On the Road to Recovered: Kim's Perspective

Some of the most impactful people encountered in our recovery journeys are our treatment providers. They provide invaluable education, compassion, faith in our capacity to heal, accountability, and the best of them help us relearn how to trust.

I met Kim Wyman, the dietician at Monte Nido Vista, my first night of residential treatment. It was a Monday, the day every week when those furthest along in recovery prepare dinner for the whole house. To bless the beautiful meal they prepared and to cultivate a positive mindset before eating what for some of us was quite a challenge, Kim sang “Amazing Grace.” Her heavenly voice, glowing presence, and palpable joy for sharing this food in community brought me to tears.

Though we only worked together for ten weeks, Kim’s wisdom resounds in my head to this day, guiding me to stick to recovery’s course and reminding me of the healthy ways to meet my needs. In this podcast, she shares some of her perspectives on the process of healing from an eating disorder.

How we feed ourselves is an expression of how we feel about ourselves. Sometimes the most effective way to change how we feel about ourselves is to change how we feed ourselves. Kim considers Recovery to be a process of Recovering Self. She elucidates the different parts of Self that need to be actively, compassionately cared for, and explains how one must separate physical needs from emotional needs (to be seen, heard, witnessed, and acknowledged) in order to meet them all appropriately.

Activating sensory experience is one of Kim’s hallmark methods for recovery. She encourages people to get out of their heads and into their bodies by seeking pleasure, enjoying nature, and cultivating a loving relationship with food through the creative act of cooking, truly tasting food, and eating with others.

Kim explains the 3 tenets of recovery – never weigh yourself, journal, and reach out to others – and also offers advice about how to find the best dietician for you.

In addition to being a Registered Dietician, Kim holds a Master’s in Public Health. She has been working primarily with men and women who struggle with eating disorders since 1997.