Today I’m talking with Cara Byrne – an integrative humanistic psychotherapist based in Ireland. She is the founder of Hike Psych – offering walking and talking therapy in nature for her clients, combining her love of nature and psychotherapy, and Cara also works online. Cara has always been fascinated by other human beings and the experiences that shape them. As a child, she was the person that people confided in with their problems if they needed support. Cara’s interest and enthusiasm to support others, led her to train in psychotherapy.
Cara also has her own food healing journey. Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 3; this understandably led to a focus and preoccupation with food, with carbohydrates needing to be counted and portions weighed to balance blood sugar levels and to manage insulin doses. Anyone listening that has experience of type 1 diabetes will be truly empathetic to the chronic burden of living with diabetes and how tricky it can be to manage your relationship with food. It’s hard to be relaxed and spontaneous with all the tracking and detail focus required.
Growing up, Cara also experienced being in a larger body in a naturally slim family. Cara’s family relationships were warm and accepting however she did experience some judgement and weight stigma outside of the family. In her late teens, Cara struggled with restrictive eating and inevitable binge eating, which then worsened following the birth of her first child. In the last few years, she has been on a healing journey in her own relationship with food and her body, leaning towards intuitive eating principles and finding a greater level of body neutrality and acceptance, all whilst navigating this around type 1 diabetes management.
Since she began her therapeutic work in 2011, Cara has worked with a vast number of clients dealing with many different issues across the mental health spectrum however has a specialist interest in food, body image, type 1 diabetes, Health At Every Size and neurodiversity. In this conversation today, you will hear about Cara’s healing journey, and the ups and downs along this road. She also explores how she supports her clients today. There are not many psychotherapists who combine walking and talking therapy and Cara shares some interesting insights on this.
I hope that you enjoy the episode.
To find out more about Cara: -
Website: https://www.hikepsych.ie/
Instagram: @hikepsych.ie
Feeling in Two Minds About Recovery? 7 Ways to Shift Motivation by Working through Ambivalence
What Helped Me to Heal from Binge Eating and Compulsive Overeating with Ronni Robinson
Trauma Informed Nutritional Care and Creative Approaches in Eating Disorder Recovery, with Annyck Besso
A Deep Dive into Body Dysmorphic Disorder
A quick message from Harriet Frew
Eating Disorder Recovery and Unmet Childhood Needs, with Victoria Kleinsman and Harriet Frew
When you Don't Feel Good Enough and How to Change This, in Eating Disorder Recovery
Healing your Wounded Inner Child in Eating Disorder Recovery, with Amber Romaniuk
The Importance of Relationships, Friendship, Connection and Co-Regulation in Eating Disorder Recovery
A Parent's Experience of Supporting her Daughter with Anorexia Nervosa, with Linda Åkerlund
Mirror Exposure Therapy in Eating Disorder Recovery
Eating Disorder Recovery: An Experience as a Black Woman, Prioritising Mental Health and Body Acceptance, with Jayde Barber
What is Body Neutrality? How Can You Embrace It?
How Fashion can Support Identity, Creativity, Healing and Self-Love in Eating Disorder Recovery, with Anne Richardson
Dealing with Comments About your Eating and People Dieting Around You, When You're in Eating Disorder Recovery
Binge Eating, Emotions, Self-Care and Body Image with Dr. Marianne Miller
Dealing with Relapse in Eating Disorder Recovery
Body Image and Disordered Eating in Athletes, Fitness Enthusiasts and Sport, with Matt Davis
A Perspective to Help You Let Go of your Eating Disorder
Developing Innovative and Personalised Treatment Programmes for People with Eating Disorders, with Professor Melainie Rogers (BALANCE Eating Disorder Treatment Center™)
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Your Sleep Guru Podcast
Anxiety Slayer™ with Shann and Ananga
Men Do Talk Podcast
The Dr. John Delony Show
On Purpose with Jay Shetty