Online Mindfulness Course

Mindful Pathways: Navigating Eating Disorder Urges

A four-lesson online course teaching practical mindfulness skills for noticing and responding to eating disorder urges, and for building self-compassion along the way.

Suitable for individuals who struggle with eating, and those diagnosed with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder. If you have anorexia or are medically unwell, use this only alongside a treating team, including your GP

Sound familiar?

  • You are experiencing overwhelming urges and cravings related to food, leading to impulsive behaviours and emotional distress.
  • You are struggling with difficult emotions such as anxiety, stress, or sadness, which often trigger or accompany eating disorder urges.
  • You are feeling dissatisfied or distressed about one’s body, leading to negative body image and potentially harmful behaviours to cope with these feelings.
  • You are engaging in automatic or impulsive responses to urges without conscious awareness, perpetuating the cycle of harmful behaviours.
  • You have limited coping mechanisms to deal with stress, emotional discomfort, or challenging situations without resorting to harmful eating disorder behaviours.
  • You feel disconnected from the present moment, leading to mindless eating or other behaviours that do not align with overall well-being.
  • You experience feelings of guilt and shame after engaging in eating disorder behaviours, further contributing to emotional distress.
  • You want skills you can keep practising, rather than a quick fix.
  • You don’t have the skills or awareness to apply mindfulness practices in daily life to effectively manage urges and emotions.
You’re not alone

You’re experiencing this problem because…

01. Body Image Pressure

Feeling pressured to meet unrealistic beauty standards and the desire for a perfect body can lead to dissatisfaction, prompting harmful eating behaviours as a way to gain control.

02. Emotional Coping

Difficulty handling emotions like stress or sadness may drive individuals to use food-related behaviours as a coping mechanism, seeking comfort or distraction from emotional challenges.

03. Social Factors

Societal beauty ideals and social media comparisons can contribute to feelings of inadequacy. This may lead to a negative self-perception and trigger disordered eating behaviours in an attempt to fit in or measure up.

What this course covers

The course introduces practical mindfulness techniques for the moments when eating disorder urges show up. Guided exercises help you notice urges and emotions as they arise, pause before acting, and respond with more intention and self-compassion.

You’ll also explore ways to bring mindfulness into everyday activities, including meals. The skills take practice, and change looks different for everyone. The course is a starting point you can return to, and it fits well alongside therapy.

I have just what you need

Mindful Pathways: Navigating Eating Disorder Urges

This course is a journey guiding individuals to reclaim control, foster self-compassion, and find peace through practical mindfulness strategies tailored for managing eating disorder urges.

This course may suit you if…
  • You experience strong urges related to food, eating or body image.
  • Difficult emotions such as stress, anxiety or sadness often come with urges, and you’d like other ways to cope.
  • You’d like to practise pausing and noticing before acting on an urge.
  • Mindfulness is new to you and you’d like a practical introduction.
  • You’re willing to practise the skills regularly, ideally alongside support from a treating professional.

MEET YOUR TEACHER

Lauren

Lauren Barrett (she/her) is a registered psychologist and credentialed eating disorder practitioner. She has training in mindfulness facilitation, CBT-E and DBT for eating disorders.

IN THIS COURSE YOU’LL LEARN…

  • Understanding mindfulness: what mindfulness is and how it can be used when managing eating disorder urges.
  • Identifying common urges: recognising common types of urges associated with eating problems.
  • Emotional awareness: noticing and naming difficult emotions as they arise.
  • Mindful eating practices: an introduction to mindful eating and how to try it at meals.
  • Mindfulness techniques: breath awareness, grounding and other practices for responding to urges.
  • Mindfulness in daily life: bringing present-moment awareness into routine activities.
  • Coping strategies: a set of mindfulness-based coping strategies to practise.
  • Resources for continued practice: apps, books and communities to support ongoing practice.

frequently asked questions

No, this is not a substitute to formal treatment. This course will provide you an introduction to mindfulness, a brief overview of what urges are and how to identify and work with them mindfully, but does not provide the other core components of evidence-based therapy. We recommend if you are looking for therapy to review the list of credentialed providers via Connect Ed

We do not provide any guarantees in this program. Mindfulness is a skill that requires practice to be effective. You may find immediate relief from urges or you may find you need to practice the skills again and again before you notice change.

This course is targeted for people living with an eating problem, however, it can be helpful for families to gain some insight into the difficulties faced by people living with eating problems and to also learn mindfulness skills. With knowledge of the skills, families are able to support their loved one to implement these when they are struggling.

$39

  • Immediate access to the online portal
  • Video content for each lesson
  • Written content for each lesson
  • Audio recordings for self-practice