Recovery Deep Dish
Recovery Deep Dish is hosted by Kate Sutton, a licensed therapist in private practice specializing in eating disorders and complex trauma. This podcast provides a deep dish of facts, stories, and guidance for long term eating disorder recovery from Kate's personal and professional experience. It takes folks beyond basic cognitive behavioral therapy approaches to eating disorders and explores the deeper issues beneath them. If you've ever felt alone in recovery or expert help has fallen short, this podcast is for you.
Each episode delves into topics that often remain unaddressed in traditional treatment, providing insights from neuroscience, somatic therapy, Internal Family Systems, and attachment theory. You'll also get actionable strategies to help you choose recovery day after day. Join Kate as she shares her hard-won wisdom and invites guests to offer their unique perspectives on the complex realities of the recovery process.
Whether you're in recovery yourself or supporting someone who is, this podcast offers a compassionate space for honest conversations and practical guidance. Discover the power of getting curious about the underlying issues and embrace the profound transformation that awaits you on the other side of an eating disorder.
Recovery Deep Dish
8: Medication Support In Recovery: Myths and info about meds (and my own experience)
Ever catch yourself thinking "I shouldn't need meds if I'm really recovered"? Or worried medication will numb you when you've fought so hard to feel your feelings? In this episode, I’m sharing some of my own experience with medication support and some thoughts that come up about it even if you’re doing "all the right things" in your eating disorder recovery. Learn why your brain's actual structure might be changing when anxiety and depression go untreated, and why accepting medication doesn't mean your recovery isn't "good enough"—it might actually be protecting your brain from long-term damage. We'll explore why perfectionism makes accepting medication so difficult, share insights about how symptoms can eclipse your true personality, and reveal why accepting medication support can have deeper meaning in your recovery process. Whether you're on medication, considering it, or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on a loaded topic in the world of recovery and American culture at large.
Key Points
- [00:04:25] My experience with medication in recovery
- [00:11:44] Biological factors that influence eating disorders, mood disorders, substance use and PTSD
- [00:17:01] “Good enoughness” in recovery and how medication resistance can be a symptom of perfectionism in recovery and internalized ableism
- [00:21:00] Ableism and competition via medication resistance is a transfer of the eating disorder mindset - additional support via med management can be a radical act of recovery
- [00:24:15] Fears of becoming numb or medication changing your brain
- [00:27:01] How medication plus therapy can protect, prevent, or reverse brain changes from mood disorders and trauma
- [00:30:05] Fears of side effects and navigating fat phobia in medication management
- [00:32:34] Finding the right medication for your brain chemistry
- [00:34:00] The myth of doing it on your own without meds as the only valid way to recover
- [00:37:38] Medication can enhance other recovery tools you’re already using
- [00:39:00] My story regarding fears of medication taking away aspects of self and control
- [00:41:31] “Psychological bandwidth” - untreated symptoms consume mental resources needed for recovery work
- [00:44:20] Practical things to think about prior to starting medication and how to find a medication provider
Resources Mentioned
Recovery Deep Dish Episode 5 - The nervous system in recovery
Episode Links
- Website: counselorkate.com
- Instagram: @counselorkate
- Email: podcast@counselorkate dot com
- The giveaway is still going on as of this release date! Here’s how to enter:
- Leave a written review on Apple Podcasts
- Email me that you left a review at podcast@counselorkate.com
- I’ll verify it and email you back for your mailing address to send you some fun mail!