The following are just some of the messages we’ve received from CEDRIC clients about how we helped them stop binge eating or any form of eating disorder for good.
Many had tried medication, psychiatry, psychologists, others had already tried surgery and some had been hospitalized or in residential treatment facilities (often more than one) prior to working with their CEDRIC Method therapist. What they all have in common is that they quickly learned what had been preventing them from getting a grip on food and were able to start to see themselves feeling more confident and at peace around any food, anytime, anywhere.
If you’d like to learn how to stop binge eating, or any eating disorder, we have over 20 years of experience and our own longstanding complete recovery to offer you as well as the experience of hundreds of clients who are sharing their testimonials with you so that you can trust that the CEDRIC Method works and that it will work for you.
Read on and hear about how they learned to find peace with food. I’m sure you’ll see some of your own story in theirs – and that means that we can help you, just like we helped them to step free of binge eating and eating disorders for good!
My name is Michelle Morand. I am a long recovered binge eater and I developed the CEDRIC Method to create a simple, fast and effective way of helping my clients to get a solid grip on food and get on with living their lives. If you’d like more information or to book an individual session, contact me and I’ll get a little bit of information about you and then share my ideas about how we will help you to experience the same sense of freedom, hope and happiness that these clients have.
Client Testimonials
“I wish everyone could have the benefit of working with you.”
Dear Michelle,
Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me the past year. I always look forward to our sessions and leave feeling better. It’s nice to have someone to talk to whose feedback I fully trust. I think you are absolutely wonderful at what you do and I wish everyone could have the benefit of working with you. Again, thank you. You are appreciated more than I can say.
– Love, Sam
“It only took a few sessions to notice a change…”
Alone. Isolated. Frustrated. Drained. Stuck. Unhappy. Sucked Dry. Empty.
Those are just some of the words that described my mental and physical state for so many years. I lived in that state for so long that I figured “Well, even though I am not happy, I don’t know what else to do. Losing weight is all that matters to me, and I don’t care what I have to do to achieve it” I started with a combination of many events in my life that lead me to this point. I was bullied, I was insecure, I was bigger than my other friends for most of my life, I felt bigger than anyone in the world.
I tried my first diet pill when I was 13, I went on my first diet at 14. At first it worked but soon my motivation diminished and I just went back to me old ways; sugary drinks, chips and all sorts of deep fried fast-food.
After years of feeling fat but not doing much about it, I went on a diet and ended up loosing 20lbs. That wasn’t enough, though; I was still “fat” and felt horrible. I continued to use diet pills for years, worked out and slowly weaned almost everything out of my diet. I kept losing weight over the next few years but it never made me happy inside as I had promised myself it would.I developed this all-or-nothing thinking and decided that I needed to be strict with myself in order to get results. My strict habits turned obsessive really quickly, I figured I had to stay on top of myself or else I’d slip and gain a million pounds. It was deadly, I would go online and seek “support” when really, I was developing an even deeper eating disorder.
Soon, nothing was enough. I fasted, I cleansed, I did extreme “all vegetable” diets and worked out very, very intensely for hours at a time, budgeting myself to a few hundred calories a day and while I lost a little bit of weight, my mental state was lost faster than the weight. I would secretly cry alone in my closet, because I was so empty inside. My boyfriend was very concerned, but I had put up such a huge wall around me, no one was allowed into that area of my life. I had drawers filled with information on anorexia, pictures, and poems, anything that fed my habit. I had numerous books and logs to track every morsel of food that went into my mouth and every minute of exercise. No one knew. I hid everything. People would congratulate me on my weight-loss, as much as you’d think it felt good – it only fed my eating disorder.
I got to a point when my boyfriend turned into my fiancé, I realized I was getting older, wanted to have kids and basically said to myself “This is NOT working. I don’t feel good, everyone is worried about me and I feel so lost inside” One huge motivator was I did not want to pass on an ounce of this to my children, when I have them.
On a bit of a whim, I called up the CEDRIC Centre and spoke with Michelle, who sounded so kind and understanding right off the bat. Through our sessions she, not only made me see certain events in my life that may have a part in why I am the way I am, but also gave me tools to use in times when I felt that lost, frustrated, alone and felt like regressing into past behaviours. Those tools are so valuable.
During my first few sessions I thought everything she was saying made perfect sense, it was logical, practical and eye opening. It wasn’t until I implemented those tools she taught me into my everyday life that I really started seeing (and feeling!) the results, for me it only took a few sessions to notice a huge change.
My drill sergeant in my head has taken quite a vacation. I am now able to go out for dinner (which was NOT a pretty scene previously), cook healthy meals anxiety-free, eat lunch during the day and most importantly I am learning to do everything in moderation – exercise, natural eating, listening to my body, and also being able to have a cookie or a dessert if I’m so inclined. Before Michelle, NONE of that stuff would be able to happen. I was a ball of anxiety, always calculating calories, crunching numbers of how much I ate versus how much I had worked out. Nothing was healthy enough for me.
That is now my past. I love saying that! I look forward to a bright, happy and balanced future. I am feeling excited an optimistic. I seriously can say I would not be here, like this, today if I did not call Michelle. She is so educated, experienced and in tune, she helped me realize that I am not alone, she understands this journey.
If you’re feeling stuck like I was, I hope you reach out and connect with Michelle! You’ll be feeling better before you know it!
– T.W.
Learn More About Individual Counselling
“I am so grateful for everything that you have done for me.”
[This next letter is from a client who mixed some individual sessions with a one year web program membership. Thank you Lesley!]
Michelle, I know that I am still the same person as I was two years ago, but I sure don’t feel that way!
I had been using food to cope for at least 35 years without realizing that that wasn’t actually how a life should be.
The media images; the Weight Loss programmes; the general chat around the office – it was all so normal, or so I thought.
The event that propelled me to actually acknowledge that something wasn’t right was traumatic and I wish it hadn’t happened. And yet I am so thankful that it did, and that in seeking some relief from the pain, your name and your work were mentioned.
The book, the tools, the opportunity to share experiences with others going through similar experiences, the bi-weekly calls, the handouts, the recordings of your calm voice; everything was fantastic and resonated so deeply with me. It was amazing to read the book and feel that it was written just for me! How did you do that?
My life is so different now. I am so much more open to others. So much braver in the risks I am willing to take and the situations I happily expose myself to. I am excited about the prospect of what lies ahead instead of feeling locked away in a self-made dungeon. I am in love with Yoga!
I am so grateful for everything that you have done for me. I hope that you will continue your wonderful work so that others may also benefit.
– Love, Lesley
“In the span of about one month I’d become a new person in many ways.”
Hi Michelle,
It has been on my heart to write this and to hopefully encourage others to do what I did. So here it goes.
I am a working wife and mother of two children who has battled bulimia for 25 years. During this time I have literally tried everything to get myself free; psychologists, psychiatrists, group therapy, medication, homeopathic therapy, naturopathic diets, low fat diets, Atkins diets, pH diets, marathon running, triathlons, yoga and if there is anything else…I’ve tried that too.
I have read books, listened to tapes, gone to seminars and lectures and talked with many professionals. In fact if there was a PhD. in eating disorder I would currently possess it! Unfortunately despite all my ‘field research’ on overcoming eating disorders I became convinced that my eating disorder would be something that I would just have to ‘manage’ for the rest of my life.
Actually, there is one thing that I have not tried nor have I been all that open to trying and that is to attend a treatment facility. I decided that I would rather suffer with my eating disorder than be taken away from my family and have everyone know that I was one of those “extreme” cases.
However, after reaching another crisis point in my life I began a desperate search for help. I made a doctor’s appointment but because I had to wait a couple of days before I could get in I began to do a web search. “There MUST be something that I haven’t tried yet” I thought as I began to “Google”. Although I had done this type of thing many times before I stumbled across the Cedric Centre website and thought it just may offer something different. Not only that, I wouldn’t have to be hauled off somewhere.
I sent a frantic e-mail to Michelle asking for help but warned her that she may have never seen anyone like me before. I let her know that not only was I a “lifer” but also that I have already tried everything. She e-mailed back right away and we set up a phone session. That easy.
In the span of about one month I have become a new person in many ways. Michelle was able to integrate what I already knew with an approach that is actually working. Many changes happened right away and some I am still uncovering but at least now I am no longer ‘managing’ food and behaviors. Instead I am understanding my core beliefs that drive my behavior and feel as though I am actually taking control of my life.
Although I am still in the beginning stages of my treatment, I am amazed that in one month my thinking has changed and my need to binge has diminished. I still have some frustratingly bad habits and need to keep short accounts to keep my thinking in check for now but for the first time I know I will be free. There is freedom friends! Take it from someone who has tried and failed at everything else!
– Sincerely, T
Learn More About Individual Counselling
“I was so calm and rational, and it felt fantastic.”
Hi Michelle,
YES, last night after doing the stressors I felt like I have never felt before. I was so calm, and rational, and it felt fantastic. I actually felt like I was drugged a bit… Can you imagine if I felt like that all the time?! Holly mother would that be something else. Thanks Michelle 🙂
– N
[For the record, this lady completed her process with us and does feel like that 24/7! Yipeee!!]
“I feel like I’ve gained leaps and bounds in my life since working with you.”
Hey Michelle,
Just wanted to check in and let you know everything is splendid. I haven’t felt the need for counselling as of late!
I just thought I should let you know I’m doing really well. I’ve started school which is fantastic!!
I also have been dating lately, which is a nice shift from all the independence/isolation of before. Recovery is still upstanding, and life seems to be plentiful and flowing.
I want to thank you for all the past sessions thus far though, you’ve helped me tremendously and I’m really grateful for your support and knowledge and encouragement. I feel like I’ve gained leaps and bounds in that area of my life since working with you.Love you lots,
–Brianna
“I feel a huge difference in my attitude towards honouring myself.”
Hi Michelle,
Just a short note to tell you that I’m so grateful to you…I really feel a huge difference in my attitude towards honouring myself and others that I love.Love,
– Carole
“I used the tools that you gave me to meet my own needs and had a most wonderful adventure.”
Hi Michelle,
I’m sending this email to say thank you. I went white water rafting on the Wenatchee River in Leavenworth, Washington on Saturday. I used the tools that you gave me to meet my own needs and had a most wonderful adventure.
I wouldn’t have even considered having this kind of fun a few months ago, my learned helplessness would have kicked in and I would have sat on the sidelines feeding my addiction.
I wrote a blog this morning about my weekend and love being able to share my success with my peers who understand my journey.You rock!
– Patti
“Thank you so much for the tool of dialoging with my ‘inner family’ – I absolutely love it!
Dear Michelle,
Thank you so much for the tool of dialoging with my ‘inner family’ – I absolutely love it!
Just this afternoon I was brainstorming a strategy for my business and found my hand wandering over to the bag of chocolate covered pretzels left on my desk from lunch.
After eating three or four I became aware that I was eating really quickly and was not physically hungry. Having had such concrete and swift success using the dialoging tool for other issues this week I grabbed my pad and decided to give it a try. With pen in hand and chocolate pretzel still in mouth I began.
My Nurturing Parent (NP) tenderly checked in with my Authentic Self asking her what was up. It took less than eight lines on a small notepad for my AuthSelf to voice her concern and feel safe and grounded again. And voila!
The chocolate pretzels immediately lost their appeal. There was not one ounce of willpower or external pressure required, I just really didn’t want, or more accurately, need them. With my anxiety soothed and my hunger previously satisfied I simply had no use for them.
Ok, to someone who has used food to cope for 19 long arduous years and has beaten herself up mercilessly for every excess pound that piled on as a result, this is HUGE!
I have spent so much energy restricting, exercising (read purging) and reprimanding myself in an attempt to suppress that desperate seemingly uncontrollable drive to eat to no avail. When all it took was a few minutes to check in and calm the little girl inside of me and poof it is gone!
I don’t particularly even like the movie but, imagery from the Wizard of Oz comes flooding to mind as I sit with this experience.
The insidious drive to overeat and bad body thoughts personify the Wicked Witch of the West (played by my Drill Sergeant) who has ruled tyrannically until Glinda the Good Witch (played by my Nurturing Parent but sounding at the moment uncannily like M. Morand’s melodic warm voice) swoops along in all her strength and beauty and laughs, “Ha ha ha! You have no power here!” She laughs.
That is incredibly significant. She is coming from such a grounded place of peace and confidence. There is no fear to be found in her voice. And in the end Dorothy (my Authentic Self) realizes she had the power to get to where she wanted to be all along with a simple click of her heals, or in my case the click of my pen!
Thank you Michelle!!!
– Joanne L.
“I am no longer using food to cope and the bad body images have also stopped.”
Dear Michelle,
We had a few sessions last spring and the knowledge and tools I took away from the sessions and material in your book have helped me to radically change my thinking and coping strategies. I am doing so amazingly well and want to extend my most sincere thanks. I am no longer using food to cope and the bad body images have also stopped.
I feel like I am on the next leg of my journey which is understanding how growing up with parents who are mentally ill has shaped how I cope/interact/make choices.
I have moved beyond food and body image issues and am now working on how to form deeper connections with other people, trust issues, and self-responsibility.
The work you are doing is fabulous!
That first day in your office was the beginning of finding and honouring my true self. Thank you!
Sincerely,
– Lenore
“WOW! This feels so damn good…I am putting the tools into practice and will continue to do so.”
Dear Michelle,
I can’t help but write to say how incredibly calm I am feeling this morning. I have stretched (YES! I Did!!!); checked in with my thinking (as my brain tried to go to the future); chosen foods I like when I felt hungry and feel very peaceful as I work on clients.
WOW! This feels so damn good…I am putting the tools into practice and will continue to do so.
People come into our lives for a reason and when we need them. I so look forward to the journey with you being a part of it.
Thank you ~ from the bottom ~ of my heart Michelle.
With great respect,
– Avis
“I can finally see a glimpse of what the light might feel like.”
Michelle,
You are an amazing woman!
This whole concept had escaped me until I walked into your office. I was living in an All or Nothing world and not even realizing it.. I;m sure tha’s why my Drill Sargent was so happy, and I was not.
I feel this is a constant struggle in my life and getting past all the All or Nothing thinking is a challenge. But I’m up for it!
As I pursue my spirituality, listen to your words of gold and really work on myself I can finally see a glimpse of what the light might feel like.
Thanks Michelle, you’re so smart and wonderful.
– T.W.
And, one month later…
“I haven’t felt this good…in…well…years, if ever!”
Michelle,
I just wanted to check in and let you know how well I’m doing! I have been feeling GREAT! A breath of fresh air, seriously. I haven’t felt this good…in…well…years, if ever!
Only today am I feeling like I “need” to see you soon, just to talk and share, but I have been so strong and “up”.
Finally, all those things you’ve been gently DRILLING into my head are really starting to sink in.
The tools, techniques have really, really helped.
I even had, what would have been, an incredible stressful situation in the past come up…I felt the symptoms and feelings of old behaviour for a minute, used the tools and completely got myself out of it, which would have never happened before!
I know now more than ever that you were completely meant to be found by me and I thank you so much for your support.
– T.W.
“It feels so good to have food as a friend.”
Hello Michelle,
I read all your e-mails and enjoy the readings and keeps me on track. I must have connected with some things that we worked on last year as I seem to be more content with life and losing some weight.
Thank you so much for your counselling and your support, I will always be so thankful and have you in the back of my mind. It feels so good to have food as a friend.
– Edna
“Everything I am learning is such a gift.”
Michelle,
Thank you so much for the Cedric Centre, your compassion and friendship. Everything I am learning is such a gift. Words cannot describe it.
Sincerely,
– Lexi
“I am much more peaceful and confident in my whole life.”
Dear Michelle,
Thank you for once again connecting the dots for me and reminding me in an interactive way how to use the tools I have. I am much more peaceful and confident in my whole life. I appreciate your wisdom, knowledge and kindness.
Wishing you blessings of love and peace,
– Jan
“In a lot of ways I feel like you’ve saved my life.”
Hi Michelle,
I just would like to thank you so much for being so amazing. You are one of the best people I know, and I feel truly grateful that I have the privilege of knowing you and working with you.
The guidance and support you continue to give me is honestly one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and without you in my life I don’t think I’d be ‘ok’, truthfully.
You make me want to be a better person and continue to fight the demons that exist inside of me, and truthfully I think I would have given up a long time ago if I didn’t know that I had you to turn to when things get really bad.
I’m sure you get told things like this all the time, but I don’t know if I’ve ever told you, and so I just wanted to make sure you know how special and important you are to me. In a lot of ways I feel like you’ve saved my life.
With everything that’s happened over the years and the struggles I continue to have, I often feel like there is no hope, and sometimes I don’t feel like I have any more options or anywhere else to turn.
In my worst moments, knowing I have you in my corner gives me the strength I need to keep fighting and not give up, and without you I don’t even know where I’d be.
– Robyn
“I am getting more social and working the tools.”
[This next piece of feedback was shared by a client who engaged in individual counselling and our web based counselling program.]Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to share some good news. I am not sure if I should talk about weight here, but something really big happened and I thought this might be inspirational. So either my scale is broken, or I have lost a few pounds over the last few weeks which has brought me to the 160’s. 169 to be exact.
But, the part I wanted to share was that the only way in the past I could be that weight was from strict dieting (where I was starving all the time). I got to this weight naturally by just eating when hungry and stopping when full (even though I wasn’t sure I was doing it right all the time) and exercising to a frequency that was fun.
I was quite surprised as my Dr still tries to tell me that I am not eating healthy enough, I shouldn’t ever have chocolate or freezes. Well, I was so busy the last few weeks I told my Dr I am doing my best and I felt lighter but I wasn’t eating where I want to be, but that each week i would try to change one processed food to a healthier food.
Well, my Dr was pretty quiet when I saw the number today. What a turd not even to say congratulations. Well, I made sure I said that to myself.
This gives me so much hope because for months I was at a certain weight and it would not budge. I changed a few things in my life, and I guess that did it. I am getting more social and working the tools. Anyways, I hope this came out the right way.
– Michelle, A.M.
“Life has been going really well, and eating has been going fantastically, too.”
Michelle,
Just wanted to say Hi and send you a virtual cuddle!
Life has been going really well, and eating has been going fantastically too.
I’m loving your emails, as usual.
Thanks for all the inspiration!
– CB
“I feel like I can go into this next chapter of my life with a much stronger sense of how to deal with struggles that come up.”
Dear Michelle,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the help you’ve given me since February when we met. I had this great feeling about you right from the beginning and you turned out to be even more of an ideal fit than I could have imagined to help me with my food and relationship issues and worries.
I feel like I can go into this next chapter of my life with a much stronger sense of how to deal with struggles that come up and how to assert myself…work in progress, but still 🙂
Thank you again. You’re really special and I am so grateful to have met you.
– J.L.
“I have never had anyone truly and sincerely care so much about my well-being, Michelle.”
Dear Michelle,
I want to thank you again for the year of knowledge, counselling and friendships I’ve made online.
I have gained such a better understanding of the tools and how/when to use them. I have never had anyone truly and sincerely care so much about my well-being, Michelle, thank you for being you.
I just love you and the work you are doing on this earth to help us all.
Love,
– Edie
“I don’t know if I can describe how joyful and freeing this feels!”
Hi Michelle,
I have a miraculous change to report. For the first time in, like, forever, I don’t hate pictures of myself! I can look at myself without flinching and averting my eyes and feeling shame.
I don’t know if I can describe how joyful and freeing this feels! I know it’s a result of the work I’m doing here, and it feels so good, I just wanted to share it with you!
Cheers!
– Jan
“I really appreciate that you guys really care about what works best for each individual with this process.“
Dear CEDRIC Team,
Thank you so much. I really appreciate that you guys really care about what works best for each individual with this process. That really comes across in any communication I have with everyone at the Cedric Centre.K.D.
– K.D.
“My relationship with food has changed dramatically, I’m not binging and not restricting.”
Hi Michelle,
I’ve been at the lake for most of the summer and things went very well. It was one of my most peaceful and most authentic summers in a very long time. I always feel very free there and this summer I was able to let go of so much of the negative body image issues that it was even better.
I did make some great connections with friends I hadn’t seen for a number of years. In the past, I would have felt some distress about those connections…”what do they think of me? “What are they saying about how fat I am? And then drawing conclusions like “They would prefer I stay away because I’m not as athletic, pretty, smart, etc. as they are.”
This year I just connected with them and enjoyed their company realizing that they were enjoying mine at the same time. It was great.
I am trying to stay true to natural eating and am discovering that it’s not really too hard. Yay!!
– Patti
“Thank you so much for holding up the mirror so I could see myself clearly and for all your support and compassion.”
Michelle,
I can’t tell you how blessed I am to know you and to have had you as a counsellor. You are truly, in all ways possible, an amazing, loving, beautiful and present woman. Because of you I feel grounded again and in love with every day.
I am so grateful to know you. Thanks for everything. You have so much to share. Thank you for being you.
Thanks so much for everything you do, I appreciate you so much!
Thank you for this new life experience through history, pain and turmoil, into the present day of clearer understanding and poignant self reflection. I look forward to the real me, unfettered by negative core beliefs, liberated!
Thank you so much for holding up the mirror so I could see myself clearly and for all your support and compassion that I might learn to not judge myself. Your skill is a rare gift and I am very grateful to have benefited from it.
I am truly grateful that I met you and feel grateful for all the wisdom you have shared and the support you have shown me.
I offer you great, great gratitude and joy for showing me the steps to this new dance of wholeness in my life where feelings are the music and all I have to do to experience the wonder of the dance is to engage in the ever-changing rhythms of the feelings.
You truly are a marvelous teacher, healer and companion on this journey Michelle, and I thank you from all of me for:
1. The gift of your incredible written words, your books that ring so true, real and genuine. They are so down to earth yet never on this earth have I read something more profound on the topic.
2. The gift of your “capital – p” Presence during my sessions with you which included all of your wisdom, guidance, insight, humor and compassion.
3. The gift of the incredible treasure that is you!
Thank you again for your insight and words of wisdom. I am so blessed and appreciative having you in my life. All is good.
Thank you for all of the kindness, patience and compassion that you have shown me this past year. It is appreciated and I am grateful.
With great, great gratitude for consistently and compassionately shining your wisdom light in my life.
Thank you for always listening with compassion and offering feedback that was so useful – a toolkit for life – I want you to know how much I appreciate you and how you have enriched my life.
I have realized I was brought into the world 32 years ago but only became a part of it a few months ago, when I discovered the true significance of life and undertook this uneasy but exciting journey towards recovery. I appreciate your standing by me; the journey will be long and challenging and your support and understanding are invaluable. I look forward to continuing building my life and my path to recovery with you standing by my side.
I just thought I would let you know what an inspiration you are and how special you are. I feel very privileged to have you as a mentor. Thanks for being you.
Thank you very much for your counselling. Your belief in me and straightforward demeanor have brought me endless insights.
– A.N.