Eagle Hall (in James Bay) 90 Dock Street (at Niagra) Drop-in $10.00 5 for $45.00 with a punch card Join us as we practice Gabrielle Roth's healing movement work to an ever-changing selection of music. Deepen you personal practice of the 5 RhythmsTM or dance a Wave for the first time. All ages (15 plus) and and levels of experience are welcome. For more information, contact Joanne at 380-1902.

By, Michelle Morand, Founder and Director of The CEDRIC Centre.

To those of us who grew up in moderately to extremely dysfunctional homes the assertion that you can live your life in a state of peace and love for yourself and others will be met with some incredulity and you'll no doubt be wanting to encourage me to see my doctor for a thorough check-up. This is not because the concept that your natural state is peace and love is incorrect, but because as human beings we can only truly understand that which we have experienced ourselves on some level.

The experience of growing up in an abusive environment or experiencing abuse of a physical, sexual or emotional nature from a relative or neighbor created within us a state of constant alertness - constant, low grade anxiety - what I call "the permeating level of anxiety" because it's always there even when on the surface everything is peaches and cream. This distress can lead us to great frustration with ourselves and much self-criticism - even to severe mental illness and substance abuse as we strive through harmful means to distance ourselves from the unsettling feelings within. Without the awareness that there is a legitimate cause to your distress (eg. childhood abuse and neglect) you can spend your entire lifetime using various means (food, alcohol, sex, co-dependency, anxiety, depression, bad body thoughts and self-judgment to name but a few) to distance yourself from what is/was a healthy and natural response to trauma.

Depression, alexithymia (disconnect from emotions), intrusive ideation (worst case scenario fantasies) and harsh self-criticism are all examples of natural responses to trauma and comprise some of the key criteria for a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That's right - you may be suffering from PTSD borne of a painful but very real experience of childhood trauma or neglect. So, what if your "normal" isn't the only option? It's all you've known. It's what you were taught to think and how you were taught to behave. But what if it isn't your necessary state of being? To explore this for yourself, think of the people who taught you how to express your feelings, how to cope with stress and even more fundamentally - how to identify what you need and to value yourself enough to meet those needs. Is it possible that those key individuals didn't have a solid grasp on self- esteem and the healthy expression of their thoughts, feelings and needs?

As human beings we adapt as best we can to circumstances that we can't control, such as harmful home environments when we're dependent children. The problem with this amazing and life preserving trait is that it doesn't shut itself off when we're free from the battle zone. And if it's all we've ever known, how would we know there was anything to turn off? It is rare that someone comes along as we become independent adults and tells us what behaviors, thoughts and feelings we can now let go of because we are safe and no longer needing protection in that way. Instead most of us continue to live our lives as though we are unsafe, lacking control, unlovable, unacceptable and have to continuously prove our worth. These are our core beliefs and were formed as we struggled as children to make sense of the behavior of the adults in our lives.

From this outdated perception of ourselves we continue to draw people into our lives who feel similarly about themselves. Although on the surface they may project as aura of confidence and self- assurance that we are desperate to attain for ourselves, it usually doesn't take long for us to realize that those individuals are really as insecure as we are. They are not the answer to our lack of security and confidence. Unfortunately, we usually interpret these experiences as proof that we are flawed, unlovable, unacceptable, etc. In other words we continue to make sense of our life from those old beliefs that were formed when we were children living in trauma or neglect. This pattern only serves to entrench those beliefs further and to enslave us to them.

Last month I briefly shared my model called "The Coping Strategy Flowchart" in which I stated that anything other than peaceful acceptance of the moment is an indication of unmet needs. Think about how much of your life you've spent using one of the coping strategies listed here and if those thoughts, feelings and behaviors are indicators of unmet needs. Examples of coping strategies you might be using to ignore or attempt to meet your needs are: Behaviours such as: Overeating; purging; restricting; people pleasing; excessive exercise; avoiding exercise; isolation; television; shopping; jaw clenching; fist clenching; holding your breath; sleeping lots; not allowing yourself to rest when you're tired; sarcasm; the silent treatment; pretending to be happy when you're sad or angry. Feelings such as: Nervousness; anxiety; panic; anger; sadness; guilt; insecurity; disappointment; resentment; alexithymia (disconnect from feelings); irritation; and frustration. Thoughts such as: Obsessive thinking about food ("I want that!"); Taking things personally; The Drill Sgt. ie. judging yourself (includes self-criticism and bad body thoughts); judging others; "I have to be perfect."; Dismissing your feelings; Intrustive Ideation (worst case scenario fantasies); and The Diet Mentality. Consider for a moment how much of your life you've spent using these and other ways to attempt to ignore the fact that you're not fulfilled, or even feeling safe (a fundamental, basic need).

That's a lot of energy going into denial and avoidance. The energy it takes to live a conscious life is minimal compared to the energy you expend every day focusing on avoiding certain thoughts, feelings, behaviors, people and/or situations. That coping strategy of avoidance is just your soul's way of telling you that you need something. There are much less harmful ways to receive that internal message and respond to it. I can assure you, there are no needs that you have that can't be met by yourself or someone else is your life. And, just in case your drill sergeant has kicked in in a last ditch attempt to keep you in the dark, let me say that having needs does not make you "needy" or high- maintenance. You have needs - whether you acknowledge them or not - whether you meet them or not, they're there. You can continue to use a variety of coping strategies to tune out to their existence or you can learn to trust in your innate ability to identify and meet your needs in ways that respect and honor you and the others in your life. The more you attend to your needs the less you'll use coping strategies like food, anxiety, bad body thoughts and the more peaceful and relaxed you'll be at all times.

A Poem by Patricia Lynn Reilly

Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman. A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories. Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself. A woman who listens to her needs and desires. Who meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who has acknowledged the past's influence on the present. A woman who has walked through her past. Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life. A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf. Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and to her wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods. A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness. Who designs her own spirituality and allows it to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body. A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is. Who celebrates her body and its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource. Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body. A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom. Who refuses to use her precious life energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life. A woman who sits in circles of women. Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets. IMAGINE YOURSELF AS THIS WOMAN.

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-- over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

© Mary Oliver.

Ladies and Gents; For some time now I've been wondering how we, with our wee budget can affect change in the world of eating disorders on a grand scale? How can we begin to get the message of hope and freedom from the diet mentality and body image obsession out to the general masses?

As you all know, the diet industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. Oh, if only I had that budget for one year! I'd do tonnes of public service announcements; take out full page newspaper ads educating the public on the perils of dieting; on what disordered eating really looks like; on the prejudice in our society against overweight; on the absolutely ridiculous and so very harmful "ideal" figure for men and women in our society and so much more.

To that end, I've had this idea rattling around in my brain for quite some time: What if we put on a variety show - big time (ie. The Royal Theatre) that was performed entirely by men and women who currently have or who have recovered from disordered eating? And what if all the proceeds from that performance went directly to a public advertising campaign specifically designed to educate people on the above issues?

I know for a fact that many of you have talent. You're artists, singers, writers, poets, dancers, acrobats, comediennes etc. I know we wouldn't make billions in one performance at the Royal - but it'd be a start.

At this time, I'm just sharing a notion. And I'm inviting your feedback. Do you have any ideas about how we, as a community, can raise public awareness about disordered eating and related concerns? Let me know.

e-mail me at mmorand@islandnet.com with your thoughts - even if you think the idea stinks! Michelle.

email: info@cedriccentre.com

phone: 1-866-383-0797 / 250-383-0797

web: http://www.cedriccentre.com