Using Storytelling with Dr. Anita Johnston
Do you love stories? I LOVE stories!
Stories are awesome. Besides being incredibly entertaining, they have the power to be completely transformative. And I mean that literally.
Today, we talk with Dr. Anita Johnston about the impact that stories and metaphors can have on your journey to heal your relationship with food. And we talk about why it works, the neuroscience and psychology of it all.
Dr. Anita Johnston- The True Pioneer in the Field
Anita Johnston, Ph.D., is a Depth Psychologist, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, and author of Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationships with Food.
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Everybody loves a good story.
Even if you dislike reading, everyone still loves a good story. That's why journalism and marketing work! Stories are what truly draw us into topics. But why do we like stories? What do stories even do?
Our brains have developed over time to be story listeners. We are creatures of stories and storytellers. Before humans could read and write, we told stories. It’s how we share information and preserve culture, community, and history.
Now, there is a difference between story and narrative. A narrative is more of an explanation of what happened, whereas a story pulls us in with different parts of our psyche.
There are dilemmas in stories that draw us into what would otherwise be a boring narrative. And the most compelling stories mimic our daily life.
No matter the story, even if it is the classic boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl again= happy ever after, it is compelling.
Our brains perceive the dilemma and resolution arc as absolutely fascinating. When there is a resolution in the story, it helps the listener feel like they are a part of the resolution themselves. This is partly why we want to hear the same story repeatedly as children. It is because something is happening internally that is powerful and healing.
What is the psychology behind storytelling?
Metaphors impact people on multiple levels- the mental level, the emotional level, and then there is the imaginative level. When you are telling a story with metaphors, you can hit on all three levels at once, allowing for change to be more immediate. When this happens, it changes our brains! How cool is that?!
We ❤️ neuroscience, even if we don't understand all the jargon. Emotions can feel so vague; it makes them more real and more understandable, and it solidifies what emotions we are feeling.
Left-Sided Brain vs. Right-Sided
Classic Shakespeare is filled with metaphors that require our brains to shift from the left side of our brain to the right side.
For example:
Romeo calls Juliet the sun, but Juliet is not literally a ball of hydrogen; rather, she lights up his world, which stages a whole different feeling!
Or when he said "out, out brief candle" instead of ‘then, she died.’
See the difference?
How can you make a narrative more compelling, like storytelling?
There is something about listening to a story, you can feel the cadence pulling you in. When you follow the arc of the story, your emotional experience is ignited. You are brought on an imaginative and interactive journey.
How do you use storytelling and metaphors to help with eating disorder recovery?
Anita starts with a story to illustrate how she uses stories. Surprised?
When an adolescent is dragged into her office, and they do not want to be there, there’s no real conversation happening. Anita will use the story of Persephone and Demeter to make the connection between a Greek mythological story and how this story can connect to their life. Check her story out at 14:35 of the podcast!
Speaking too directly about eating disorders and eating behaviors will close a lot of doors, whereas storytelling opens doors. So quite literally, Anita pulls people into conversation and treatment by using stories.
The Log Metaphor
Anita also uses metaphors and stories to help people understand more deeply what they are struggling with.
She uses her famous log metaphor a lot. Imagine you are on the banks of a river; it's pouring rain; you slip, and you fall in. You are drowning. You are getting pulled through the rapids. Then along comes a big log, and you grab on.
The log saves your life; it keeps your head above water. It eventually carries you to a place in the river where the water is calm. From there, you can see the river banks but cannot get there because you are still holding on so tight to the log.
The irony is that what just saved your life is now getting in the way of where you want to go. And to make it even more complicated, there is always someone on the riverbank yelling, "Let go of the log," and you feel like an idiot because you cannot.
Letting go of the log may not be the very best thing to do initially because what happens if you let go too early and start swimming to shore because you trust the person on the bank? You get halfway there then you realize you do not have the strength to make it. Well, that also means you do not have the strength to make it back to the log either, and you are really stuck.
There is a wise part of ourselves that will not allow us to let go of something until we are good and ready. So what do you do instead?
Well, you let go of the log and try floating. When you start to sink, you grab back on; then you practice treading water. When you get tired, you grab back on. Then you let go of the log and swim around it once and grab back on, twice, ten times, one hundred times, two hundred times, whatever it takes to have the strength and the confidence to make it to shore. Then you let go of the log.
With this metaphor, the concept that disordered eating/eating disorders have a function is made poignant. It’s not just an idea that’s introduced; it’s something that clicks. It makes sense. And then, a person can begin to figure out the function of their eating disorder.
This will allow them to identify which skills they need to learn. The beauty of the story is it can become very individualized: what is the log, what does it mean to you? What is the treading water, the floating, the swimming? All of it is open to interpretation.
Specific Eating Disorder Behaviors Used As Metaphors
Restricting: When someone restricts their food, it’s not the only thing they restrict in life. They may restrict new experiences, emotions, intimacy, or sexuality. There is a theme of restriction throughout their life.
Bingeing: There may a theme of "not enoughness” in their life. It could be money or food, or they may feel that they are not enough. Their response is to take as much in as possible to fill the “not-enoughness.”
Purging: Purging is getting rid of something. It follows the thoughts of “I shouldn’t have this, I don’t deserve it, I don’t want this.” It's disavowing or getting rid of what they have. The themes revolve around “I am too much, I feel too much, etc.” Or it can be an undoing of the taking in that happened with bingeing because it’s too scary to claim what you are afraid to claim as yours.
These patterns are everywhere, not just in food. It’s important to identify these themes so that when you resolve the eating issue, it doesn't transfer to another area in life.
Alright, now what?
When a person becomes aware of what was previously unknown, they are given the opportunity of choice. Instead of having all this stuff happen under the surface, you can be deliberate about how you navigate the world.
Metaphor of Specific Cravings
Imagine two tanks—Tank A- physical nourishment and Tank B- emotional/spiritual nourishment. When you struggle with compulsive eating, you go to fill tank A, but it's full and overflowing. You are still hungry, though. Why? Because it is actually tank B that needs to be filled. To fix this, you have to untangle the two tanks so you can tell the difference between them. You have to crack the code of what you are feeling.
Sweet foods: Perhaps there is an absence of sweetness in a person’s life. Maybe they think they aren’t sweet/good enough.
Crunchy, salty foods: Typically a result of anger and frustration. Think about how we eat those foods.
Warm foods: craving emotional warmth.
Sometimes, paying attention to the language of the food itself is wildly enlightening.
Train Metaphor:
One last thought about recovery in general. Anita likes to think of the journey of one's transformation (the word Anita likes to call recovery) as a train line. You can stay on until the end, stepping into a life you never imagined possible. But there are other stops along the way. Perhaps the “symptom-free but still obsessing” stop a third of the way there. Or halfway there. You get to choose when you get off.
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Tweetable Quotes
“We ❤️ neuroscience, even if we don't understand all the jargon. Emotions can feel so vague; it makes them more real and more understandable, and it solidifies what emotions we are feeling. ” – Rachelle Heinemann
“We are creatures of stories and storytellers. Before humans could read and write, we told stories. It’s how we share information and preserve culture, community, and history.” - Dr. Anita Johnston
Resources
Using Metaphors to Understand Eating Disorders Episode:
25. Using Metaphors to Understand Eating Disorders with Courtney Dowdell, LCAT, CEDAT, RDT/BCT
You can find Dr. Anita Johnston at:
https://dranitajohnston.com/
FB/IG@dranitajohnston
Light of the Moon Cafe:
https://lightofthemooncafe.com/
FB/IG: @lightofthemooncafe
Ai Pono Hawaii:
https://aipono.com
More From Rachelle
Hey there! I’m Rachelle, the host of the Understanding Disordered Eating Podcast. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I work with clients to make sense of life’s messy emotional experiences.
I believe in the power of deep work and its positive impact on your life in the long term. Learn more about how we can work together here.
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